JOE LYNN TURNER Comments On OVER THE RAINBOW

December 9, 2008

Former RAINBOW musicians Joe Lynn Turner, Tony Carey, Bobby Rondinelli and Greg Smith have united with a second-generation Blackmore to form OVER THE RAINBOW.

OVER THE RAINBOW is:

Joe Lynn Turner (RAINBOW 1980-1984) - Vocals
Tony Carey (RAINBOW 1975-1978) - Keyboards
Bobby Rondinelli (RAINBOW 1980-1983) - Drums
Greg Smith (RAINBOW 1994-1997) - Bass
Jürgen "J.R." Blackmore - Guitar

The son of the iconic RAINBOW founder/guitarist Ritchie Blackmore, Jürgen Blackmore is a critically acclaimed guitarist in his own right and agreed to join this endeavor after realizing how intense the demand was for a RAINBOW "reunion." OVER THE RAINBOW marks the first time that four members from three different eras of RAINBOW will take the stage together along with J.R. Blackmore.

Joe Lynn Turner recently spoke to Metal Asylum in New Jersey about OVER THE RAINBOW and the possibility of working again with legendary Swedish guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

Metal Asylum: I'm sure you get asked this question all the time but I have to ask. Chances of a RAINBOW reunion?

Joe Lynn Turner: Well... amazing that you ask this because as I am doing this interview we are just starting to get inquiries about OVER THE RAINBOW which is a RAINBOW "union" between several ex-members, including myself, and Ritchie Blackmore's son, Jürgen. We have been overloaded with requests for RAINBOW to reunite so we decided to do this. Of course, it would have been great to have Ritchie along for a RAINBOW reunion but he seems to be totally committed to BLACKMORE'S NIGHT which has been very successful for him and his wife Candice. I always wish them both well and I know that for many years it was Ritchie's dream to make the type of music that BLACKMORE'S NIGHT is making ...but we have the bloodline here!...Should be interesting!

Metal Asylum: Do you feel your solo work gets the recognition it deserves or find it gets lost in the shadows of your work with YNGWIE, RAINBOW, and PURPLE?

Joe Lynn Turner: Since I have had more than 10 solo albums out after RAINBOW, there is now enough of a history. As I said, the big thing I keep hearing is how fans are now wanting more of the solo material incorporated into my live shows. There's enough of it that there is a lot to draw from. As for recognition, it amazes me how people (including the media) tend to really emphasize the past. I wish that wasn't the case but it is what it is. In order to attract attention to the new material my past associations need to be mentioned. Some people have short memories... but Im starting to get the acceptance as a solo artist! And that's a good thing!

Metal Asylum: What songs do you think are your strongest from your solo albums?

Joe Lynn Turner: They are all like children...it's hard to pick the strongest. I would rather leave that decision up to the fans that attend the concerts and radio people that choose to play the songs. I think they are all strong in their own way but some come off better, live, than others. A song can sound great on the radio but not get a great reaction at a show. ...there are some songs that stand out... "Blood Red Sky" is one that comes to mind!

Metal Asylum: Ever perform songs from the YNGWIE MALMSTEEN album "Odyssey"? If no, why not?

Joe Lynn Turner: I did recently perform a couple with Yngwie in Russia at a private show for the Prime Minister, Mikhail Fradkov, and his cabinet!! It was great!... we played for about an hour and did lots of "Odyssey"! And this summer I toured Brazil and played a few songs in the set list.... I would like to add some of those songs on a regular basis!

Metal Asylum: Would you ever collaborate with Yngwie again?

Joe Lynn Turner: If the timing and situation was right, absolutely! I told him in Russia that I'd love to do it!

Read the entire interview from Metal Asylum.

OVER THE RAINBOW will begin touring in Russia during February of 2009. The dates are as follows:

Krasnodar - February 10
Rostov on Don - February 12
Minsk - February 14
Saint-Petersburg - February 16
Moscow - February 18
Ufa - February 20
Ekaterinburg - February 22
Orenburg - February 23

Find more on

Prev More News Next

Comments Disclaimer And Information

BLABBERMOUTH.NET uses the Facebook Comments plugin to let people comment on content on the site using their Facebook account. The comments reside on Facebook servers and are not stored on BLABBERMOUTH.NET. To comment on a BLABBERMOUTH.NET story or review, you must be logged in to an active personal account on Facebook. Once you're logged in, you will be able to comment. User comments or postings do not reflect the viewpoint of BLABBERMOUTH.NET and BLABBERMOUTH.NET does not endorse, or guarantee the accuracy of, any user comment. To report spam or any abusive, obscene, defamatory, racist, homophobic or threatening comments, or anything that may violate any applicable laws, use the "Report to Facebook" and "Mark as spam" links that appear next to the comments themselves. To do so, click the downward arrow on the top-right corner of the Facebook comment (the arrow is invisible until you roll over it) and select the appropriate action. You can also send an e-mail to blabbermouthinbox(@)gmail.com with pertinent details. BLABBERMOUTH.NET reserves the right to "hide" comments that may be considered offensive, illegal or inappropriate and to "ban" users that violate the site's Terms Of Service. Hidden comments will still appear to the user and to the user's Facebook friends. If a new comment is published from a "banned" user or contains a blacklisted word, this comment will automatically have limited visibility (the "banned" user's comments will only be visible to the user and the user's Facebook friends).