Rainbow

Rainbow are a British rock band which was led by guitarist Ritchie Blackmore from 1975 to 1984, 1993 to 1997 and 2016.

Rainbow was originally formed as Ronnie James Dio’s American rock band, Elf; but, after the first album, Blackmore fired the backing members and continued with Dio until 1979. Three British musicians joined in 1979: singer Graham Bonnet, keyboardist Don Airey, and former Deep Purple bassist Roger Glover. With this line-up, the band made their commercial breakthrough with the single “Since You Been Gone”.

Over the years Rainbow produced no two studio albums with the same line-up. Other lead singers (Joe Lynn Turner and Doogie White) and numerous backing musicians would joined and left the band. The band’s early work primarily featured mystical lyrics with a neoclassical metal style; later, with Dio’s departure from the group, the band went in a more streamlined, commercial direction.

Rainbow has sold over 28 million albums worldwide.