Dio was an American
heavy metal band formed in 1982 and led by vocalist
Ronnie James Dio
Ronald James Padavona (July 10, 1942 – May 16, 2010), known professionally as Ronnie James Dio, was an American heavy metal singer. He fronted and founded numerous bands throughout his career, including Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Dio and H ...
. Dio left
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath were an English rock music, rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward (musician), Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. They are often cited as pioneers of heavy met ...
with intentions to form a new band with fellow former Black Sabbath drummer
Vinny Appice
Vincent Samson Appice (born September 13, 1957) is an American rock drummer best known for his work with the bands Dio, Black Sabbath, and Heaven & Hell. Of Italian descent, he is the younger brother of drummer Carmine Appice.
Career
Appice ...
.
The name Dio was chosen because it made sense from a commercial standpoint, as the name was already well known at that time.
The band released 10 studio albums and had numerous lineup changes over the years, with Dio himself being the only constant member. Guitarists included
Vivian Campbell
Vivian Patrick Campbell (born 25 August 1962) is a Northern Irish guitarist. He came to prominence in the early 1980s as a member of Dio (band), Dio, and has been a member of Def Leppard since 1992 (replacing Steve Clark after his death). Camp ...
,
Craig Goldy
Thomas "Craig" Goldy (born November 6, 1961) is an American musician, best known as the guitarist of the rock bands Dio and Giuffria.
Early musical life
Goldy was born in San Diego, California. Before Dio, he played in the bands Vengeance, R ...
,
Doug Aldrich
Doug Aldrich (born February 19, 1964) is an American hard rock guitarist. He founded the band Burning Rain with Keith St. John in 1998 and has played with Whitesnake, Dio, Lion, Hurricane, House of Lords, Bad Moon Rising and Revolution Saints ...
,
Warren DeMartini
Warren Justin DeMartini (born April 10, 1963) is an American musician best known as the lead guitarist for glam metal band Ratt, which achieved international stardom in the 1980s.
Early life
DeMartini was born on April 10, 1963, in Chicago, ...
,
Tracy G
Tracy Grijalva (born January 3, 1959), known as Tracy G, is an American heavy metal guitarist best known for his time with Dio from 1993 to 1999.
Early life
Tracy's first band experience was in band called the Grijalva Brothers with his ...
,
Jake E. Lee
Jake E. Lee (born Jakey Lou Williams, February 15, 1957) is an American musician best known as lead guitarist for Ozzy Osbourne between 1982 and 1987 and later as a member of the band Badlands with Ray Gillen. He formed the band Red Dragon Car ...
and
Rowan Robertson
Rowan Wingate Robertson (born 22 November 1971) is an English rock guitarist who currently performs in the Las Vegas production show ''Raiding the Rock Vault'' and plays for Bang Tango. He also plays for DC4. Robertson also played guitar for A ...
.
The band dissolved in 2010 when
Ronnie James Dio
Ronald James Padavona (July 10, 1942 – May 16, 2010), known professionally as Ronnie James Dio, was an American heavy metal singer. He fronted and founded numerous bands throughout his career, including Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Dio and H ...
died of stomach cancer at the age of 67. Dio has sold more than 20 million albums worldwide.
Biography
Origins and ''Holy Diver'' (1982–1983)
In 1982, disagreements originating over the mixing of
Black Sabbath's ''
Live Evil'' album resulted in the departure of
Ronnie James Dio
Ronald James Padavona (July 10, 1942 – May 16, 2010), known professionally as Ronnie James Dio, was an American heavy metal singer. He fronted and founded numerous bands throughout his career, including Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Dio and H ...
and
Vinny Appice
Vincent Samson Appice (born September 13, 1957) is an American rock drummer best known for his work with the bands Dio, Black Sabbath, and Heaven & Hell. Of Italian descent, he is the younger brother of drummer Carmine Appice.
Career
Appice ...
from the band.
Wanting to continue together as a band, the two formed Dio in October 1982 in the United States with guitarist
Jake E. Lee
Jake E. Lee (born Jakey Lou Williams, February 15, 1957) is an American musician best known as lead guitarist for Ozzy Osbourne between 1982 and 1987 and later as a member of the band Badlands with Ray Gillen. He formed the band Red Dragon Car ...
and bassist
Jimmy Bain
James Stewart Bain (19 December 1947 – 23 January 2016) was a Scottish musician, best known for playing bass guitar in the bands Rainbow and Dio. He also worked with Kate Bush and Thin Lizzy frontman Phil Lynott, co-writing on his solo ...
. About a month after the band’s formation, Lee was replaced by
Vivian Campbell
Vivian Patrick Campbell (born 25 August 1962) is a Northern Irish guitarist. He came to prominence in the early 1980s as a member of Dio (band), Dio, and has been a member of Def Leppard since 1992 (replacing Steve Clark after his death). Camp ...
. The following May, the band released their debut album, ''
Holy Diver
''Holy Diver'' is the debut studio album by the American heavy metal band Dio, released in 1983. Vocalist Ronnie James Dio had just finished his first tenure in Black Sabbath, whose drummer, Vinny Appice, he took with him to put together his ...
'', which featured two hit singles – "
Rainbow in the Dark" and "
Holy Diver
''Holy Diver'' is the debut studio album by the American heavy metal band Dio, released in 1983. Vocalist Ronnie James Dio had just finished his first tenure in Black Sabbath, whose drummer, Vinny Appice, he took with him to put together his ...
