List of Rainbow band members
Rainbow are an English-American hard rock band originally from Hertford, Hertfordshire. Formed in 1975 by then-Deep Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore, the original lineup of the group also included former Elf members Ronnie James Dio (vocals), Craig Gruber (bass), Gary Driscoll (drums) and Micky Lee Soule (keyboards), who recorded and released the self-titled album Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow that year.[1] Gruber, Driscoll and Soule were quickly replaced with Jimmy Bain, Cozy Powell and Tony Carey, respectively, after the album's release.[2] Rising and live album On Stage were recorded with this second lineup, before Bain and Carey were sacked by Blackmore in January 1977.[3] Long Live Rock 'n' Roll, released in 1978, featured bassist Bob Daisley and keyboardist David Stone, in addition to Powell.[4]
After the release of Long Live Rock 'n' Roll, Dio left due to disagreements with Blackmore.[5] Graham Bonnet replaced Dio for 1979's Down to Earth, which also saw the addition of bassist Roger Glover and keyboardist Don Airey.[6] Bonnet left after the album's release and was replaced by Joe Lynn Turner, while Powell also left the group to be replaced by Bobby Rondinelli; both new members performed on Difficult to Cure.[2] Keyboardist David Rosenthal replaced Airey for 1982's Straight Between the Eyes and 1983's Bent Out of Shape, the latter of which featured drummer Chuck Burgi who replaced Rondinelli.[2] Rainbow broke up for the first time in 1984.[2]
After Blackmore left Deep Purple for the second time in 1993,[7] Rainbow reformed with vocalist Doogie White, bassist Greg Smith, drummer John O'Reilly and keyboardist Paul Morris, releasing the album Stranger in Us All in 1996.[8] However, the band's return was short-lived as it broke up again in 1997 as Blackmore shifted focus to Blackmore's Night.[9] In November 2015, it was revealed that Blackmore would be returning to the Rainbow moniker for a number of shows in 2016 with vocalist Ronnie Romero, bassist Bob Nouveau (Bob Curiano), drummer David Keith and keyboardist Jens Johansson.[10]
Members
Current
| Image | Name | Years active | Instruments | Release contributions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Ritchie Blackmore | 1975–1984 1993–1997 2015–present |
guitars | all Rainbow releases |
 |
Jens Johansson | 2015–present | keyboards | Memories in Rock - Live in Germany (2016) |
 |
David Keith | 2015–present | drums | Memories in Rock - Live in Germany (2016) |
| Bob Nouveau | 2015–present | bass, backing vocals | Memories in Rock - Live in Germany (2016) | |
| Ronnie Romero | 2015–present | vocals | Memories in Rock - Live in Germany (2016) |
Former
| Image | Name | Years active | Instruments | Release contributions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Ronnie James Dio | 1975–1979 | vocals |
|
| Gary Driscoll | 1975 | drums | Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow (1975) | |
| Craig Gruber | 1975 | bass | Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow (1975) | |
| Micky Lee Soule | 1975 | keyboards | Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow (1975) | |
 |
Cozy Powell | 1975–1980 | drums |
|
 |
Jimmy Bain | 1975–1977 | bass |
|
 |
Tony Carey | 1975–1977 | keyboards |
|
| David Stone | 1977–1979 | keyboards |
| |
| Mark Clarke | 1977 | bass | none | |
| Bob Daisley | 1977–1979 | bass |
| |
 |
Roger Glover | 1979–1984 | bass |
|
 |
Don Airey | 1979–1981 | keyboards |
|
 |
Graham Bonnet | 1979–1980 | vocals |
|
 |
Joe Lynn Turner | 1980–1984 | vocals | all Rainbow releases from Difficult to Cure (1981) to Finyl Vinyl (1986) |
| Bobby Rondinelli | 1980–1983 | drums |
| |
 |
David Rosenthal | 1981–1984 | keyboards | all Rainbow releases from Straight Between the Eyes (1982) to Finyl Vinyl (1986) |
 |
Chuck Burgi | 1983–1984 1995–1997 |
drums |
|
 |
Paul Morris | 1994–1997 | keyboards |
|
.jpg) |
Greg Smith | 1994–1997 | bass |
|
 |
Doogie White | 1994–1997 | vocals |
|
 |
John O'Reilly | 1994–1995 | drums | Stranger in Us All (1995) |
| John Miceli | 1997 | drums | none |
Timeline
Lineups
| 1975 | 1975-1977 | 1977 | 1977-1979 |
|---|---|---|---|
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|
|
|
| 1979-1980 | 1980-1981 | 1981-1983 | 1983-1984 |
|
|
|
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| 1984-1993 | 1993-1995 | 1995-1997 | 1997 |
|
Disbanded |
|
|
|
| 1997-2015 | 2015–present | ||
|
Disbanded |
|
References
- ↑ Prato, Greg. "Elf: Biography & History". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved December 8, 2015.
- 1 2 3 4 Rivadavia, Eduardo. "Rainbow: Biography & History". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved December 8, 2015.
- ↑ Makowski, Peter (April 14, 2014). "Ritchie Blackmore on Rainbow's Classic Album 'Rising'". TeamRock. Retrieved December 8, 2015.
- ↑ Ginsberg, Geoff. "Long Live Rock 'n' Roll - Rainbow: Songs, Credits, Reviews". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved December 8, 2015.
- ↑ Sweeting, Adam (May 17, 2010). "Ronnie James Dio obituary". The Guardian. Guardian Media Group. Retrieved December 8, 2015.
- ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Down to Earth - Rainbow: Songs, Credits, Reviews". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved December 8, 2015.
- ↑ DeRiso, Nick (July 5, 2015). "Ritchie Blackmore Is Considering a Return to Rock". Ultimate Classic Rock. Diffuser Network. Retrieved December 8, 2015.
- ↑ Adams, Bret. "Stranger in Us All - Rainbow: Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved December 8, 2015.
- ↑ Kielty, Martin (July 6, 2015). "Blackmore Plans Return to Rock". TeamRock. Retrieved December 8, 2015.
- ↑ DiVita, Joe (November 7, 2015). "Ritchie Blackmore Unveils Lineup for Rock Shows". Loudwire. Townsquare Media. Retrieved December 8, 2015.