Richie Blackmore 'banned' from Deep Purple Hall of Fame ceremony

Richie Blackmore, the co-founder of Deep Purple and the man behind all the biggest riffs and songs in the band’s history, says he is not welcome at the group’s long-awaited Hall of Fame induction. A statement on Blackmore’s official website reads;

“Ritchie was honoured by the offer of induction to the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. He was discussing the possibility of attending, until we received correspondence from the President of the Hall Of Fame, who said that Bruce Payne, management for the current Deep Purple Touring Band, had said ‘No.’

“Therefore Ritchie will not be attending the ceremony. He sincerely thanks all the fans that voted for him for their support.”

Read more about the guitarist’s dis-inclusion here.