On Monday, February 23, founding Deep Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore was presented with The National GUITAR Museum’s 2025 “Lifetime Achievement” award. The 80-year-old Blackmore, who also founded the popular hard-rock band Rainbow, becomes the 16th musician to receive the honor.
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According to a press release, recipients of the prestigious honor are “recognized for a lifetime of contributing to the legacy of the guitar and having a singular historical importance to the development and historical appreciation of the instrument.”
Lots of Love for Ritchie Blackmore
The museum’s executive director, HP Newquist, said in a statement that “most people know Ritchie from being the driving creative force behind two of the defining hard rock bands of all time—Deep Purple and Rainbow.”
“But before starting those bands, he had a long career as a London session musician, performing on records by numerous artists, including The Outlaws. And then—after helping to define hard rock guitar in the 1960s, 70s, and 80s—he formed Blackmore’s Night, incorporating medieval and Renaissance acoustic music into his immense repertoire.”
Responding to receiving the honor, Blackmore said, “I’m rather thrown by the magnitude of this honorable award. I am grateful to accept this award and this recognition.”
Blackmore perhaps is most famous for composing the unforgettable guitar riff for Deep Purple’s signature song, “Smoke On The Water.” Ritchie’s inventive guitar playing incorporated a wide variety of musical influences.
Newquist added, “It’s difficult to find any modern guitarist who has incorporated so many diverse styles into their playing—and then fused them all into something recognizably their own over their entire career. Ritchie was one of the first electric guitarists to add classical melodicism to his playing, along with classical speed and finesse.”
More About The National GUITAR Museum
According to The National GUITAR Museum’s official website, the institution “was founded to promote and preserve the legacy of the guitar.” The site also claims that it’s “the world’s first museum dedicated to the history, evolution, and cultural impact of the guitar.”
The museum began presenting traveling guitar-themed exhibitions in 2011. These displays have opened in various museums, cultural centers, and other facilities around the world. Plans are in the works to create a permanent building for The National GUITAR Museum.
A variety of well-known guitarists serve on the museum’s Board of Advisors. They include Blackmore, Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi, Steve Vai, Yes’ Steve Howe, Liona Boyd, and Al Di Meola.
Among the museum’s previous Lifetime Achievement Award honorees are Iommi, Boyd, Di Meola, Roger McGuinn, B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Glen Campbell, Bonnie Raitt, Jose Feliciano, Eddie Van Halen, Jeff Beck, and Alex Lifeson.
More About Ritchie Blackmore
Blackmore was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Deep Purple in 2016. Since the late 1990s, Ritchie’s main musical focus has been Blackmore’s Night. He co-founded the Renaissance folk-inspired group with his wife, singer Candice Night.
Blackmore’s Night last played live in November 2025. The band was forced to cancel a number of shows that same month because of some health issues Blackmore was experiencing.
(Photo by Stefan M. Prager/Redferns)