" – that gained popularity from
MTV
MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
. Dio and
Jimmy Bain
James Stewart Bain (19 December 1947 – 23 January 2016) was a Scottish musician, best known for playing bass guitar in the bands Rainbow and Dio. He also worked with Kate Bush and Thin Lizzy frontman Phil Lynott, co-writing on his solo ...
played
keyboards
Keyboard may refer to:
Text input
* Keyboard, part of a typewriter
* Computer keyboard
** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping
** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware
Music
* Musi ...
in the studio, but recruited keyboardist
Claude Schnell
Claude Schnell (born May 17, 1955) is an American keyboardist who has been a member of the bands Magic, Rough Cutt, Dio, and Last in Line.
Biography
Born in Brooklyn, New York, and raised in France, when he was six years old his family move ...
for live shows in 1983 prior to the Holy Diver tour. Schnell played to the side of the stage on the first two tours before coming out front in 1985. Dio had this to say of the band's origins:
''The Last in Line'' to ''Dream Evil'' (1984–1989)
Now a quintet with Schnell on keyboards, the band released their second studio album, ''
The Last in Line
''The Last In Line'' is the second studio album by American heavy metal band Dio, released on July 2, 1984. It is the first Dio album to feature former Rough Cutt keyboardist Claude Schnell. It became the band's highest-charting album in both ...
'', on July 2, 1984. It was followed by their third album, ''
Sacred Heart
The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus ( la, Cor Jesu Sacratissimum) is one of the most widely practised and well-known Catholic devotions, wherein the heart of Jesus is viewed as a symbol of "God's boundless and passionate love for mankind". This devo ...
'', which was released on August 13, 1985.
In 1985, Dio, Campbell and Bain also wrote the song "Stars" for the
Hear 'n Aid
Hear 'n Aid was a charity record recorded by a large ensemble of 40 heavy metal musicians and released in 1986. The project was organized by Ronnie James Dio, Jimmy Bain, and Vivian Campbell, all from the band Dio. Proceeds from the album were ...
project, with many other heavy metal luminaries of the time contributing. Campbell became unhappy working with Dio, and the rift between them culminated in Campbell being fired from Dio's band. Campbell was subsequently invited to join
Whitesnake
Whitesnake are an English hard rock band formed in London in 1978. The group was originally put together as the backing band for singer David Coverdale, who had recently left Deep Purple. Though the band quickly developed into their own entit ...
in 1987. Several songs were recorded live during the ''Sacred Heart'' tour for the 1986 ''
Intermission
An intermission, also known as an interval in British and Indian English, is a recess between parts of a performance or production, such as for a theatrical play, opera, concert, or film screening. It should not be confused with an entr'acte (F ...
''
EP with Campbell still on guitar, however the EP also contained the studio track "Time To Burn", which served to introduce fans to
Craig Goldy
Thomas "Craig" Goldy (born November 6, 1961) is an American musician, best known as the guitarist of the rock bands Dio and Giuffria.
Early musical life
Goldy was born in San Diego, California. Before Dio, he played in the bands Vengeance, R ...
as the new guitarist.
On July 21, 1987, their fourth album ''
Dream Evil
Dream Evil is a Swedish heavy metal band, assembled by producer Fredrik Nordström in 1999.
History
Producer Fredrik Nordström had the ambition of creating a power metal band of his own for a long time, but had difficulty finding anyone ...
'' was released. After ''Dream Evil'', Goldy, wanting to pursue solo projects, left the band. In June 1989, 18-year-old
Rowan Robertson
Rowan Wingate Robertson (born 22 November 1971) is an English rock guitarist who currently performs in the Las Vegas production show ''Raiding the Rock Vault'' and plays for Bang Tango. He also plays for DC4. Robertson also played guitar for A ...
was announced as Goldy's successor but further changes were to follow, with Schnell, Bain and Appice leaving the band.
Changes (1990–1999)
Schnell, Bain, and Appice were replaced, respectively, with
Jens Johansson
Jens Ola Johansson (born 2 November 1963 in Stockholm) is a Swedish keyboardist and pianist who currently plays in the Finnish power metal band Stratovarius and Ritchie Blackmore's rock project Rainbow. He is notable for his high-speed neoclas ...
, Teddy Cook, and former
AC/DC
AC/DC (stylised as ACϟDC) are an Australian Rock music, rock band formed in Sydney in 1973 by Scottish-born brothers Malcolm Young, Malcolm and Angus Young. Their music has been variously described as hard rock, blues rock, and Heavy metal ...
drummer
Simon Wright. The new band released the album ''
Lock Up the Wolves
''Lock Up the Wolves'' is the fifth studio album by American heavy metal band Dio, released on May 15, 1990. It displayed a complete change of musician line-up over the previous album, ''Dream Evil'', including 18-year-old guitarist Rowan Rob ...
'' in the spring of 1990. During the tour, Dio had a chance meeting with former
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath were an English rock music, rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward (musician), Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. They are often cited as pioneers of heavy met ...
bandmate
Geezer Butler
Terence Michael Joseph "Geezer" Butler (born 17 July 1949) is a English musician and songwriter. He is best known as the bassist and primary lyricist of the heavy metal band Black Sabbath. He has also recorded and performed with Heaven & Hell ...
which led to that band's short-lived reunion, producing one album, ''
Dehumanizer
''Dehumanizer'' is the sixteenth studio album by English rock band Black Sabbath, released on June 22, 1992.
