The Musical Journey of Craig Gruber: A Bassist’s Legacy in rainbow
In 1974, Ritchie Blackmore, feeling increasingly alienated by Deep Purple’s shift towards funk, made a pivotal decision to leave the band.He took with him a significant portion of Purple’s opening act, Elf, and established a new musical venture known as Rainbow.
With this fresh ensemble, Blackmore declared, “Our focus will be on melody. We won’t just rely on riffs.”
elf,hailing from Cortland,New York,initially garnered the attention of Deep Purple’s bassist Roger Glover and drummer Ian Paice,who produced Elf’s debut album featuring the remarkable Ronnie James Dio on bass and vocals.
As Dio transitioned to the frontman role, he left the bass duties behind, prompting Elf to recruit Craig Gruber, a talented musician from central New York, to fill the void.
Gruber’s unique blend of jazz and R&B seamlessly complemented Elf’s boogie-woogie style. He contributed to the albums Carolina County Ball (1974) and Trying to Burn the Sun (1975), both produced by Glover.
During an extensive tour with Deep Purple, Elf had an informal audition for Blackmore when he invited them to record a cover of Black Sheep of the Family, a song that Deep Purple had previously rejected. The triumphant session gave Blackmore the confidence to part ways with Deep Purple, a band he co-founded in 1968. By August 1975, Blackmore and Elf solidified their collaboration with the release of Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow.
Gruber, a self-proclaimed blues enthusiast, learned the bass guitar with guidance from a neighbor who was a jazz bassist. These formative lessons proved invaluable throughout his career.
Bassist Freddy Villano praised Gruber’s work, stating, “His bass playing is remarkable and deserves recognition among rock’s greats. For any aspiring rock bassist, his work is essential listening.”
Villano further highlighted Gruber’s improvisational skills, especially during Blackmore’s guitar solo in Snake Charmer, noting, “His ability to develop motifs within the bassline is truly inspiring.”
Classic tracks like Man on the Silver Mountain, Sixteenth Century Greensleeves, and Catch the Rainbow showcase Gruber’s bass prowess, but none exemplify his talent quite like Snake Charmer.
Following Gruber’s passing in 2015 at the age of 63, bassist Bob Nouveau took on the challenge of learning Gruber’s parts when Blackmore revisited the material.
“Gruber was a consummate professional,” Nouveau remarked in a 2017 interview with Bass Player. “His rhythmic diversity and funkiness were remarkable. He clearly absorbed influences from disco and funk, which were gaining traction in the mid-’70s.”
Snake Charmer occupies a unique space in rock harmony, existing in an ambiguous tonal area that blends elements of E minor and E major.
“Gruber excelled within this genre, where understanding basic harmony suffices,” Nouveau explained. “Ritchie prefers to keep things simple, avoiding complex chords. But when Dio sings a G over the E, it’s a clear indication of the harmonic structure we’re working with.”
The song opens with a unison intro, followed by gruber establishing a captivating galloping rhythm off the open E, incorporating a clever A-B-G turnaround. His use of 16th-note pickups and subdivisions reflects his keen ear for funk.
“The 16th grace notes before the strong quarter-note downbeat are crucial for capturing the feel,” Nouveau noted.”Gruber’s galloping rhythm sets the tone for the verse.”
In the pre-chorus, Gruber demonstrates his harmonic knowledge by navigating through chord tones. “He knows how to elevate a song from verse to chorus, utilizing root, third, and fifth notes, along with approach notes. His instincts keep the momentum going, and you can hear the synergy between him and drummer Gary Driscoll, who had a long-standing partnership.”
Interestingly, the IV chord deviates from the expected A5 or A7, opting instead for a full Am, supported by the subsequent C and D chords.
The pinnacle of Gruber’s contribution occurs during Blackmore’s guitar solo at 01:57. Throughout the six four-bar phrases of the solo,Gruber improvises fresh ideas in the first two measures,skillfully transitioning through G and D chords before executing the fourth-bar turnaround.
“craig utilized both a pick and his fingers throughout his career, but for this section, I recommend using fingers. It sounds like that’s what he did, given the roundness of his tone. There’s no sharp attack; fingers tend to create a smoother sound. And mastering the gallop is essential-it drives the entire song.”
