# List of Rainbow band members

Rainbow are an English-American hard rock band originally from Hertford, Hertfordshire. Formed in January 1975 by then-Deep Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore, the original lineup of the group also included former Elf members Ronnie James Dio (lead vocals), Craig Gruber (bass), Gary Driscoll (drums) and Micky Lee Soule (keyboards), who recorded and released the self-titled album Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow that year. The most recent line-up consisted of Blackmore (the sole continuous member), backing vocalist Candice Night (since 1994), singer Ronnie Romero, bassist Bob Nouveau, drummer David Keith and keyboardist Jens Johansson (all since 2015).

## History

After leaving Deep Purple, Blackmore replaced Gruber, Driscoll and Soule in September with Jimmy Bain, Cozy Powell and Tony Carey, respectively. Rising and live album On Stage were recorded with this second lineup, before Bain and Carey were sacked by Blackmore on 3 January 1977. Long Live Rock 'n' Roll, released in 1978, featured bassist Bob Daisley and keyboardist David Stone, in addition to Powell.
After the release of Long Live Rock 'n' Roll, Dio left due to disagreements with Blackmore. Graham Bonnet replaced Dio for 1979's Down to Earth, which also saw the addition of bassist Roger Glover and keyboardist Don Airey. Bonnet left after the album's release and was replaced by Joe Lynn Turner, while Powell also left the group to be replaced by Bobby Rondinelli; both new members performed on Difficult to Cure. Keyboardist David Rosenthal replaced Airey for 1982's Straight Between the Eyes and 1983's Bent Out of Shape, the latter of which featured drummer Chuck Burgi who replaced Rondinelli. Rainbow broke up for the first time in 1984.
After Blackmore left Deep Purple for the second time in 1993, Rainbow reformed with vocalist Doogie White, bassist Greg Smith, drummer John O'Reilly and keyboardist Paul Morris, releasing the album Stranger in Us All in 1995. The band's return was short-lived, however, as they broke up again in 1997 when Blackmore shifted focus to Blackmore's Night. In November 2015, it was revealed that Blackmore would be returning to the Rainbow moniker for a number of shows in 2016 with vocalist Ronnie Romero, bassist Bob Nouveau (Bob Curiano), drummer David Keith and keyboardist Jens Johansson. This lineup remained active until 2019, releasing three new live albums and a number of singles before Romero confirmed his departure from the group in October 2023.

## Members
### Current

| Name | Years active | Instruments | Release contributions |
| Ritchie Blackmore | 1975–19841993–19972015–present | guitarbass (studio 1977) | all Rainbow releases |
| Bob Nouveau (Bob Curiano) | 2015–present | bassbacking vocals | Memories in Rock: Live in Germany (2016)"Land of Hope and Glory" (2017)"I Surrender" (2017)Live in Birmingham 2016 (2017)Memories in Rock II Live (2018)"Black Sheep of the Family" (2019)"The Storm" (2019) |
| David Keith | 2015–present | drums | Memories in Rock: Live in Germany (2016)"Land of Hope and Glory" (2017)"I Surrender" (2017)Live in Birmingham 2016 (2017)Memories in Rock II Live (2018)"Black Sheep of the Family" (2019)"The Storm" (2019) |
| Jens Johansson | 2015–present | keyboards | Memories in Rock: Live in Germany (2016)"Land of Hope and Glory" (2017)"I Surrender" (2017)Live in Birmingham 2016 (2017)Memories in Rock II Live (2018)"Black Sheep of the Family" (2019)"The Storm" (2019) |

