Christopher: Has Ritchie ever performed with you and your bands live while he was in Deep Purple and off? There is a certain picture where Ritchie plays live with you and some other musicians. What was that band’s name? Where was it? What are the names of the guys in that picture? (A picture with Ritchie in the attachment).
Shoshana Feinstein: Richard and I came to visit my parents at Christmas 1974. We jammed at a local club in Providence at the time it was called “Thee Gladiator.” It looked like the dungeon of the Coliseum. John Angelina played guitar with us (DARK STAR) I can’t recall who was on drums or bass. I remember that I sang, “I’m a Man Yes I Am and I Can’t Help but Love You So.” I may have improvised on a blues riff that the band played. Somewhere I have the article from the paper. There were two bodyguards who stood outside the club that were dressed like Ronan Gladiators. We had a standing room only house and it was a wild evening.
Christopher: You were with Ritchie when he left Deep Purple. Could you tell me why he left them in 1975 and how do you remember that time?
Shoshana Feinstein: During the time that I was with Richard, he would talk to me about doing a project of his own. In the winter of 1975, he became more serious about this. I was supportive of his music and his branching out. I think that he felt limited with Deep Purple and there was a clash of egos somewhere, I really cannot say with whom. Maybe he wasn’t happy with the new members that replaced Ian Gillian and Roger Glover that had left.
At the time, we were living on the beach in Oxnard California. He invited Ronnie to come stay with us and they began writing together at the beach house. Ronnie was a great guy, very talented kind and humble. We got along well and sometimes I would hang out with him in his room while he wrote his lyrics.
I was busy writing, rehearsing and recording with Dark Star. I had my music and pursued my career separately from Richard and his music.
In the fall of 1974, I answered an ad for a project the Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis had put together; they needed a female vocalist to do back ground vocals and duets with this male singer. We were booked at the Sarah Lounge for six weeks. (The 12 am to 3 am slot.) I can’t remember the singer’s name at all. He was tall; blonde, wore glasses and had no rhythm! This guy would not talk to me off of the stage. It was very difficult to work with him. The other band members who were Afro-American made fun of him and became good friends with me.
Ritchie did come to visit me while I was doing my gig and we talked every day. I was paid well and Richard knew that I was not after his money or using him to “get to where I wanted to go.”
Christopher: How do you remember forming his band ‘Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow and how he and Ronnie Dio came up with an idea of working together?
Shoshana Feinstein: Rainbow was formed in 1975 I would say around March. He had heard about a band from New Jersey called ‘ELF’ with a fantastic lead singer the now legendary Ronnie James Dio. I flew out to New Jersey to meet with him and the band. (I was never involved with Richards business negotiations but he did tell me the outcome of what he was discussing). After we went to Musicland in Munich to record the first Rainbow LP. Richard and Ronnie asked me if I wanted to sing background vocals on a few songs. I was honored. The rest is history. I believe that Richard named his project after the famous ‘Rainbow Room “in Los Angeles that Ritchie and I frequented as well as other musical celebrities.
Christopher: You were singing vocals on ‘Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow’ very first album. How did it happen? Could you tell me the story of making it?
Shoshana Feinstein: I do not recall ever hearing ELF until I met them when I flew out to New Jersey to meet with Ronnie James Dio. I remained in the background and did not ask a lot of questions out of respect for Richard’s decision-making process. He asked me what I thought of Ronnie and I told him that I thought that he had a great voice. I am a straight shooter no BS kind of woman, and I would have told him otherwise if I had thought that Ronnie was not up to par (whether it made a difference or not) Ronnie was a gregarious and amiable guy very kind, humble and dedicated to Richard’s music. When the time came to record, the first Rainbow LP off we went to Munich. I was especially thrilled to be working with renowned engineer Martin Birch who engineered most of the Deep Purple LPs. I recall sitting in the control room at the RECORD PLANT just watching him record and mix.
Working with Martin Birch, a Deep Purples longtime engineer was an amazing experience. Martin was a down to earth, pleasant fellow always greeting you with a smile. I remember sitting in the control room with him while he was recording Ronnie’s vocals or Richard’s guitar. I watched everything that he did and Martin would often explain to me what he was doing and why. It was decided by Ronnie and Richard, that I would only sing background vocals on “Catch the Rainbow” and “Still, I’m Sad.” In Munich at Musicland with Martin Birch engineering the first Rainbow LP as well as my part doing background vocals. Richard had a piano put in my room for me so that I would have something to do when he was recording the rest of the Rainbow LP. I remember, I took off one day to be with the animals so I visited the Zoo. Richard asked my friend Mirjana (who was visiting us) where I went and she told him “Judith went to the zoo she has to go be with the animals.” This zoo in Munich was called Tierpark Hellabrunn. (I am now “Diva Doolittle” caretaker on my farm of fifteen animals).
It was in March 1975, when they were finishing the recording of Blackmore’s Rainbow first album. I just remember how sad I felt when it was time to leave him to fly back to Los Angeles. Richard and I had a deep connection. I didn’t want to leave, he didn’t want me to go. A feeling of sadness and loss overcame me that I will never forget. Perhaps it was a portent of what would be coming…
I was never granted mechanical royalties for that either. There are credits on this album I sing background vocals Shoshana. Richard never called me “Shoshana” it was always “Judith,” always. I was in Munich for almost a month and then flew back to Oxnard leaving Richard to finish the Rainbow Project.
Dark Star and I were rehearsing new material and recording at MCA Studios with Bruce Brown the son of the studio’s owner.
