Dubbed the 'man in black', guitarist Ritchie Blackmore found fame with Seventies rock giants Deep Purple, then walked away from them to create Rainbow, only to abandon them and form another band in 1997 - Blackmore's Night. Read how he handed in his resignation in the middle of Deep Purple's 25th anniversary tour - How during his career he became involved with Lord Sutch, Joe Meek, Gene Vincent, Jerry Lee Lewis, Freddie Starr and Tom Jones - How his love/hate relationship with Deep Purple's lead singer Ian Gillan and his moodiness, antics on and off stage, reputation as a 'hire and fire' merchant - His three marriages, police chases, imprisonment and passion for football.

Compiled by Blackmore biographer Jerry Bloom this is the perfect companion to his 2006 biography Black Knight, as it portrays Blackmore's career visually with photos and memorabilia from 1958 to the present day. Not only does it feature a large selection of photos, many of which have never been seen before but following years of research by Bloom, it also includes the most comprehensive gig list ever published, for Blackmore's pre-Deep Purple career between 1958-67 with over 400 gigs detailed from his days with The Outlaws - backing Gene Vincent and Jerry Lee Lewis; with Screaming Lord Sutch & The Savages; Neil Christian & The Crusaders; and even going back to his earliest bands such as The Vampires and The Condors. Augmented with memorabilia from the time, the book also plots Blackmore's career in photos, through Deep Purple, Rainbow and Blackmore's Night along with narrative by Bloom that puts the visual elements in context.

Jon Lord will forever be immortalised as a musical pioneer. His attitude towards his art form - "It's all music" ensured that he embraced his joint passions for rock 'n' roll and orchestral music, along with other genres, throughout his career. Having initially found his feet in sixties r'n'b group The Artwoods, the formation of Deep Purple with co-conspirator Ritchie Blackmore escalated Jon to huge success with one of the biggest bands of the seventies, and again in the mid-eighties when the band reformed. In between, several years spent in Whitesnake added to his portfolio. Outside of his commitment in both these rock bands, Lord produced many albums under his own name, fusing his various musical interests, producing some sublime work in the process. Eventually deciding that his desire as a composer required more time and commitment than his day job with Deep Purple would afford, he eventually left the band he had helped to create, in 2002. For the next decade, Jon engrossed himself in his composing - producing monumental works such as Durham Concerto that became a firm favourite on Classic FM radio - and Boom Of The Tingling Strings, a four movement piano concerto. All aspects of Jon's long and illustrious career are plotted throughout this book, accompanied by numerous photos, many previously unpublished that help to emphasise the incredibly colourful career of this extraordinarily talented musician.

When the classic Deep Purple MKII line-up reformed in 1984 after an eleven year absence, it proved once again that this was the definitive Deep Purple and their reunion tour was a box office bonanza. Sadly by 1989 the friction between Blackmore and Gillan that had led to the spilt first time around did so again and Gillan was fired. With all eyes on the 25th anniversary of the band's 1968 inception, there was huge pressure, both from within and outside the band for Gillan to return to the fold so that the occasion could be celebrated in style. The critics said it wouldn't work — it did. And they said it wouldn't last... well they were certainly right about that! Upon Gillan's return in late 1992 they produced The Battle Rages On... album and then planned to embark on a world tour. However, the American shows were all cancelled, which left just Europe and Japan. Whilst the tensions within the band were greater than ever, Jon Lord went on to say, “the shows were done at an energy level and ability level I’ve rarely seen attained before. I think we played as well as we’ve ever played.” Indeed, for those fortunate to witness the tour most fans shared Lord's opinion. Yet, the divisions between Blackmore and Gillan grew as the tour progressed with Blackmore calling a halt to proceedings before the Japanese leg could begin. In all there would be just thirty-seven shows — the last hurrah of the ultimate Deep Purple line-up. Author Jerry Bloom caught ten of the shows and was privy to some of the shenanigans that went on, making him the ideal person to document the last MKII tour in detail. Along with the comprehensive narrative, this beautifully designed book is crammed full of never before seen photos from the tour. It includes many shots of the band both on stage as well as back stage, in hotels, on aeroplanes and relaxing as the tour wound its way across Europe culminating in Blackmore's last show with the band in Finland on 17th November 1993.