### Former

| Name | Years active | Instruments | Release contributions |
| Ronnie James Dio (Ronald Padavona) | 1975–1979 (died 2010) | lead and backing vocals | all Rainbow releases from Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow (1975) to Long Live Rock 'n' Roll (1978)Live in Germany 1976 (1990)Deutschland Tournee 1976 (2006)Live in Munich 1977 (2006)Finyl Vinyl (1986) |
| Craig Gruber | 19751977 (died 2015) | bass | Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow (1975) |
| Micky Lee Soule | 1975 | keyboards | Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow (1975) |
| Gary Driscoll | 1975 (died 1987) | drums | Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow (1975) |
| Cozy Powell (Colin Flooks) | 1975–1980 (died 1998) | drums | all Rainbow releases from Rising (1976) to Down to Earth (1979)Live in Germany 1976 (1990)Deutschland Tournee 1976 (2006)Live in Munich 1977 (2006)Denver 1979: Down to Earth Tour (2015)Long Island 1979: Down to Earth Tour (2015)Down to Earth Tour 1979 (Box set) (2015)Monsters of Rock - Live at Donington 1980 (2016)Finyl Vinyl (1986) |
| Jimmy Bain | 1975–1977 (died 2016) | bassbacking vocals | Rising (1976)On Stage (1977)Live in Germany 1976 (1990)Deutschland Tournee 1976 (2006) |
| Tony Carey | 1975–1977 | keyboards | Rising (1976)On Stage (1977)Live in Germany 1976 (1990)Deutschland Tournee 1976 (2006) |
| David Stone (Michael Stoyanoff) | 1977–1978 | keyboards | Long Live Rock 'n' Roll (1978)Live in Munich 1977 (2006)Finyl Vinyl (1986) |
| Mark Clarke | 1977 | bassbacking vocals | none |
| Bob Daisley | 1977–1978 | bassbacking vocals | Long Live Rock 'n' Roll (1978)Live in Munich 1977 (2006)Finyl Vinyl (1986) |
| Jack Green | 1978 (died 2024) | bassbacking vocals | none |
| Roger Glover | 1979–1984 | bassbacking vocalspercussion (studio, 1983) | all Rainbow releases from Down to Earth (1979) to Bent Out of Shape (1983), and from Denver 1979: Down to Earth Tour (2015) to Boston 1981 (2016)Finyl Vinyl (1986)Live Between The Eyes (1982) |
| Don Airey | 1979–1981 | keyboardsbacking vocals | Down to Earth (1979)Difficult to Cure (1981)Denver 1979: Down to Earth Tour (2015)Long Island 1979: Down to Earth Tour (2015)Monsters of Rock: Live at Donington 1980 (2016)Boston 1981 (2016)Down to Earth Tour 1979 (Box set) (2015)Finyl Vinyl (1986) |
| Graham Bonnet | 1979–1980 | lead vocals | Down to Earth (1979)Denver 1979: Down to Earth Tour (2015)Long Island 1979: Down to Earth Tour (2015)Monsters of Rock: Live at Donington 1980 (2016)Down to Earth Tour 1979 (Box set) (2015)Finyl Vinyl (1986) |
| Joe Lynn Turner (Joseph Linquito) | 1980–1984 | lead vocals | all Rainbow releases from Difficult to Cure (1981) to Bent Out of Shape (1983)Live in Japan (2015)Boston 1981 (2016)Finyl Vinyl (1986)Live Between the Eyes (1982) |
| Bobby Rondinelli | 1980–1983 | drums | Difficult to Cure (1981)Straight Between the Eyes (1982)Boston 1981 (2016)Finyl Vinyl (1986)Live Between the Eyes (1982) |
| David Rosenthal | 1981–1984 | keyboardsbacking vocals | Straight Between the Eyes (1982)Bent Out of Shape (1983)Live in Japan (2015)Finyl Vinyl (1986)Live Between the Eyes (1982) |
| Chuck Burgi | 1983–19841995–1996 | drums | Bent Out of Shape (1983)Black Masquerade (2013)Live in Japan (2015)Finyl Vinyl (1986) |
| Paul Morris | 1993–1997 | keyboards | Stranger in Us All (1995)Black Masquerade (2013) |
| Greg Smith | 1993–1997 | bassbacking vocals | Stranger in Us All (1995)Black Masquerade (2013) |
| Doogie White (Douglas White) | 1993–1997 | lead vocals | Stranger in Us All (1995)Black Masquerade (2013) |
| John O'Reilly | 1993–1995 | drums | Stranger in Us All (1995) |
| John Miceli | 1997 | drums | none |
| Ronnie Romero | 2015–2023 | lead vocals | Memories in Rock: Live in Germany (2016)"Land of Hope and Glory" (2017)"I Surrender" (2017)Live in Birmingham 2016 (2017)Memories in Rock II Live (2018)"Black Sheep of the Family" (2019)"The Storm" (2019) |

