They tell us.....
Rainbow originally formed in 1975 when Ritchie Blackmore left Deep Purple to join forces with the band Elf, featuring Ronnie James Dio, to record debut album, "Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow". Named after Ritchie's favourite hangout, the Rainbow Bar & Grill on Sunset Blvd, he steered Rainbow through seven studio LPs, plus a double live LP, with albums fronted by Joe Lynn Turner, Graham Bonnet and the aforementioned Ronnie James Dio, and at times featured such respected rock luminaries as drummer Cozy Powell, bass guitarist and producer Roger Glover and keyboard player Don Airey.
Rainbow split in 1984 when Ritchie joined Deep Purple's Mk2 reunion, and a further tumultuous decade. Ritchie quit Purple once more following a 1993 Helsinki gig, this time for good. Shortly after, it was announced that the guitarist was reforming Rainbow. Rumours abounded regarding who might feature in the line-up, but the new record would feature a band of relative unknowns.