A Matter Of Fact is the perfect companion to Deep Purple's music. Full of bizarre, obscure and amazing facts that have surrounded the band throughout its career of over forty years. If you have ever had disagreements with fellow fans about various facts or want to test the biggest fan on just how good their Deep Purple knowledge is, then this is the book for you. * How did Ian Paice and Rod Evans end up supporting Deep Purple? * Why did Ritchie Blackmore's country and western guitar playing save him from a beating? * Why did Dire Straits' Mark Knopfler review a Purple gig? * Who first recorded versions of several Deep Purple songs, complete with an orchestra? * Did Deep Purple's explosive performance at Plumpton really prevent Yes from performing? * Who did Deep Purple sue for selling bootlegs? * Which big rock star did the band get in a spat with at Knebworth? * Why did the Bee Gees receive Purple's lifetime achievement award? * What was Deep Purple's involvement with a film about a sixteenth century naval explorer that never got produced? * Why were some of Deep Purple's recent gigs illegal? The answers to all these questions, and many more amazing facts are revealed in this captivating book. Based on interviews with band and road crew members, contemporary press articles, and drawing on management files, A Matter Of Fact helps to clarify the truth behind several stories. It also dispels some untruths once and for all, as well a few previously un-revealed new stories that will appeal to even the most diehard fans.

From 1975, through the eighties, re-activated in the nineties and a slight return in 2016-18, Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow took its fans on numerous journeys from the grandiose beginnings with Ronnie James Dio to the chart busting times with Graham Bonnet and Joe Lynn Turner. And again in the nineties with Doogie White as lead vocalist, and finally stepping out for the last time in the twenty-first century for a handful of shows allowing a new generation of fans to have the opportunity of hearing Rainbow live on stage. In this hefty tome Jerry Bloom charts Rainbow’s full career with great detail and information, along with a huge raft of superb imagery that covers the entire career. Aside from band photos, the visual element is enhanced with rare memorabilia and artifacts.

This is a comprehensive in-depth exploration of the career and work of one of the world's greatest hard rock bands. With the likes of Richie Blackmore, Ian Gillan and David Coverdale passing through their ranks, Deep Purple was always destined to produce extraordinary music - what was less predictable was in the incredible story of the band's formation, rise to fame and struggle to cope with the immense pressures of international superstardom. Jerry Bloom's sparkling narrative tells the story, warts and all, and it leads us through the band's history with its many and varied line-ups. A must have for any serious music fan; this completely independent critical review leaves no stone unturned as it explores the Deep Purple legend.

A comprehensive story of Deep Purple's golden years 1968-76, which saw the band come from nowhere to have a top 4 US hit with its debut single. Within two years the band was in the throes of potentially dissolving when the record company went into liquidation. Fortunately, focussing on their homeland in Britain they re-launched their career with the groundbreaking In Rock LP in 1970 - the platform that ensured by 1973 Deep Purple was the biggest selling album artists in America. Band break-ups and in-fighting continually rocked the boat before finally calling it a day in 1976 after a brief UK tour. The Road Of Golden Dust documents the ups and downs, drawing on the author's interviews with various band and road crew members including founding members Ritchie Blackmore, Jon Lord and Nick Simper, as well as interviews with Roger Glover, Glenn Hughes, roadie Ian Hansford, tour manager Colin Hart plus co-operation from the management company Deep Purple (Overseas) Ltd, that all help to unveil some new stories that help to explain the whys and wherefores that shaped one of Britain's greatest and most influential rock bands of all time.