~20 YEARS OF RENAISSANCE ROCK~
The year is 1996. The setting: a snowy winter in Massachusetts. Inside a lodge, nestled around a fireplace, a guitarist plays some beautiful acoustic tunes, and a singer with an ethereal voice joins in. They play throughout the night, creating songs of myths and fantasy inspired by nature.
It was famed guitarist Ritchie Blackmore and Candice Night using their secluded time around the fire in the middle of winter to create, some beautiful music, a new genre, inspired by many melodies of the Renaissance period, and Blackmoreized into contemporary music. They call it Renaissance/Folk/Rock. This is the sound of Blackmore’s Night.
In 1997, Blackmore’s Night released their debut CD Shadow of the Moon, which immediately went gold in Japan and earned awards worldwide. Meanwhile, their ever-growing, devoted fan base is growing, as the band has created a genre of music for all ages. From grandparents to children, everyone is embracing their medieval mood music and gypsy dances. Clearly, the music of Blackmore’s Night connects with fans on a deep level, allowing them to experience an entirely different era of merriment.
At the helm is the dynamic husband and wife duo: celebrated guitarist Ritchie Blackmore, who traverses between acoustic and electric guitar, mandolin, mandola, cello, and hurdy gurdy, and Candice Night, who not only contributes her unique, entrancing vocals, but deftly navigates seven medieval woodwinds, including bagpipe, chanters, shawms, corner music, pennywhistles, and recorders. Further enhancing the band’s inspired sound are keyboardist/back-up vocalist Bard David, violinist Scarlett Fiddler, back-up vocalist/shawm player Lady Lynn, bassist/rhythmic guitarist Earl Grey, and percussionist Troubadour of Aberdeen. With lyrics penned by Night, the collective embraces the aura of the old-world inn, from madrigals and ballads to good old fashioned, Renaissance-inspired pub songs.
Additionally, every one of Blackmore’s Night’s studio CDs (10 in total) has debuted in the top five of the Billboard charts, many of which entered or remained at the number 1 spot. They have earned Awards such as “Best Album of the Year” or “Best Vocal Album of The Year” and their sold-out live concerts in castles and UNESCO sites worldwide are filled with thousands of fans dressed in Renaissance garb, dancing and singing as if time stood still. No clocks…no pressure…just the gaiety and camaraderie of a medieval pub. Everyone joins in and loses their stress in the music.
For more information, visit www.blackmoresnight.com.
