In a recent interview with Billboard Ritchie Blackmore confirmed that he invited Glenn Hughes to be part of the new Rainbow. “Through a mutual friend, a conversation came up saying it would be good to have him in the band,” Ritchie said. “I said, ‘Would he be up for being just the bass player and we would have another singer singing?’ My mutual friend said, ‘Of course! I’ve spoken to him and he’s up for it.’ I said, ‘Fine — as long as he knows he isn’t the singer, that’s great.’ Fast forward to day before rehearsals and we contacted Glenn to see when he was going to fly in, and he wasn’t aware that he wasn’t going to be the lead singer at all. So I understood his situation and I told him we would have to get someone else, and he was fine. We ended it amicably before it even started.”