Mike DiMeo (born November 29, 1968, in New York City) is an American hard rock/ heavy metal vocalist, best known for his work in the band Riot, which he left in late 2006. He recorded six studio albums and one live album with the group before departing to join Masterplan for the recording of '' MK II'' in 2006.

Deep Purple

Mike was known only in the New York club scene when asked by

Ritchie Blackmore Richard Hugh Blackmore (born 14 April 1945) is an English guitarist and songwriter. He was a founding member of Deep Purple in 1968, playing jam-style hard rock music that mixed guitar riffs and organ sounds. He is prolific in creating guita ...

to join Deep Purple. In 1992, he recorded some demos with

Roger Glover Roger David Glover (born 30 November 1945) is a Welsh bassist, songwriter, and record producer. He is best known as the member of the hard rock bands Deep Purple and Rainbow. As a member of Deep Purple, Glover was inducted into the Rock and R ...

for what later became '' The Battle Rages On...''. The rest of the band decided against Blackmore's wishes to reunite with

Ian Gillan Ian Gillan (born 19 August 1945) is a British singer who is best known as the lead singer and lyricist for the rock band Deep Purple. He is known for his powerful and wide-ranging singing voice. Initially influenced by Elvis Presley, Gillan ...

instead, and the recorded demos have never been released.

Riot

In the early 1990s, DiMeo was playing heavily in the tri-state area with original band Josie Sang, which also featured on guitar

John Melendez John Edward Melendez (born October 4, 1965), also known as Stuttering John, is an American radio personality, comedian, singer, actor, television writer, announcer, and podcast host. He is best known for being on ''The Howard Stern Show'' from ...

(''

The Howard Stern Show ''The Howard Stern Show'' is an American radio show hosted by Howard Stern that gained wide recognition when it was nationally syndicated on terrestrial radio from WXRK in New York City, between 1986 and 2005. The show has aired on Howard 100 a ...

'', ''

The Tonight Show ''The Tonight Show'' is an American late-night talk show that has aired on NBC since 1954. The show has been hosted by six comedians: Steve Allen (1954–1957), Jack Paar (1957–1962), Johnny Carson (1962–1992), Jay Leno (1992–2009 and 201 ...

).'' He gained a strong reputation as a singer and frontman, earning him an invitation to join Riot as the new lead singer in 1993. DiMeo did several Japanese and European tours with the band, including an appearance at the legendary Wacken festival in Germany in 1998. His final recording with the band was the 2006 release, '' Army of One''.

The Lizards

DiMeo joined The Lizards in 2005 and recorded four studio albums with the band. They also released a live DVD featuring recordings of their live performances from around the world including a performance at the Sweden Rock Festival in 2005.

Masterplan

DiMeo joined German

power metal Power metal is a subgenre of heavy metal combining characteristics of traditional heavy metal with speed metal, often within symphonic context. Generally, power metal is characterized by a faster, lighter, and more uplifting sound, in contra ...

band Masterplan in 2006, and he recorded Lost And Gone EP and MK II with the band, and toured Europe opening for British

metal A metal (from Greek μέταλλον ''métallon'', "mine, quarry, metal") is a material that, when freshly prepared, polished, or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electricity and heat relatively well. Metals are typicall ...

band Saxon. They also toured Japan and played some European festivals before DiMeo announced his departure from the band via his Myspac

page on January 11, 2009.

Tenpoint

On August 8, 2008, DiMeo announced a project with a New York City hard rock band called Tenpoint.

Midas Fate

DiMeo recorded the single "What Dreams May Come" with the band Midas Fate in late 2010. It was released in early 2011 in anticipation of a full-length album, scheduled for release in 2013. In May 2013, it was announced that the former Angra drummer,

Aquiles Priester Aquiles Priester (born June 25, 1971) is a Namibian-born Brazilian drummer. He is currently the drummer of Brazilian power metal band Hangar, and progressive metal bands Midas Fate and Noturnall. As a tour drummer, Priester has played with Pa ...

, had joined Midas Fate. The album Magnificent Rebel was planned for release in November 2013, but according to the band's Facebook page, there is as of yet no release date for the new album.

Johnny Winter

Mike DiMeo was the session keyboard player for

Johnny Winter John Dawson Winter III (February 23, 1944 – July 16, 2014) was an American singer and guitarist. Winter was known for his high-energy blues rock albums and live performances in the late 1960s and 1970s. He also produced three Grammy Award-win ...

's 2011 album ''

Roots A root is the part of a plant, generally underground, that anchors the plant body, and absorbs and stores water and nutrients. Root or roots may also refer to: Art, entertainment, and media * ''The Root'' (magazine), an online magazine focusing ...

''. He contributed piano, electric piano, and Hammond organ on several tracks. The album also featured special guests

Vince Gill Vincent Grant Gill (born April 12, 1957) is an American country music singer, songwriter and musician. He has achieved commercial success and fame both as frontman of the country rock band Pure Prairie League in the 1970s and as a solo artist ...

Warren Haynes Warren Haynes (born April 6, 1960) is an American musician, singer and songwriter. He is best known for his work as longtime guitarist with the Allman Brothers Band and as founding member of the jam band Gov't Mule. Early in his career he was ...

Derek Trucks Derek Trucks (born June 8, 1979) is an American guitarist, songwriter, and founder of The Derek Trucks Band. He became an official member of The Allman Brothers Band in 1999. In 2010, he formed the Tedeschi Trucks Band with his wife, blues sin ...

Sonny Landreth Clide Vernon "Sonny" Landreth (born February 1, 1951) is an American blues musician from southwest Louisiana who is especially known as a slide guitar player. He was born in Canton, Mississippi, and settled in Lafayette, Louisiana. He lives in Bre ...

