Rainbow (band) - Definition and Overview

Rainbow is a British hard rock band that formed in 1974. The band originally consisted of former Elf lead singer Ronnie James Dio, guitarist Ritchie Blackmore (of Deep Purple fame), and the other former members of the band Elf (except for guitarist Steve Edwards): bassist Craig Gruber, drummer Gary Driscoll, and keyboardist Mickey Lee Soule. The band's debut album, "Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow", was released in 1975 and featured the minor hit "Man on the Silver Mountain".

The first real success came in 1976 with "Rising" which didn't yield any hit singles but was a strong long term seller. The album is regarded by many as one of the best of all 70s hard rock releases.

1978 saw the commercial breakthrough with "Long Live Rock 'N' Roll" which had two hit singles. The band hit their sales peak over the next two years with the "Down to Earth" and "Difficult to Cure" albums from which 3 top ten hits came. 1982 saw "Straight Between the Eyes" followed by the final release, "Bent Out of Shape" by which time the constant line-up changes were beginning to tell. Lead guitarist Blackmore decided to call it quits in 1984 to rejoin Deep Purple.

Blackmore regrouped Rainbow in 1995 for the CD "Stranger in Us All" and a world tour.

During its lifetime, band members included :

• Ritchie Blackmore of Deep Purple.
• Ronnie James Dio from Elf (band)
• Cozy Powell
• Jimmy Bain
• Roger Glover
• Bob Daisley
• Bobby Rondinelli - Became the drummer for Doro in 1986.
• Tony Carey
• Chuck Burgi
• Joe Lynn Turner
• Don Airey
• Graham Bonnett
• Doogie White
• John O'Reilly
• Greg Smith
• Paul Morris
• Candice Night
• David Stone

Discography

LPs:

• Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow (1975)
• Rising (1976)
• Long Live Rock 'N' Roll (1978)
• Down to Earth (1979)
• Difficult to Cure (1981)
• Straight Between the Eyes (1982)
• Bent Out of Shape (1983)
• Stranger in Us All (1995)

Live:

• On Stage (1977)
• Finyl Vinyl (1986)
• Live in Germany '76 (1994)
• Live in Europe '76 (1996)

Greatest Hits:

• The Best of Rainbow (1981)
• The Very Best of Rainbow (1997)
• 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of Rainbow (2000)
• Pots of Gold (2002 in music)

Singles:

• Man On The Silver Mountain (1975)
• Catch The Rainbow (1975)
• Starstruck (1976)
• Stargazer (1976)
• Kill The King (1978)
• Long Live Rock 'N' Roll (1978)
• Gates Of Babylon (1979)
• Since You've Been Gone (1979)
• All Night Long (1980)
• I Surrender (1981)
• Can't Happen Here (1981)
• Jealous Lover (1981); b-side of Can't Happen Here
• Stone Cold (1982)
• Power (1982)
• Can't Let You Go (1983)
• Street Of Dreams (1983)