Searching In The Darkness: Rainbow 1978-81

Publication date: 5th November 2025.

 

First published in 2002, Roy Davies’ Rainbow Rising was the first biography of Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow. It chronicled the beginnings, break-ups and numerous line-up changes of Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow up to 1997. The biography was a starting point and was well-received.

 

Over the two decades since its publication, Roy has spent an enormous amount of time continuing his research of this much-loved band, which returned for a series of concerts between 2016-19.

 

Roy’s research has been nothing short of phenomenal which has resulted in a massive 230,000 words, which are now split over three volumes, of which this is the second part which documents the last days of the Ronnie James Dio period; the arrival or Roger Glover and keyboard player Don Airey for the Down To Earth album fronted by new vocalist Graham Bonnet; leading to the departure of legendary Cozy Powell and a new era with American vocalist Joe Lynn Turner. Taking the story up to the last tour with Don Airey, making this the most extensive and undisputed final word on Rainbow.