### Touring

| Name | Years active | Instruments | Release contributions | Details |
| Lin Robinson | 1981–1984 | backing vocals | Live Between the Eyes (1982) Live in Japan (2015) Finyl Vinyl (1986) Boston 1981 (2016) | Robinson and Beale toured with Rainbow from the Difficult to Cure tour until the group disbanded in 1984. |
| Dee Beale | 1981–1984 | backing vocals | Live Between the Eyes (1982) Live in Japan (2015) Finyl Vinyl (1986) Boston 1981 (2016) | Robinson and Beale toured with Rainbow from the Difficult to Cure tour until the group disbanded in 1984. |
| Candice Night | 1994–19972015–present | backing vocals | Stranger in Us All (1995)Memories in Rock: Live in Germany (2016)Land of Hope and Glory (2017)"I Surrender" (2017)Live in Birmingham 2016 (2017)Memories in Rock II Live (2018)"Black Sheep of the Family" (2019)"The Storm" (2019) | Night joined the band on tour in 1994, and also returned in 2015. |
| Lady Lynn (Christina Lynn Skleros) | 2015–present | backing vocals | Memories in Rock - Live in Germany (2016) Live in Birmingham 2016 (2017) Memories in Rock II (2018) | Skleros, a member of Blackmore and Night's other group Blackmore's Night, joined Rainbow on tour in 2015. |

## Timeline
### Recording Timeline

| Role | Album | Album | Album | Album | Album | Album | Album | Album |
| Role | Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow (1975) | Rising (1976) | Long Live Rock 'n' Roll (1978) | Down to Earth (1979) | Difficult to Cure (1981) | Straight Between the Eyes (1982) | Bent Out of Shape (1983) | Stranger in Us All (1995) |
| Lead vocals | Ronnie James Dio | Ronnie James Dio | Ronnie James Dio | Graham Bonnet | Joe Lynn Turner | Joe Lynn Turner | Joe Lynn Turner | Doogie White |
| Guitar | Ritchie Blackmore | Ritchie Blackmore | Ritchie Blackmore | Ritchie Blackmore | Ritchie Blackmore | Ritchie Blackmore | Ritchie Blackmore | Ritchie Blackmore |
| Bass | Craig Gruber | Jimmy Bain | Ritchie Blackmore Bob Daisley | Roger Glover | Roger Glover | Roger Glover | Roger Glover | Greg Smith |
| Keyboards | Micky Lee Soule | Tony Carey | Tony Carey David Stone | Don Airey | Don Airey | David Rosenthal | David Rosenthal | Paul Morris |
| Drums | Gary Driscoll | Cozy Powell | Cozy Powell | Cozy Powell | Bobby Rondinelli | Bobby Rondinelli | Chuck Burgi | John O'Reilly |
| Backing vocals | Ronnie James Dio | — | — | Roger Glover Don Airey | Joe Lynn Turner | — | — | Candice Night |

