Ritchie Blackmore says jamming Little Richard’s "Lucille" with George Harrison was “overwhelming” and recalls that the former Beatle politely asked if he could play his guitar.
In the latest installment of his YouTube series, Tales From The Tavern — in which the former Deep Purple guitarist regales fans with anecdotes from his more than half a century at the heart of British rock and roll — Blackmore looks back on the time he traded licks with Harrison in 1984. It happened during an Australian tour in support of Deep Purple MkII's album Perfect Strangers.
“He was friends with Jon Lord and Ian Paice. He lived just down the road,” Blackmore recalls, as he sits with a classical acoustic guitar on his lap. “He was over in Australia when we were there as Deep Purple, and he said to me very politely, 'Can I get up onstage with you and use your guitar?' I said, 'Of course.' I was flattered.”
“Sure enough, we all got up onstage and we did the old rock and roll number 'Lucille,' by Little Richard.”
Although it's grainy, footage of the performance captures an electric energy onstage, with the pair trading solos with aplomb.
“We had a good time.” Blackmore continues. “He was a very nice man, very serious, and very complimentary. It was very overwhelming to play with a Beatle. I mean, there'll never be another band like the Beatles.”
Harrison had all but retired from music two years prior to the performance following the release of his 10th solo album, Gone Troppo. He would go on to describe himself as “peaceseeker, gardener, and ex-celeb,” thereby making his Deep Purple cameo even more intriguing.
Blackmore has discussed the fabled jam before, saying, "I was playing the wrong key and everything, but it didn't seem to matter".
In the new video, Blackmore goes on to say that he “absolutely loved” the Beatles’ early material, highlighting "I Want to Hold Your Hand" and "From Me to You" for their “fantastic…simple melodies."
“George was very modest,” he concludes. “A very quiet man. I noticed onstage that he had big feet, because he was tapping out the rhythm. I looked down at one point and thought, My god, he has big feet! George was great.”
Blackmore’s new video series kicked off with a story involving him using Marshall stacks to protest against hotel maintenance works at 3 a.m., and waking up Eric Clapton in the process.
In related news, Harrison's Hamburg-era Futurama guitar, which can be heard on the Fab Four's earliest recordings, with Tony Sheridan, will head to auction next month. Purchased in 1958 from the same Liverpool music store where John Lennon got his first Vox amp, it was the closest thing he could get to a Stratocaster, the model he wanted thanks to Buddy Holly. At the time Stratocasters were not available in the U.K.
Stratocasters were first made available in the UK in 1959, and it wasn't until 1963 that they made their way to Ireland. Rory Gallagher's iconic road-worn Strat is thought to be the first to make it onto Irish soil.
You can watch the Deep Purple–George Harrison jam below.
