Ronnie James Dio

Dio at a concert in Chicago (2009)

Ronnie James Dio (born July 10, 1942 in Portsmouth , New Hampshire as Ronald James Padavona , † May 16, 2010 in Los Angeles ), often just Dio , was an American hard rock and heavy metal singer (the Bands Elf , Rainbow , Black Sabbath , Dio and Heaven and Hell ) and was considered one of the most important rock singers in this field of music. He made the mano cornuta hand gesture popular in heavy metal.

Career

Beginnings

Ronnie James Dio (2009)

At the insistence of his father, Dio played the trumpet and bass guitar from the age of five . In 1957, at the age of 14, he played in a band for the first time. It was the school band The Vegas Kings from Cortland. The band name changed via Ronnie & The Rumblers to Ronnie and the Red Caps.

Around 1960 Dio used the stage name Dio (Italian for "God") for the first time. According to his own statements in interviews, he used the pseudonym based on a Florida Mafioso named Johnny Dio , who impressed him at the time.

After changing the band name again to Ronnie Dio and the Prophets, various singles and a first album were released , entitled Dio at Domino’s . The recording was made in the trendy bar Domino's Restaurant , a popular dance venue in Cortland, for which the band played for a long time and thus gained first local fame. In addition to a few original compositions, the repertoire mainly contained chart music from the 1950s and 60s.

Eleven

The band Ronnie Dio & The Prophets existed until 1967. In addition to some line-up changes, the name was also changed to The Electric Elves . According to an anecdote, the name came about from a teasing of then guitarist Dick Botoff, who made fun of the fact that second guitarist Nick Pantas looked like an elf because of his small height and shoes . From then on it was nicknamed "Elf". The visual and acoustic appearance of the band turned more and more away from pop to rock .

On February 12, 1968, the band was involved in a serious car accident in which guitarist Nick Pantas was killed. All inmates were injured. Dio himself hit the windshield of the car with his head and was injured.

They only played together again in May of that year. The word "Electric" was deleted from the band name and henceforth called The Elves. This name lasted until 1972.

In the early 1970s, the band toured college bars and created material for a first studio album, for which, however, she lacked a record deal. One evening were Ian Paice and Roger Glover of Deep Purple witness of a performance of the band and offered her to produce the plate. The first album , simply called Elf , was released. Due to the relationship with Paice and Glover, she was able to appear as the opening act for Deep Purple on their US tour in 1972, now under the name Elf.

After another line-up change, Dio gave up the bass to concentrate on his singing. The band changed locations for the production of their second album and moved to England. Roger Glover again acted as producer , on whose solo project Butterfly-Ball and the Grasshopper's Feast Dio interpreted a few songs. In 1974 Elf's second record was released. She was given two different titles, Carolina County Ball in Europe and LA / 59 in America and Japan. It was during this time that Ritchie Blackmore , the guitarist of Deep Purple, became interested in Dio. The third and final album by the band Elf appeared in 1975 under the title Trying to Burn the Sun . The record gained notoriety within the rock scene.

Rainbow

Dio (left) with Ritchie Blackmore 1977

While working on the album, Dio and Blackmore worked together to create two songs that were to appear on a single: Black Sheep of the Family and Sixteenth Century Greensleeves . The single did not appear, but Ritchie Blackmore, who had left Deep Purple, formed the rest of the band Elf for his new project Rainbow . With this band Dio recorded several successful albums, including classics such as "Rainbow Rising" and "Live on Stage". The band went on tour internationally and was able to gain some fame.

In 1976 the relationship between Dio and Blackmore became increasingly strained, as both wanted to pursue increasingly different musical goals. In an interview, Dio said he was inclined to guitar-oriented heavy rock, while Blackmore wanted Rainbow to be more commercial. In late 1978, the two parted ways when Blackmore fired all members except Cozy Powell , even though the band was working on an album.