It was Sabbath's first studio album in over a decade to feature vocalist Ronnie James Dio and drummer Vinny Appice, and their first ...
''. After this, Dio reassembled Dio once again, retaining only Appice on the drums. By early 1993, guitarist
Tracy G
Tracy Grijalva (born January 3, 1959), known as Tracy G, is an American heavy metal guitarist best known for his time with Dio from 1993 to 1999.
Early life
Tracy's first band experience was in band called the Grijalva Brothers with his ...
, keyboardist
Scott Warren
Scott Warren (born November 3, 1962) is an American musician best known as the keyboardist for the heavy metal band Dio from 1994 until the band's dissolution in 2010.
Scott began playing keyboard instruments at six years old. He first taug ...
of Warrant and bassist
Jeff Pilson
Jeffrey Steven Pilson (born January 19, 1959) is an American musician best known for being the bass player in the glam metal band Dokken and currently classic rock band Foreigner. He has also had an extended stint with Dio in the 1990s. He is ...
of Dokken had all joined. During this era, the band abandoned fantasy themed songs and focused on modern issues. As a result, some fans regard the albums made during this period—1993's ''
Strange Highways
''Strange Highways'' is the sixth studio album by American heavy metal band Dio. It's also their first album since Ronnie James Dio and Vinny Appice's reunion tour with Black Sabbath. The European release was on Vertigo, in October 1993; t ...
'', 1996's ''
Angry Machines
''Angry Machines'' is the seventh studio album by American Heavy metal music, heavy metal band Dio (band), Dio. It was released first in Japan on September 23, 1996, by Mercury Records with 11 tracks and in the US on October 15, 1996 on Mayhem R ...
'' and the live album ''
Inferno: Last in Live''—as the worst in Dio's catalogue, while others view them positively as a step away from the outdated sound of the 1980s. With disappointing record sales for ''Angry Machines'', management wanted the band to go back to their earlier style prompting the departure of Tracy G to be replaced by the returning Craig Goldy. In addition, Appice left Dio once again.
Comeback (2000–2004)
280px, Dio performing in Paris, 2002
Craig Goldy's return facilitated the release of Dio's eighth studio album in 2000, ''
Magica'', which was regarded by many as the band's "comeback album" and reached No. 13 on the ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
'' independent charts. It featured not only the return of Goldy but also of Simon Wright and Jimmy Bain, although on the European leg of the tour
Chuck Garric
Chuck Garric is an American rock bassist who has played with Turd, The Druts, L.A. Guns, Dio, and Eric Singer Project (ESP). The current bassist for Alice Cooper, Garric has played bass for Billy Bob Thornton, Ted Nugent, Don Felder
Donal ...
played bass. Scott Warren remained in the band and performed live, although Dio and Bain handled all of the keyboard and synth on ''Magica''. A concept album, ''
Magica'' featured a return to the band's older, more successful sound, while increased use of keyboards gave it a more modern feel. During the following tour, however, tensions rose between Goldy on the one hand and Bain and Dio on the other, as Goldy was dealing with family obligations. Goldy left the band in January 2002 and was replaced with
Doug Aldrich
Doug Aldrich (born February 19, 1964) is an American hard rock guitarist. He founded the band Burning Rain with Keith St. John in 1998 and has played with Whitesnake, Dio, Lion, Hurricane, House of Lords, Bad Moon Rising and Revolution Saints ...
, who Bain had met while recording a tribute album for
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band. The band was formed in 1981 in Los Angeles by vocalist/guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instrume ...
. Because of his late arrival, Aldrich did not contribute much to Dio's ninth work, ''
Killing the Dragon'', which was written primarily by Dio and Bain. ''Killing The Dragon'' was released in 2002 through
Spitfire Records
Spitfire Records was a subsidiary of Eagle Rock Entertainment located in New York City, United States.
In September 1998, Paul Bibeau founded, launched and rapidly developed Spitfire Records Inc. from a two-man operation located in his home bedr ...
and was well received in the metal community, making the
Billboard top 200
The ''Billboard'' 200 is a record chart ranking the 200 most popular music albums and EPs in the United States. It is published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine and is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artis ...
. Aldrich would stay in the band until April of the following year, when he, like Campbell before him, joined
Whitesnake
Whitesnake are an English hard rock band formed in London in 1978. The group was originally put together as the backing band for singer David Coverdale, who had recently left Deep Purple. Though the band quickly developed into their own entit ...
, prompting Goldy's return. Soon afterward, Bain left the band.
''Master of the Moon'' and Split (2004–2010)
Dio released their tenth studio album, ''
Master of the Moon
''Master of the Moon'' is the tenth and final studio album by American heavy metal band Dio. It was released on August 30, 2004 in Europe through SPV/Steamhammer and on September 7, 2004 in the US through Sanctuary Records. It was produced b ...
'' on August 30, 2004 in Europe through SPV Records and on September 7, 2004 in the United States through
Sanctuary Records
Sanctuary Records Group Limited was a record label based in the United Kingdom and is as of 2013 a subsidiary of BMG Rights Management solely for reissues. Until June 2007, it was the largest independent record label in the UK and the largest m ...
