Personnel changes can break or break a band. While it is sometimes necessary for a group to change line-ups in order to keep going and produce innovative art, these changes can often destroy the magic that attracts fans to the band in the first place. You can have your own debates on whether or not The Rolling Stones were better with Brian Jones or who the best Yardbirds guitarist was, but even the most contrarian rock fan would agree that Ritchie Blackmore was the defining member of Deep Purple.
Formed in 1968, Deep Purple was a vital group in the development of heavy rock and metal music, always favouring a heavier sound than many of their late 1960s counterparts. As their discography progressed, the band seemed to transcend the heavy rock scene, which was fairly niche at the time, to become one of the United Kingdom’s most beloved rock outfits. Much of their appeal and innovation was a result of their founding member and lead guitarist, Ritchie Blackmore.
Known for his endlessly inventive hard rock and blues-influenced riffs, the chances are that you know some of Blackmore’s work even if you aren’t a fan of Deep Purple. The guitarist was an absolutely essential aspect of their distinctive sound. However, as the years went by, the relationship between the guitarist and his bandmates deteriorated rapidly. During a 1993 tour of the UK, Blackmore’s behaviour was getting increasingly unpredictable, and eventually, he was forced to quit the group once and for all.
After the dust had settled on his departure from the band, Deep Purple were left with the inevitable task of sourcing a replacement. Initially, they approached the American guitarist Joe Satriani, who had recently toured with Mick Jagger. As Satriani explained to Ultimate Classic Rock, he did not immediately appreciate the invitation, “I was offended that he would ask me that because I was such a fan of Richie Blackmore,” he said, “Nobody can replace Ritchie Blackmore.”
Although he subsequently slammed the phone down, it did not take him long to reconsider the proposition. “Of course, 30 minutes later I called [his manager] back and said, ‘Hey, did you tell those guys no yet?’ And he said, ‘No, I knew you’d change your mind,’” the guitarist recalled. Filling the shoes of Blackmore was certainly not an easy task, but Satriani did a pretty commendable job during Deep Purple’s 1993 tour of Japan.
In fact, the tour went so swimmingly that Satriani was asked to join the group on a permanent basis. A tour was one thing, but to permanently replace his hard rock hero proved too tortuous to handle, and Satriani declined the lucrative offer. Admittedly, he had also signed an album deal with Sony when the group asked him to join, so there was a conflict of interests in more ways than one.
Eventually, Deep Purple landed on Dixie Dregs founder Steve Morse as a replacement for Blackmore. Those lucky few who managed to see Satriani with Deep Purple during the Japanese tour are likely the only people qualified to tell whether he would have made for a better replacement, but it seems as though the American guitarist was understandably unwilling to take on the role of Blackmore on a regular basis.
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