charts, having been in the top 10 for 44 weeks.
Commercial success has not changed their motivations. They continue to write
Sound Waves
and perform their music because that’s what they love doing. When they tour in
North Shore Music Review and Commentary
Europe, they are explicit in asking that ticket prices remain as low as possible. Still,
they sometimes find out too late that their wishes were not honored and that ticket
Joseph Shortsle prices remained high. Their solution: a show after the show. They set up at a local
pub and play for free. “There shouldn’t be a financial restriction,” Ritchie says. Both
Candice and Ritchie are advo-
cates for environmental conserva-
Blackmore’s Night
tion and animal rights, too. They
regularly contribute to Save-
“The most famous band you’ve never
a-Pet, the North Shore Animal
heard of!”
League, Best Friends, and the
Ritchie Blackmore and Candice Night met on Long Island in 1989 while Can-
ASPCA; Candice is also active in
dice was an intern for WBAB, and Ritchie was a member of Deep Purple. He noticed
pushing for her local legislature
her in the crowd at one of the stations events, and when she asked for an autograph,
to protect and conserve Long
they got to talking. They were married
Island’s environment.
last year and made their home on the
Candice has been a lifetime
North Shore. I had the opportunity to sit
resident of Long Island and
down for dinner with them at Brian Scotts
deeply loves the place she calls
in Miller Place, their favorite North Shore
home. “Why would I want to
restaurant.
leave?” she asks. Long Island
Even in the Deep Purple days, it seems,
has 24-hour convenience and
they had a love for the music and castles
proximity to New York City,
of the Middle Ages and Renaissance.
yes, but it’s the natural beauty of
When on tour with the band in Europe,
the island that sets it apart. She
Candice and Ritchie preferred to stay in
moved to Ritchie’s place in Con-
castles instead of hotels, always think-
necticut for a short time early in
ing how great it would be to play in one.
their relationship, but she missed
Their joint venture, Blackmore’s Night,
Long Island so much that she
is the realization of that desire and of a
convinced him to move back with
long-held interest in early music.
her. Being so content with her
The group debuted in 1997 with “Shadow of the Moon” and soon earned a gold
home on Long Island, Candice
record and a world-wide fan base. Their music has a multi-generational and family-
doesn’t have much interest in
friendly appeal. Performing in Renaissance garb, and encouraging their audiences
travel. Still, Blackmore’s Night
to follow suit, they welcome their fans into a world of fun and fantasy. Blackmore’s
frequently tours in Europe, which
Night has earned several “Best Album of the Year” awards, had their music featured
gives Ritchie and Candice new opportunities to collect musical material.
on PBS, enjoy high chart positions world wide, and earned many more gold albums
Ritchie and Candice love the history and character of Europe’s castles and they
and a gold DVD (in Germany) for “Castles and Dreams”. At the time of this article,
draw a great deal of inspiration from the stories surrounding those unique edifices.
their current album “Secret Voyage” is still riding high in the Billboard New Age
They spend time in the communities that they perform in, getting to know something
2
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