. The album features multi-instrumentalist
Jeff Pilson
Jeffrey Steven Pilson (born January 19, 1959) is an American musician best known for being the bass player in the glam metal band Dokken and currently classic rock band Foreigner. He has also had an extended stint with Dio in the 1990s. He is ...
(formerly of
Dokken
Dokken is an American glam metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1978. It split up in 1989 and reformed four years later. The band had several hit singles which charted on the Billboard Hot 100, such as " Alone Again", " In My Dreams", and " Burn ...
) on bass duties; however, because of prior obligations with
Foreigner, he was only available for the recording sessions, and so was replaced by
Rudy Sarzo
Rodolfo Maximiliano Sarzo Lavieille Grande Ruiz Payret y Chaumont (born November 18, 1950) is a Cuban American hard rock/ heavy metal bassist. He remains best known for his work with Quiet Riot, Ozzy Osbourne, and Whitesnake, and has also played ...
(formerly of
Ozzy Osbourne
John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne (born 3 December 1948) is an English singer, songwriter, and television personality. He rose to prominence during the 1970s as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Black Sabbath, during which period he adop ...
,
Quiet Riot
Quiet Riot is an American Heavy metal music, heavy metal band founded in Los Angeles in 1973 by guitarist Randy Rhoads and bassist Kelly Garni.
The original lineup featured Rhoads and Garni with lead vocalist Kevin DuBrow and drummer Drew F ...
,
Whitesnake
Whitesnake are an English hard rock band formed in London in 1978. The group was originally put together as the backing band for singer David Coverdale, who had recently left Deep Purple. Though the band quickly developed into their own entit ...
,
Blue Öyster Cult
Blue Öyster Cult ( ; sometimes abbreviated BÖC or BOC) is an American Rock music, rock band formed on Long Island in Stony Brook, New York, in 1967, and best known for the singles "(Don't Fear) The Reaper", "Burnin' for You", and "Godzilla ( ...
among others) on the tour.
2005 saw the release of the Dio live album ''
Evil or Divine – Live in New York City
''Evil or Divine – Live in New York City'' is a video album by the American Heavy metal music, heavy metal band Dio (band), Dio, recorded in New York City in 2002 and released on DVD in 2003. It was also released on CD as a live album in 2005 ...
'', which featured the same show that was released on DVD in 2003. Dio toured
South America
South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...
,
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
,
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
, and
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
in 2005. Their autumn tour was titled "An Evening With Dio" and featured a regular set, and then a second set of the band playing ''Holy Diver'' in its entirety. A DVD of the tour was filmed in London. The audio of this performance, a double CD named ''
Holy Diver – Live'' was released in April 2006.
In 2007, it was announced that
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath were an English rock music, rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward (musician), Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. They are often cited as pioneers of heavy met ...
would reunite with Dio and go under the name
Heaven & Hell. The band released ''
The Devil You Know'' in 2009.
Dio's involvement with Heaven & Hell delayed the recording of what was to be the follow-up to ''Master of the Moon'', ''Magica II''. The three-year hiatus was briefly interrupted for a 10 concert European mini-tour in May/June 2008, and was scheduled to be interrupted again in November/December 2009 with 22 concerts starting in the UK and ending in Germany.
Doug Aldrich was to have filled in for Craig Goldy on guitar on these dates, who had other obligations. Dio intended to release a new single, entitled "Electra", to coincide with the tour. This would have been their first studio material in 5 years. The band also intended to record an album or two in 2010.
On November 18, 2009, the European tour was cancelled due to Dio's hospitalization. He had been diagnosed with stomach cancer, and was undergoing treatment. His manager and wife Wendy Dio thanked well-wishers and said "After he kills this dragon, Ronnie will be back on stage, where he belongs, doing what he loves best, performing for his fans."
On February 19, 2010, it was announced on Dio's official website that he would release a box set, entitled the ''Tournado Box Set'', for limited purchase. The set includes the ''Killing the Dragon'' CD, ''Evil or Divine'' DVD (
PAL
Phase Alternating Line (PAL) is a colour encoding system for analogue television. It was one of three major analogue colour television standards, the others being NTSC and SECAM. In most countries it was broadcast at 625 lines, 50 fields (25 ...
format only), DVD bonus material, interviews, photo gallery, never-before-seen behind the scenes footage, promo video for the ''Killing the Dragon'' track "Push", exclusive Dio cards, and the bonus CD single "
Electra
Electra (; grc, Ήλέκτρα) is one of the most popular mythological characters in tragedies.Evans (1970), p. 79 She is the main character in two Greek tragedies, '' Electra'' by Sophocles and '' Electra'' by Euripides. She is also the centra ...
" (which is the last song the band recorded), from the unfinished albums ''Magica II & Magica III''.
Death of Ronnie James Dio
Dio died on May 16, 2010, of stomach cancer at the
Texas Medical Center
The Texas Medical Center (TMC) is a medical district and neighborhood in south-central Houston, Texas, United States, immediately south of the Museum District and west of Texas State Highway 288. Over 60 medical institutions, largely concentrate ...
in
Houston
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...
, Texas, at the age of 67.
