Ken Kelly, the artist responsible for the iconic Rainbow Rising cover, has passed away at the age of 76. He also had created many other album covers, most notably for Kiss and Manowar, as well as artworks depicting fantasy, and sword and sorcery heroes.

A number of musicians responded to the news, including His Blackness (as delivered to Twitter by courier pigeons):

He was a very nice man. Very easy to work with. I gave him a simple idea, which he turned into a magical picture. He shall be greatly missed. RIP Ken Kelly https://t.co/RTnjG8PavZ

— Official Ritchie Blackmore (@TheRealRitchieB) June 4, 2022

In 2016 Metal Shock Finland interviewed Ken on the occasion of Rising 40th anniversary:

I have to preface it with what happened before I came to Rainbow. Rainbow itself was a very simple cover to do but I don’t want to misrepresent that. It was a difficult cover, it was a unique cover, but I have to give Ritchie Blackmore the credit for it. He knew exactly what he wanted.

So, when I came into his office and after we greeted each other and sat down and started talking about the cover, I believe it comes from one of the songs – the actual reaching of the hand out to the rainbow. I had just been completely overwhelmed with KISS and what I did for them, so I was very prepared when Rainbow called and then I went into their office and they dictated the cover.

So I left the office with a complete painting in my head, I simply had to go home and use the disciplines that we’re taught as artists and do what Ritchie said and that’s what I did.

I didn’t think about it much at the time, but it’s stayed alive for forty years, it’s amazing, it’s incredible and it was a masterpiece because that’s what Ritchie asked for. He still knows what he’s doing to this day and he did back then. I would love to say I created everything and it’s all mine, but that’s simply not true.

Listen to the rest of the interview:

[Updated June 7]: In 2007 MOJO magazine Greatest Album Covers issue had this to say about the artwork and its creator (click on the image to enlarge):

Thanks to BraveWords for the heads up, to Metal Shock Finland for the interview, and to our reader DeeperPurps for the MOJO scan.

Paicey’s personal drum cam footage from a live version of 7 and 7 Is — German TV Rehearsal Take 1 Continue Reading »

Our long time regular Marcelo Soares writes:

One of my greatest moments ever as a fan was to see Jon play the Concert in São Paulo in 2009, in an open air gig in the most famous corner of Brazil. This weekend the festival will happen again, with lots of musicians playing around the clock, for free – even if none of Jon’s caliber. I was searching for something new about that gig and got this great close shot of Jon on the second movement. Nine minutes in which he is on full Maestro mode, enjoying each note, exchanging smiles with Steve Balsamo. Check it out:

It was quite an experience to be there.

Even before the gig, Jon spent some days in the city for the rehearsals, and he was spotted many times walking incognito at São João avenue – even if the Galeria do Rock, an entire building then specialized in selling rock albums and t-shirts, was next door to the building where the orchestra and the band rehearsed. After I interviewed him for MTV, Steve and Kasia Laska asked me where they could buy baby clothes with a Deep Purple logo, as Jon had just had a grandchild – so after the interview the three of us went to Galeria do Rock to get the emblazoned one-piece, even more icognito than Jon.

Damn, remembering those days makes me so thankful about life.

Here’s Marcelo’s interview with Jon as was broadcast by
MTV Brazil:

The first single Radiance from the new yet so far nameless Dead Daisies album that is due in August 2022. Continue Reading »

A few more clips of the ad-hoc Purple lineup performing, this time, in Istanbul on May 25, 2022. Continue Reading »

Deep Purple live at Menora Mivtachim Arena (Tel Aviv, Israel 2014-02-22)

Gillan is 77 years old and man, he Rocks !
They came hungry , after three years without playing live, Purple opened their tour with a blast.
Two shows, day after day, amazing evenings.
Tel Aviv Menorah Hall was fully packed with 10,000 people, all yearning for the sounds they love so much. The crowd loved them and Purple loved them back.
We came, three generations of Purple fans, and enjoyed every second of it.
No need for fireworks or other visual pyrotechnics, They played it hard from the heart straight to the guts.
Ian Paice stormed the drums, Roger Glover was in his ageless pirate look and the new guy,
Simon McBride was a super surprise, this guy was on fire ! This Irish guitar virtuoso provided that freshness that added cool vibes to the party. And it was only his first show with the band!
On the screens you could see Don Airey’s fingers move so fast on the Hammond, playing all those beautiful Baroque influenced interludes. And him playing “Jerusalem of Gold” with the crowd’s singing was another great moment.
This year it’s a 50 years celebration to “Machine Head” and most of the album was played in the show, don’t think that anybody objected to that. They kicked in with “Highway Star” and finished with “Black Night” with the same full power energy of the beginning. Wish we all will still be rocking like that when we’re 70.

“Black Night” finale:
https://youtu.be/bfHLMNDcrQg

And BTW Check out my Deep Purple influenced music:

“Very Heepy Very Purple”
https://avirosenfeld.bandcamp.com/album/very-heepy-very-purple-xi

review by Avi Rosenfeld

Deep Purple live at Menora Mivtachim Arena (Tel Aviv, Israel 2022-05-22)

I will try to be very short.
I am still a full of emotions. What’s a SHOW.
All the band sounded incredible….everybody.
The new guy on the guitar – WOW, no comments.
Gillan…I do not remember him singing in such confidence and power for years.
And the ENERGY….JUST AMAZING.
This was my tenth Purple show and probably, the best one.
THANK YOU DEEP PURPLE!!!

review by Rost

Eager to see how does the band sound after yet another hiatus, and with a new guitar player? You’ve come to the right place. Live in Israel, May 22, 2022: Continue Reading »

Ritchie Blackmore has also resumed some very light touring with two shows in Pennsylvania. Here is some amusing anecdotage as told on May 19, 2022, in Harrisburg, followed by an old Purple classic Soldier of Fortune Continue Reading »

Guitar.com has more Blackmore quotes from his Sirius XM broadcast in April. On the nascient band that Chris Curtis was trying to form in early 1968:

I was living in Hamburg and I got a telegram from Chris Curtis saying ‘Come on over, I need you. We’re making a band’. headed over to England. I met Chris, who was obviously on some sort of medication and he said, ‘Right. Are you ready?’ and I went ‘Well… who’s in the band?

He went ‘we have Jon Lord [on keys]’ […] and I went, ‘Well who’s on bass?’ and he went ‘Well, I am,’ so I said ‘Okay, who’s on drums?’ and Chris went ‘I am,’ and I said ‘oh, well that’s great’. [Curtis then] goes ‘I’m also playing first guitar… you’re playing second guitar’ and I went ‘okay, so I’m playing second guitar to you? Very good’ […] that’s how we started Deep Purple.

[I remember that Lord and myself] met the managers involved and they thought [Curtis] was a little bit crazy. [When we both] got together, I said to Jon Lord ‘Jon, this Chris Curtis… he’s a bit of a strange guy, right?” and he said ‘Yes’. […From then], Jon was probably my best friend in the band.

When [Jon] did pass away, it did affect me more than I thought it would, so I wrote the tune Carry On… Jon. It was very difficult to actually play that particular tune on stage without becoming emotional. This is for Jon.

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