Blackmore's Night is a Renaissance-inspired folk rock band led by Ritchie Blackmore (electric guitar and acoustic guitar) and Candice Night (lyricist and lead vocals).

History

Early

The origins of the band lie in 1989 when Candice Night was working at a local New York rock music radio station. She first encountered Ritchie Blackmore, then with Deep Purple, at a football game in which he was playing. The two became romantically involved and discovered that they shared a passionate interest in the Renaissance.

After leaving Deep Purple in 1993 and recording the album Stranger in Us All in 1995, on which Night contributed backing vocals and some of the lyrics, Blackmore became interested in the idea of bringing Renaissance music to a contemporary audience. Night's personality and singing ability made her the natural choice as "frontwoman." In 1997 the pair were ready to launch the band, the name being a pun of their own names, and which would consist of themselves plus session musicians.

Shadow of the Moon

Their debut album Shadow of the Moon was a success, particularly in Europe. In subsequent albums, particularly Fires at Midnight, there was an increased incorporation of rock guitar into the music, whilst maintaining a folk rock direction. Over time, Candice Night has increasingly participated instrumentally as well as singing the vocals, and is competent in a wide variety of Renaissance instruments.

The group performs at Renaissance fairs and Renaissance Festivals, as well as in stand-alone concert tours in appropriate venues including 'castle tours' of Europe, where they perform in historic surroundings for an audience dressed largely in period costume. The band has been successful enough to inspire a number of international tribute bands including: Renaissance Night and the Italian Morning Star.

They have also performed the music for MagiQuest, a live simulation game located internationally.

2006-Present

In 2006, Candice performed a duet with Andi Deris on Helloween's "Light The Universe", which was released as a single in certain countries and is available on their album Keeper Of The Seven Keys - The Legacy, released in the same year.

On June 27, 2008 the band released its newest (seventh) album called Secret Voyage, the album being a mix of medieval sounding tracks and some contemporary ones. In addition to some covers of some traditional folk music (“Locked Within the Crystal Ball" is from the fourteenth century) and some originals, Blackmore’s Night also threw in a cover of a Rainbow song (“Rainbow Eyes”) and even an Elvis Presley cover.

On October 5, 2008 Candice Night and Ritchie Blackmore were married at a Castle on the Hudson after 19 years together. The fourth marriage for the guitarist, Ritchie was quoted to say "This is the 1st wedding I've been to where I'm not looking for the exit sign".

Under A Violet Moon is a Blackmore's Night album released in July 1999 through Steamhammer US.

Track listing

1. Under A Violet Moon (4:23)
2. Castles And Dreams (3:33)
3. Past Time With Good Company (3:24) - written by King Henry VIII
4. Morning Star (4:41)
5. Avalon (3:03)
6. Possum Goes To Prague (1:13)
7. Wind In The Willows (4:12)
8. Gone With The Wind (5:24) - based on Polyushko Pole, a traditional Russian song
9. Beyond the Sunset (3:45)
10. March the Heroes Home (4:39)
11. Spanish Nights (I Remember It Well) (5:23)
12. Catherine Howard's Fate (2:34)
13. Fool's Gold (3:32)
14. Durch Den Wald Zum Bach Haus (2:31)
15. Now And Then (3:11) - Based on the Prelude in C by J.S. Bach
16. Self Portrait (3:19)