On November 9, 2010, a posthumous live album was released. Titled ''
Dio at Donington UK: Live 1983 & 1987'', it features Dio's 1983 and 1987 appearances at the
Monsters of Rock
Monsters of Rock was an annual hard rock and heavy metal music festival held in Castle Donington, England, from 1980 to 1996, taking place every year except 1989 and 1993. It later branched into other locations such as the Netherlands, Poland, ...
festival and showcases several songs from the Dio era of both
Rainbow
A rainbow is a meteorological phenomenon that is caused by reflection, refraction and dispersion of light in water droplets resulting in a spectrum of light appearing in the sky. It takes the form of a multicoloured circular arc. Rainbows c ...
and
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath were an English rock music, rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward (musician), Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. They are often cited as pioneers of heavy met ...
, in addition to songs from Dio's own catalogue.
When being interviewed Classic Rock Magazine from the UK, Dio guitarist Craig Goldy stated "We were working on tracks for a new Dio album just before Ronnie died in May. And we did almost finish one song. Wendy
io, Ronnie's widow/managerhas been talking about reissuing
IO's'Magica' album (originally released in 2000) with bonus tracks, including this one." Goldy goes on to say of the lyrics, that they were written by Dio when he was fighting cancer, and are "very emotional" and "hard to listen to without a lump at the back of your throat".
On March 18, it was announced that the surviving members of the final line-up of Dio would embark on a project with former
Judas Priest
Judas Priest are an English heavy metal band formed in Birmingham in 1969. They have sold over 50 million albums and are frequently ranked as one of the greatest metal bands of all time. Despite an innovative and pioneering body of work in th ...
front man
Tim "Ripper" Owens
Timothy S. "Ripper" Owens (born September 13, 1967) is an American heavy metal singer who currently performs with KK's Priest, Spirits of Fire, the Three Tremors and A New Revenge. He first gained attention as the lead singer of Judas Priest ...
under the moniker DIO Disciples. The project has been touring extensively since 2011.
In May 2012, former Dio guitarist
Vivian Campbell
Vivian Patrick Campbell (born 25 August 1962) is a Northern Irish guitarist. He came to prominence in the early 1980s as a member of Dio (band), Dio, and has been a member of Def Leppard since 1992 (replacing Steve Clark after his death). Camp ...
, despite his long established feud with Dio, announced his intent to reunite the original Dio band for a potential series of shows. This would include himself, drummer Vinny Appice, bassist Jimmy Bain, and keyboardist Claude Schnell. This announced line-up would feature former
Lynch Mob vocalist and
The Offspring
The Offspring is an American rock band from Garden Grove, California, formed in 1984. Originally formed under the name Manic Subsidal, the band's current lineup consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Bryan "Dexter" Holland, lead guita ...
touring member
Andrew Freeman stepping in for Dio. and would perform under the name
Last in Line
Last in Line is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 2012 by former members of the original lineup of Dio. The band's name comes from the 1984 Dio album '' The Last in Line''. Following the death of frontman Ronnie James Dio in 2010 ...
.
Murray
Murray is the
demon
A demon is a malevolent supernatural entity. Historically, belief in demons, or stories about demons, occurs in religion, occultism, literature, fiction, mythology, and folklore; as well as in media such as comics, video games, movies, ani ...
ic-looking
mascot
A mascot is any human, animal, or object thought to bring luck, or anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name. Mascots are also used as fi ...
of Dio who appears on several of Dio's
album cover
An album cover (also referred to as album art) is the front packaging art of a commercially released studio album or other audio recordings. The term can refer to either the printed paperboard covers typically used to package sets of and 78-r ...
s, including ''
Holy Diver
''Holy Diver'' is the debut studio album by the American heavy metal band Dio, released in 1983. Vocalist Ronnie James Dio had just finished his first tenure in Black Sabbath, whose drummer, Vinny Appice, he took with him to put together his ...
'', ''
The Last in Line
''The Last In Line'' is the second studio album by American heavy metal band Dio, released on July 2, 1984. It is the first Dio album to feature former Rough Cutt keyboardist Claude Schnell. It became the band's highest-charting album in both ...
'' and ''
Dream Evil
Dream Evil is a Swedish heavy metal band, assembled by producer Fredrik Nordström in 1999.
History
Producer Fredrik Nordström had the ambition of creating a power metal band of his own for a long time, but had difficulty finding anyone ...
'', as well as on some of their
singles
Singles are people not in a committed relationship.
Singles may also refer to:
Film and television
* ''Singles'' (miniseries), a 1984 Australian television series
* ''Singles'' (1992 film), written and directed by Cameron Crowe
* ''Singles'' ...
and
compilation album
A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one or several Performing arts#Performers, performers. If by one artist, then generally the tr ...
s. He was also featured in the sets for live shows.
''The Last in Line''
Murray is also featured on Dio's second studio album, ''
The Last in Line
''The Last In Line'' is the second studio album by American heavy metal band Dio, released on July 2, 1984. It is the first Dio album to feature former Rough Cutt keyboardist Claude Schnell. It became the band's highest-charting album in both ...
''. On this cover, resurrected souls emerge from their graves on Judgment Day to find a gigantic Murray staring at them from the far horizon.
''Dream Evil''
Murray is not featured on Dio's third studio album, ''
Sacred Heart
The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus ( la, Cor Jesu Sacratissimum) is one of the most widely practised and well-known Catholic devotions, wherein the heart of Jesus is viewed as a symbol of "God's boundless and passionate love for mankind". This devo ...
