Rock guitarist Russ Ballard originally wrote Since You Been Gone and released it in 1976. He was the lead singer and guitarist for the band Argent, but became more known as a songwriter and producer.
The version recorded and performed by Rainbow three years later in 1979 is a hard rock anthem and reached No. 6 in the UK singles chart. Rainbow is a British rock band led by Ritchie Blackmore, who had previously played in the band Deep Purple. Blackmore had classical training on the cello, which helped him create interesting chord progressions. The band formed in 1975, but separated in 1984 only to reform in 1993 until 1997. The band has gone through many different line-ups and no two studio albums had the same set of musicians.