Black Sabbath and Solo

Dio therefore joined Black Sabbath from November , who were looking for a replacement for Ozzy Osbourne . Despite the initial skepticism of many fans, the first album Heaven and Hell (1980) became one of the most important heavy metal albums of all time. On the tour for this album he used the mano cornuta for the first time , which then developed into an integral part of the metal scene . The second album Mob Rules , released a year later, was able to build on the success of the first album. But already while mixing the live album "Live Evil" Dio left the band. Guitarist and bandleader Tony Iommi accused him of wanting to take control too much and even described him as "a kind of Hitler ". Dio is said to have broken into the studio with drummer Vinnie Appice to secretly mix up the album. However, his wife, Wendy, later said in an interview that Dio did not break into the studio. So the singer separated from Black Sabbath after three years and founded his own band Dio with Appice in October 1982 .

The style of his band named after him can be seen as a mélange of Rainbow and Black Sabbath: A dynamic hard rock or heavy metal with lyrics that are mostly mystical, mysterious and full of puzzles and are characterized by an expressive imagery. The group recorded the albums Holy Diver , The Last in Line and Sacred Heart . The style of the band served as a template for many musicians, through which the sub-genre Power Metal was developed.

In 1991 he rejoined Black Sabbath. With them he recorded the third and final studio album, " Dehumanizer ". He separated from the band two years later because Ozzy Osbourne wanted to play the last two concerts of his farewell tour with Black Sabbath, but Dio did not want to share the stage with Osbourne due to the differences with Osbourne. He also remained the singer and band leader of Dio. The albums Dream Evil , Lock Up the Wolves, Strange Highways and Angry Machines were able to build on their success again.

With the rise of the grunge movement , techno, and the modern charts from the mid to late 1990s, many classic metal bands had only moderate commercial success. Dio didn't have as great success with his band as before. The last three Dio albums "Magica" (2000), "Killing The Dragon" (2002) and "Masters Of The Moon" (2004) could no longer build on the successes of the earlier albums.

Hear 'n Aid

Dio performing with Heaven and Hell

The Hear 'n Aid (1986) project started by Dio is also worth mentioning . Following the example of Band Aid , Dio brought together various musicians from hard rock and heavy metal to record the song Stars . Contributing musicians to the project included Queensrÿche singers Geoff Tate , Dave Murray and Adrian Smith from Iron Maiden , Rob Halford from Judas Priest , Yngwie J. Malmsteen , Don Dokken ( Dokken ) Paul Shortino ( Rough Cutt ), Eric Bloom and Donald “Buck Dharma” Roeser from Blue Öyster Cult , Neal Schon and many others.

Heaven and Hell

In 2007 there was a reunion of Black Sabbath with Dio. As Black Sabbath they recorded three new songs: "The Devil Cried", "Shadow of the Wind" and "Ear in the Wall". These three songs were originally intended for a studio album, but were then released on Black Sabbath's compilation "The Dio Years".

Since Black Sabbath was also working on the reunion with Ozzy Osbourne , Dio, Tony Iommi , Geezer Butler and Vinnie Appice decided to go on tour under the name Heaven and Hell . The band's first official release, Heaven and Hell, was the live recording, Live from Radio City Music Hall .

On April 24, 2009 the first and last album by Heaven And Hell was released with the title The Devil You Know , this was also the last studio album by Ronnie James Dio. Also in 2009 Heaven and Hell headlined the Wacken Open Air . The concert was later released under the name "Neon Nights: 30 Years of Heaven & Hell - Live at Wacken".

Guest appearances

2006 sang and played Ronnie James Dio in the film and accompanying album The Pick Of Destiny by Tenacious D with. In this film, the young JB ( Jack Black ) prays to Dio, who sends him the message through a wall poster that he has to go to Hollywood , Los Angeles , to become a rock star. Tenacious D already had a guest appearance on Dio in the music video for the song "Push" .

Also in 2006 he sang the role of Dr. on the concept album "Operation: Mindcrime II" by Queensrÿche. X.

In 2010, shortly before his death, he sang the song "The Code" for his cousin David "Rock" Feinstein with the band The Rods and the song "Metal will never" for his solo project for the album "Bitten by the Beast" The". This song became his last recording.

Illness and death

On November 25, 2009, his wife, Wendy Dio, announced that doctors had discovered early-stage stomach cancer in him. On May 16, 2010, Ronnie James Dio passed away at the age of 67, after he had been optimistic about defeating cancer in April. Shortly before Dios death, his band Heaven & Hell canceled their entire tour, which also affected numerous festivals and concerts in German-speaking countries. He was buried on May 30, 2010 at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Los Angeles .