'', but is, for the last time in his original form, featured on the cover of ''
Dream Evil
Dream Evil is a Swedish heavy metal band, assembled by producer Fredrik Nordström in 1999.
History
Producer Fredrik Nordström had the ambition of creating a power metal band of his own for a long time, but had difficulty finding anyone ...
''. He is shown in the window of a bedroom with a child sleeping in a bed, while being haunted by several different spooky creatures. Murray's story is printed in the ''Dream Evil Tour'' book. The cover art of ''
Dream Evil
Dream Evil is a Swedish heavy metal band, assembled by producer Fredrik Nordström in 1999.
History
Producer Fredrik Nordström had the ambition of creating a power metal band of his own for a long time, but had difficulty finding anyone ...
'' is a reference to one of the tracks on the album, "Faces in the Window" (the entire album's concept is fears and
superstition
A superstition is any belief or practice considered by non-practitioners to be irrational or supernatural, attributed to fate or magic, perceived supernatural influence, or fear of that which is unknown. It is commonly applied to beliefs and ...
s about the
night
Night (also described as night time, unconventionally spelled as "nite") is the period of ambient darkness from sunset to sunrise during each 24-hour day, when the Sun is below the horizon. The exact time when night begins and ends depends o ...
and
darkness
Darkness, the direct opposite of lightness, is defined as a lack of illumination, an absence of visible light, or a surface that absorbs light, such as black or brown.
Human vision is unable to distinguish colors in conditions of very low lu ...
).
Merchandise
The official Dio webstore had created and sold a
baseball cap
A baseball cap is a type of soft hat with a rounded crown and a stiff bill projecting in front.
The front of the hat typically displays a design or a logo (historically, usually only a sports team, namely a baseball team, or names of relevant co ...
featuring a red
embroidery
Embroidery is the craft of decorating fabric or other materials using a needle to apply thread or yarn. Embroidery may also incorporate other materials such as pearls, beads, quills, and sequins. In modern days, embroidery is usually seen on c ...
of Murray on the front of the hat, and the DIO logo, in the same red embroidering, on the back side.
Legacy
Comedy/rock duo
Tenacious D
Tenacious D is an American comedy rock duo formed in Los Angeles, California in 1994. It was founded by actors Jack Black and Kyle Gass, who were members of The Actors' Gang theater company at the time. The duo's name is derived from "tenacio ...
released a song on their
first album entitled "Dio", a song written as a tribute to Dio, which mocked him somewhat for being too old and saying that Tenacious D were going to take over his position as the masters of heavy metal.
Before playing the song live,
Jack Black
Thomas Jacob Black (born August 28, 1969) is an American actor, comedian, and musician. He is known for his acting roles in the films '' High Fidelity'' (2000), ''Shallow Hal'' (2001), ''Orange County'' (2002), '' School of Rock'' (2003), ''E ...
would typically speak about how Dio's tenure in
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath were an English rock music, rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward (musician), Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. They are often cited as pioneers of heavy met ...
served as his inspiration to get into heavy metal. The duo appeared in the music video for his song, "Push". Dio also appeared in and sang on Tenacious D's comedy movie ''The Pick of Destiny''.
The Dio patch on the denim jacket worn by Eddie Munson (played by Joe Quinn) in the latest season of the Netflix show Stranger Things is actually made using a t-shirt from Ronnie James Dio‘s personal estate. The show’s costume designer, Amy Parris in a Q&A posted on the Netflix website said, “He’s (Eddie Munson) a fan of wizard metal, he’s a fan of Dio. He’s a fan of Metallica. Actually, Dio was a popular band in the ’80s, and we reached out to the estate
f the late Ronnie James Dio to source a band shirt His wife is in charge of his estate and offered to send us vintage T-shirts, which was such a dream.”
The character
Dio Brando
is a fictional character and the main antagonist of the Japanese manga series ''JoJo's Bizarre Adventure'' written and illustrated by Hirohiko Araki. He is featured primarily as the main antagonist of the series' first part, ''Phantom Blood'', a ...
from the manga series ''
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure
is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hirohiko Araki. It was originally serialized in Shueisha's ''shōnen'' manga magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' from 1987 to 2004, and was transferred to the monthly ''seinen'' manga ...
'' is named after the band. This has two meanings, as both a reference to the band and to the Italian for "God," referencing the character's high self-esteem.
Band members
Final lineup
*
Ronnie James Dio
Ronald James Padavona (July 10, 1942 – May 16, 2010), known professionally as Ronnie James Dio, was an American heavy metal singer. He fronted and founded numerous bands throughout his career, including Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Dio and H ...
– vocals, keyboards
(1982–2010; his death)
*
Craig Goldy
Thomas "Craig" Goldy (born November 6, 1961) is an American musician, best known as the guitarist of the rock bands Dio and Giuffria.
Early musical life
Goldy was born in San Diego, California. Before Dio, he played in the bands Vengeance, R ...
– guitar, keyboards
(1986–1989, 1999–2001, 2004–2005, 2006–2010)
*
Rudy Sarzo
Rodolfo Maximiliano Sarzo Lavieille Grande Ruiz Payret y Chaumont (born November 18, 1950) is a Cuban American hard rock/ heavy metal bassist. He remains best known for his work with Quiet Riot, Ozzy Osbourne, and Whitesnake, and has also played ...