## Lineups

| Period | Members | Releases |
| February – July 1975 | Ronnie James Dio – vocals Ritchie Blackmore – guitars Craig Gruber – bass Micky Lee Soule – keyboards Gary Driscoll – drums | Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow (1975) |
| August 1975 – January 1977 | Ronnie James Dio – lead vocals Ritchie Blackmore – guitars Jimmy Bain – bass, backing vocals Tony Carey – keyboards Cozy Powell – drums | Rising (1976) On Stage (1977) |
| January – February 1977 | Ronnie James Dio – vocals Ritchie Blackmore – guitars Craig Gruber – bass Tony Carey – keyboards Cozy Powell – drums | none |
| February – May 1977 | Ronnie James Dio – lead vocals Ritchie Blackmore – guitars Mark Clarke – bass, backing vocals Tony Carey – keyboards Cozy Powell – drums | none |
| May – September 1977 | Ronnie James Dio – vocals Ritchie Blackmore – guitars, bass Tony Carey – keyboards Cozy Powell – drums | none |
| September 1977 –September 1978 | Ronnie James Dio – lead vocals Ritchie Blackmore – guitars Bob Daisley – bass, backing vocals David Stone – keyboards Cozy Powell – drums | Long Live Rock 'n' Roll (1978) Live in Munich 1977 (2006) |
| October 1978 - January 1979 | Ronnie James Dio – lead vocals Ritchie Blackmore – guitars Jack Green – bass, backing vocals David Stone – keyboards Cozy Powell – drums | none |
| March 1979 – August 1980 | Graham Bonnet – lead vocals Ritchie Blackmore – guitars Roger Glover – bass, backing vocals Don Airey – keyboards, backing vocals Cozy Powell – drums | Down to Earth (1979) Denver 1979: Down to Earth Tour (2015) Long Island 1979: Down to Earth Tour (2015) Down to Earth Tour 1979 (Box set) (2015) |
| October 1980 – September 1981 | Joe Lynn Turner – lead vocals Ritchie Blackmore – guitars Roger Glover – bass, backing vocals Don Airey – keyboards, backing vocals Bobby Rondinelli – drums | Difficult to Cure (1981) Jealous Lover (1981) Boston 1981 (2016) |
| October 1981 – June 1983 | Joe Lynn Turner – lead vocals Ritchie Blackmore – guitars Roger Glover – bass, backing vocals David Rosenthal – keyboards Bobby Rondinelli – drums | Straight Between the Eyes (1982) |
| August 1983 – March 1984 | Joe Lynn Turner – lead vocals Ritchie Blackmore – guitars Roger Glover – bass, backing vocals David Rosenthal – keyboards Chuck Burgi – drums | Bent Out of Shape (1983) Live in Japan (2015) |
| Band inactive March 1984 – August 1994 |||
| August 1994 – September 1995 | Doogie White – lead vocals Ritchie Blackmore – guitars Greg Smith – bass, backing vocals Paul Morris – keyboards John O'Reilly – drums Candice Night – backing vocals | Stranger in Us All (1995) |
| September 1995 – December 1996 | Doogie White – lead vocals Ritchie Blackmore – guitars Greg Smith – bass, backing vocals Paul Morris – keyboards Chuck Burgi – drums Candice Night – backing vocals | Black Masquerade (2013) |
| January – May 1997 | Doogie White – lead vocals Ritchie Blackmore – guitars Greg Smith – bass, backing vocals Paul Morris – keyboards John Miceli – drums Candice Night – backing vocals | none |
| Band inactive May 1997 – November 2015 |||
| November 2015 – October 2023 | Ronnie Romero – lead vocals Ritchie Blackmore – guitars Bob Nouveau – bass, backing vocals Jens Johansson – keyboards David Keith – drums Candice Night – backing vocals | Memories in Rock: Live in Germany (2016) Land of Hope and Glory (2017) "I Surrender" (2017) Live in Birmingham 2016 (2017) Memories in Rock II Live (2018) "Black Sheep of the Family" (2019) "The Storm" (2019) |
| October 2023 – present | Ritchie Blackmore – guitars Bob Nouveau – bass, backing vocals Jens Johansson – keyboards David Keith – drums Candice Night – backing vocals | none |