The band then broke up. However, the members of his former band founded the band Dio Disciples a year later with the former Judas Priest singer Tim Owens and the Little Angels singer Toby Jepson . This band plays Dio's most famous songs live on stage. Toby Jepson was replaced in 2012 by the lynch mob singer Oni Logan. a. Doro Pesch and the Black Sabbath and DIO drummer Vinnie Appice as guest musicians. At Wacken Open Air 2016 , Ronnie James Dio performed in the form of a hologram at Dio Disciples.

meaning

A statue in honor of Ronnie James Dio in Kawarna , Bulgaria

Ronnie James Dio is one of the most important figures in heavy metal . An immense number of musicians in this genre refer to Dio as a source of inspiration.

Here is a small selection of statements:

• Lars Ulrich , the drummer of the band Metallica , said that he was already Dio's number 1 fan in Denmark when he was eleven and that without him he would probably never have stepped onto a stage.
• The German metal queen Doro Pesch also describes Ronnie James Dio as one of her main inspirations and found listening to the records from 1980, 1981 and 1983 (Black Sabbath - Heaven and Hell, Mob Rules and DIO - Holy Diver) from him one of the most drastic experiences of their life.
• Even Joey DeMaio of Manowar saw Dio as the main inspiration and as the master of metal.
• Tobias Sammet from Edguy and Avantasia called him a prime example of a metal singer.
• Hollywood actor and singer of Tenacious D , Jack Black , honored Dio as his favorite singer and best singers in the metal sector.
• Axel Rudi Pell called him a personal hero.
• Nicolas Van Dyk from Redemption announced that with Dio's death the voice of metal was also dead.
• Jørn Lande also called Dio his main inspiration.
• Udo Dirkschneider named Dio one of the best singers of all time and also honored him as one of the best songwriters.
• Ozzy Osbourne was always considered Dio's "enemy", but he too said that Dio was one of the best singers of all time.

But he was not only popular for his musical talent. Tony Iommi from Black Sabbath , Ian Gillan from Deep Purple , Twisted Sister , KISS and Iron Maiden , among others , also described him as the nicest and kind-hearted people.

Band memberships

Discography

→ Main article : Ronnie James Dio / Discography

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Ben Sisario: Ronnie James Dio, Black Sabbath Vocalist, Dies at 67 . In: The New York Times . May 16, 2010, ISSN  0362-4331 ( nytimes.com [accessed August 21, 2017]).
2. ↑ ^{a b} Sam Dunn, Scot McFadyen, Jessica Joy Wise: Metal - A Headbanger's Journey (Interview with Ronnie James Dio at Wacken Open Air)
3. ↑ Loudwire: Ronnie James Dio (by Wendy Dio) - Wikipedia: Fact or Fiction? February 1, 2017, accessed February 3, 2017 . 
4. ↑ roadrunnerrecords.com ( Memento of the original from November 28, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
5. ↑ Death report on roadrunnerrecords.com ( memento of the original dated August 12, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
6. ↑ Visions .de: Ronnie James Dio - passed away yesterday
7. ↑ Heaven & Hell cancel complete tour - Nova Rock, Sonispheres, Optimus Alive High Voltage and Bloodstock affected , accessed on June 3, 2011
8. ↑ http://articles.latimes.com/keyword/forest-lawn-memorial-park
9. ↑ Wacken
10. ↑ - ( Memento of the original from January 20, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
11. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4UlxB3hShSI
12. ↑ - ( Memento of the original from January 20, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
13. ↑ - ( Memento of the original from January 20, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
14. ↑ Martin Scholz: Jack Black: Led Zeppelin were gods, Black Sabbath kings. In: welt.de . August 4, 2015, accessed October 7, 2018 . 
15. ↑ - ( Memento of the original from January 20, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
16. ↑ - ( Memento of the original from January 20, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
17. ↑ http://eddietrunk.com/udo-dirkschneider-discusses-new-music-reissues-and-ronnie-james-dio/.html  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective . Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
18. ↑ - ( Memento of the original from January 20, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
19. ↑ - ( Memento of the original from January 20, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 

Web links

Commons : Ronnie James Dio  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Ronnie James Dio in the Internet Movie Database (English)
• official homepage
• Interview with Dio on HardHarderHeavy.de