– bass
(2004–2010)
*
Simon Wright – drums, percussion
(1989–1991, 1998–2010)
*
Scott Warren
Scott Warren (born November 3, 1962) is an American musician best known as the keyboardist for the heavy metal band Dio from 1994 until the band's dissolution in 2010.
Scott began playing keyboard instruments at six years old. He first taug ...
– keyboards
(1993–2010)
Succeeding bands
Two groups of former members of Dio, DIO Disciples and Last in Line, have reunited independently to perform Dio songs.
Dio Disciples
Current members
*
Craig Goldy
Thomas "Craig" Goldy (born November 6, 1961) is an American musician, best known as the guitarist of the rock bands Dio and Giuffria.
Early musical life
Goldy was born in San Diego, California. Before Dio, he played in the bands Vengeance, R ...
– guitar
(2011–present)
*
Simon Wright – drums
(2011–present)
*
Scott Warren
Scott Warren (born November 3, 1962) is an American musician best known as the keyboardist for the heavy metal band Dio from 1994 until the band's dissolution in 2010.
Scott began playing keyboard instruments at six years old. He first taug ...
– keyboards
(2011–present)
*
Tim "Ripper" Owens
Timothy S. "Ripper" Owens (born September 13, 1967) is an American heavy metal singer who currently performs with KK's Priest, Spirits of Fire, the Three Tremors and A New Revenge. He first gained attention as the lead singer of Judas Priest ...
– vocals
(2011–2014, 2016–present)
*
Bjorn Englen
Bjorn Englen (born Björn Erik Englén in Växjö, Sweden) is the bass player for Soul Sign and Dio Returns / Dio Disciples. Bjorn has also played bass for Yngwie Malmsteen, Quiet Riot, MSG/Survivor vocalist Robin McAuley, Scorpions guitarist U ...
– bass
(2012–present)
*
Oni Logan
Leonardo Gustavo Gimenez, better known by his stage name Oni Logan, is an Argentine American singer, best known as the original lead vocalist of the rock band Lynch Mob. He joined the band in 1990, only to leave after the release of the first a ...
– vocals
(2012–present)
*
Mark Boals
Mark Robert Boals (born December 5, 1958) is an American heavy metal vocalist and occasional bassist, best known for his vocals with Yngwie Malmsteen. He is currently a member of the band Foundry.
Boals' first album with Malmsteen, 1986's '' ...
– vocals
(2013–present)
Former members
*
Rudy Sarzo
Rodolfo Maximiliano Sarzo Lavieille Grande Ruiz Payret y Chaumont (born November 18, 1950) is a Cuban American hard rock/ heavy metal bassist. He remains best known for his work with Quiet Riot, Ozzy Osbourne, and Whitesnake, and has also played ...
– bass
(2011)
*
Toby Jepson
Toby Jepson is a singer and songwriter, and is the lead vocalist and guitarist of British rock band Wayward Sons. He was formerly the lead vocalist and guitarist of Little Angels between 1984 and 1994. Between 2008 and 2015, he was the lead ...
– vocals
(2011–2012)
*
James LoMenzo
James LoMenzo (born January 13, 1959) is an American heavy metal bass guitarist. He was a member of the band White Lion, performing with them from 1984 to 1991. He was later the bassist for Black Label Society, Slash's Snakepit, and Megadeth. ...
– bass
(2011–2012)
Touring members
*
Doro Pesch
Dorothee Pesch (born 3 June 1964), known professionally as Doro Pesch or simply Doro, is a German heavy metal singer and the former frontwoman of heavy metal band Warlock. Dubbed the "Metal Queen", Doro's contributions to music and culture mad ...
- vocals
(2011)
*
Vinny Appice
Vincent Samson Appice (born September 13, 1957) is an American rock drummer best known for his work with the bands Dio, Black Sabbath, and Heaven & Hell. Of Italian descent, he is the younger brother of drummer Carmine Appice.
Career
Appice ...
– drums
(2013/2014)
*
Rowan Robertson
Rowan Wingate Robertson (born 22 November 1971) is an English rock guitarist who currently performs in the Las Vegas production show ''Raiding the Rock Vault'' and plays for Bang Tango. He also plays for DC4. Robertson also played guitar for A ...
– guitar
(2013)
*Gonzo Sandoval – drums
(2014)
*John Retta - vocals
(2016)
Last in Line
Current members
*
Vinny Appice
Vincent Samson Appice (born September 13, 1957) is an American rock drummer best known for his work with the bands Dio, Black Sabbath, and Heaven & Hell. Of Italian descent, he is the younger brother of drummer Carmine Appice.
Career
Appice ...
– drums
(2012–present)
*
Vivian Campbell
Vivian Patrick Campbell (born 25 August 1962) is a Northern Irish guitarist. He came to prominence in the early 1980s as a member of Dio (band), Dio, and has been a member of Def Leppard since 1992 (replacing Steve Clark after his death). Camp ...
– guitar
(2012–present)
*
Andrew Freeman – lead vocals
(2012–present)
*
Phil Soussan
Philip Raphael “Phil” Soussan (born 23 June 1961, London, England) is a British bass guitarist, songwriter and producer who has gained notoriety as a member of a host of famed rock and roll bands, including some who have been frontman, front ...
– bass guitar
(2016–present)
Former members
*
Jimmy Bain
James Stewart Bain (19 December 1947 – 23 January 2016) was a Scottish musician, best known for playing bass guitar in the bands Rainbow and Dio. He also worked with Kate Bush and Thin Lizzy frontman Phil Lynott, co-writing on his solo ...
