These days it’s not just enough even for stars to put out an album, do some shows, and hope to tally up some sales, no matter how big you once were. And the Italian classic rock record label Frontiers is suing Ritchie Blackmore for not making the promotional and publicity efforts he agreed to for All Our Yesterdays, the latest album by his acoustic renaissance music project Blackmore’s Night.
The label claims he blew off opportunities to plug the disc during last summer’s European tour by the act he currently plays in with his wife Candice, including six TV appearances and 25 to 30 tabloid interviews. They say Blackmore’s contract with the label contains the clause that the former Deep Purple/Rainbow guitar star would make “all reasonable efforts” to plug the record. Because he didn’t, the album failed to meet sales expectations, they assert. Hence Frontiers seeks the return of $150,000 of the $200,000 advance they paid him.
A lawyer representing Blackmore calls the claims “ludicrous.”
It’s not the only suit that the famed guitarist is currently involved in. Last year Blackmore filed suit against two management companies, HEC Enterprises and Deep Purple (Overseas), for $750,000 he asserts they owe him for unpaid Deep Purple royalties plus other related payments and miscalculations.
Read our review of the Ritchie Blackmore Story DVD, “Blackmore, Private Guitar Star, Opens Up.”
He’s also in the midst of conflict with his former Deep Purple bandmates and will not attend nor play with them at the band’s April 8th induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at Brooklyn’s Barclay Center (see our news story here). As we recently reported, Blackmore will return to electric rock guitar playing this summer as Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow with two shows in Germany. He will also be touring Europe with Blackmore’s Night.
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