Rainbow

Rainbow was a British hard rock band that formed in 1974. The band originally consisted of former Elf lead singer Ronnie James Dio, guitarist Ritchie Blackmore (of

Rainbow was a British hard rock band that formed in 1974. The band originally consisted of former Elf lead singer Ronnie James Dio, guitarist Ritchie Blackmore (of Deep Purple fame), bassist Craig Guber, drummer Gary Driscoll, and keyboardist Mickey Lee Soule. The band's debut album, "Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow", was released in 1975 and featured the minor hit "Man on the Silver Mountain".

The first real success came in 1976 with "Rising" which didn't yield any hit singles, but it was a strong long term seller. The album is regarded by many as one of the best of all 70s hard rock releases, and is seen as a milestone in heavy music. It contains the classic track "Stargazer" (a track which also features the Munich Philharmonic orchestra).