– bass guitar
(2012–2016; his death)
*
Claude Schnell
Claude Schnell (born May 17, 1955) is an American keyboardist who has been a member of the bands Magic, Rough Cutt, Dio, and Last in Line.
Biography
Born in Brooklyn, New York, and raised in France, when he was six years old his family move ...
– keyboards
(2012–2015)
*
Erik Norlander
Erik Norlander (born 6 February 1967) is an American musician known for his work in the progressive rock genre. From 2007 to 2014, he was the touring and recording keyboardist for Asia Featuring John Payne. He is also the managing director of ...
– keyboards
(2016–2018)
Discography
;Studio albums
* ''
Holy Diver
''Holy Diver'' is the debut studio album by the American heavy metal band Dio, released in 1983. Vocalist Ronnie James Dio had just finished his first tenure in Black Sabbath, whose drummer, Vinny Appice, he took with him to put together his ...
'' (1983)
* ''
The Last in Line
''The Last In Line'' is the second studio album by American heavy metal band Dio, released on July 2, 1984. It is the first Dio album to feature former Rough Cutt keyboardist Claude Schnell. It became the band's highest-charting album in both ...
'' (1984)
* ''
Sacred Heart
The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus ( la, Cor Jesu Sacratissimum) is one of the most widely practised and well-known Catholic devotions, wherein the heart of Jesus is viewed as a symbol of "God's boundless and passionate love for mankind". This devo ...
'' (1985)
* ''
Dream Evil
Dream Evil is a Swedish heavy metal band, assembled by producer Fredrik Nordström in 1999.
History
Producer Fredrik Nordström had the ambition of creating a power metal band of his own for a long time, but had difficulty finding anyone ...
'' (1987)
* ''
Lock Up the Wolves
''Lock Up the Wolves'' is the fifth studio album by American heavy metal band Dio, released on May 15, 1990. It displayed a complete change of musician line-up over the previous album, ''Dream Evil'', including 18-year-old guitarist Rowan Rob ...
'' (1990)
* ''
Strange Highways
''Strange Highways'' is the sixth studio album by American heavy metal band Dio. It's also their first album since Ronnie James Dio and Vinny Appice's reunion tour with Black Sabbath. The European release was on Vertigo, in October 1993; t ...
'' (1993)
* ''
Angry Machines
''Angry Machines'' is the seventh studio album by American Heavy metal music, heavy metal band Dio (band), Dio. It was released first in Japan on September 23, 1996, by Mercury Records with 11 tracks and in the US on October 15, 1996 on Mayhem R ...
'' (1996)
* ''
Magica'' (2000)
* ''
Killing the Dragon'' (2002)
* ''
Master of the Moon
''Master of the Moon'' is the tenth and final studio album by American heavy metal band Dio. It was released on August 30, 2004 in Europe through SPV/Steamhammer and on September 7, 2004 in the US through Sanctuary Records. It was produced b ...
'' (2004)
;Live albums
* ''
Intermission
An intermission, also known as an interval in British and Indian English, is a recess between parts of a performance or production, such as for a theatrical play, opera, concert, or film screening. It should not be confused with an entr'acte (F ...
'' (1986)
* ''
Inferno: Last in Live'' (1998)
* ''
Evil or Divine – Live in New York City
''Evil or Divine – Live in New York City'' is a video album by the American Heavy metal music, heavy metal band Dio (band), Dio, recorded in New York City in 2002 and released on DVD in 2003. It was also released on CD as a live album in 2005 ...
'' (2003)
* ''
Holy Diver – Live'' (2006)
* ''
At Donington UK: Live 1983 & 1987'' (2010)
* ''
Finding The Sacred Heart: Live In Philly 1986'' (2013)
* ''
Live in London, Hammersmith Apollo 1993
''Live in London, Hammersmith Apollo 1993'' is a concert film by the then newly reformed Dio band on the last night of their European tour in support of the '' Strange Highways'' album. The concert was recorded at Hammersmith Apollo in London, E ...
'' (2014)
Videography
* ''Live in Concert'' (VHS & Laserdisc, 1984)
* ''
A Special from the Spectrum'' (VHS & Laserdisc, 1984)
* ''
Sacred Heart "The Video"'' (VHS, 1986 – DVD, 2004)
* ''
Time Machine
Time travel is the concept of movement between certain points in time, analogous to movement between different points in space by an object or a person, typically with the use of a hypothetical device known as a time machine. Time travel is a w ...
'' (VHS, 1990)
* ''
Evil or Divine: Live in New York City'' (DVD, 2003)
* ''
We Rock (DVD)'' (DVD, 2005)
* ''
Holy Diver: Live'' (DVD, 2006)
* ''Finding the Sacred Heart: Live in Philly 1986'' (DVD & BD, 2013)
* ''
Live in London: Hammersmith Apollo 1993'' (DVD & BD, 2014)
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dio
1982 establishments in New York (state)
2010 disestablishments in New York (state)
Articles which contain graphical timelines
Freak scene musicians
Heavy metal musical groups from New York (state)
Musical groups established in 1982
Musical groups disestablished in 1991
Musical groups reestablished in 1993
Musical groups disestablished in 2010
Musical quintets
Vertigo Records artists