Steve Morse Says Ritchie Blackmore’s Return to Deep Purple Would Be ‘Nice’
Current Deep Purple guitarist Steve Morse said it would be “nice” if his predecessor Ritchie Blackmore could return to the band for a guest appearance.
Blackmore recently said he’d consider performing with the band again. But like Blackmore, Morse admitted he doesn’t know how something like this could happen.
American Morse joined the British band in 1994 after Blackmore quit mid-tour in 1993. Despite many years of bad blood between the band's co-founding guitarist and his former colleagues, including a dispute that prevented Blackmore from attending their induction into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame last year, he recently said he’d play with the band one last time if he was invited.
Deep Purple are currently on the road with their Long Goodbye Tour, which may or may not mark the beginning of their end. Asked about his feelings on Blackmore making a return before it’s all over, Morse told Billboard, "He’s one of the founding members of Deep Purple. Fans would love it. It would be nice, I think, to see closure with everybody involved, and the bad feeling put aside. I think they’d all get a kick out of it if they could get past the psychological barriers. A lot of people would feel intimidated to have somebody come who’s likely to play over them, standing in front of them and stealing the spotlight or whatever. But I thought, ‘A lot of people would love to see this.’”
Morse revealed that he’d been prepared to step aside if Blackmore had attended the Hall of Fame ceremony. “I thought Ritchie was going to show up," he said. "He could have played three songs, but I ended up doing them because he didn’t. That was up in the air.”
Noting that he’s “a fan of music” and “not a politician,” Morse noted that “there have been a lot of bad things said and done among the guys. It’s like the ice has to be broken. I think once that’s done, they’d all have a great time. But I don’t know how to go about doing that. Anyway – as far as I’m concerned, all members, past and present and future, of Deep Purple, are welcome.”
Masterpieces: The Very Best Albums From More Than 100 Classic Rock Acts