, and others. DiMeo performed live with the Johnny Winter band for the CD release party at B.B. King's in New York City. Dimeo was the keyboard player on

's last studio album, '' Step Back''. It features performances by a number of guest musicians, including Eric Clapton,

Dr. John Malcolm John Rebennack Jr. (November 20, 1941 – June 6, 2019), better known by his stage name Dr. John, was an American singer and songwriter. His music encompassed New Orleans blues, jazz, funk, and R&B. Active as a session musician from ...

Billy Gibbons William Frederick Gibbons (born December 16, 1949) is an American musician who is the guitarist and lead singer of the rock band ZZ Top. He began his career in the band the Moving Sidewalks, which recorded a full-length album entitled, ''Flas ...

from

ZZ Top ZZ Top is an American rock band formed in 1969 in Houston, Texas. For 51 years, they comprised vocalist-guitarist Billy Gibbons, drummer Frank Beard and vocalist-bassist Dusty Hill, until Hill's death in 2021. ZZ Top developed a signature sou ...

, Joe Perry from Aerosmith, and

Brian Setzer Brian Robert Setzer (born April 10, 1959) is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He found widespread success in the early 1980s with the 1950s-style rockabilly group Stray Cats, and returned to the music scene in the early 1990s with ...

from the

Stray Cats Stray Cats are an American rockabilly band formed in 1979 by guitarist and vocalist Brian Setzer, double bassist Lee Rocker, and drummer Slim Jim Phantom in the Long Island town of Massapequa, New York. The group had numerous hit singles in th ...

. It was released by

Megaforce Records Megaforce Records is an American independent record label founded in 1982 by Jon Zazula and his wife Marsha Zazula to release the first works of Metallica, and devoted primarily to hard rock and heavy metal. It has offices in New York City (whe ...

on September 2, 2014. As on Winter's previous studio album,

the songs are mainly blues standards. '' Step Back'' was released posthumously as Winter had finished recording the album and prior to the release, played a concert tour in Europe before he died on July 16, 2014. The album debuted at No. 1 on the

Billboard charts The ''Billboard'' charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs and albums in the United States and elsewhere. The results are published in '' Billboard'' magazine. ''Billboard'' biz, the online extension of the ''Billboard'' charts, p ...

for Blues Albums and Independent Albums, and at No. 17 on the Billboard 200. '' Step Back'' won the

Grammy Award for Best Blues Album The Grammy Award for Best Blues Album was an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for releasing albums in the blues genre. Honors in severa ...

at the 2015 Annual

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...

Vinnie Moore

DiMeo was the keyboard player and vocalist for

UFO An unidentified flying object (UFO), more recently renamed by US officials as a UAP (unidentified aerial phenomenon), is any perceived aerial phenomenon that cannot be immediately identified or explained. On investigation, most UFOs are id ...

guitarist

Vinnie Moore Vincent Moore (born April 14, 1964) is an American guitarist and a member of the British hard rock band UFO. Biography Moore was born in New Castle, Delaware. He began his professional career at age 12 after receiving a guitar as a Chris ...

during his 2010 European solo band tour. Other performances with Moore have since included

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

's legendary

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

club The Iridium, and the 2012

NAMM Show The NAMM Show is an annual event in the United States that is organized by the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM), who describe it as "the industry’s largest stage, uniting the global music, sound and entertainment technology commun ...

Anaheim, CA Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orange County, the 10th-most p ...

and 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, ...

Cruise in 2016.

Brand New

DiMeo played Hammond Organ on ''

Science Fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel uni ...

'', the fifth studio album by American rock band Brand New. The album's title and track listing were officially revealed on August 17, 2017, after several weeks of speculation, hints and leaks with its physical release on October 20, 2017. It was both a critical and commercial success, being met with universal acclaim and becoming Brand New's first number one album on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart.

Phenomena

DiMeo was the vocalist on "The Sky Is Falling", a track on Tom Galley's 2010 Phenomena album "Blind Faith".

Tommy James and the Shondells

DiMeo has been the Hammond Organ player for retro rockers

Tommy James and The Shondells Tommy James and the Shondells are an American pop rock/psychedelic rock band, formed in Niles, Michigan, in 1964. They had two No. 1 singles in the U.S. – " Hanky Panky" (July 1966, their only RIAA Certified Gold record) and "Crimson and Clo ...

, since 2007. James' hits include " Mony Mony", "

Crimson and Clover "Crimson and Clover" is a 1968 song by American rock band Tommy James and the Shondells. Written by the duo of Tommy James and drummer Peter Lucia Jr., it was intended as a change in direction of the group's sound and composition. "Crimson and ...

" and " Draggin' the Line", and he has sold over 100 million records worldwide.

Bonnie Tyler

DiMeo has done several

North American North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Ca ...

tours playing keyboards for

Bonnie Tyler Gaynor Sullivan (née Hopkins; born 8 June 1951), known professionally as Bonnie Tyler, is a Welsh singer who is known for her distinctive husky voice. Tyler came to prominence with the release of her 1977 album '' The World Starts Tonight'' a ...

whose hits include "

It's a Heartache "'It's a Heartache'" is a song recorded by Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler. Written by Ronnie Scott and Steve Wolfe, and co-produced with David Mackay, the single was released in November 1977 through RCA Records. The song topped the charts in Australia ...

" and "

Total Eclipse of the Heart "Total Eclipse of the Heart" is a song recorded by Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler. It was written and produced by Jim Steinman, and released on Tyler's fifth studio album, ''Faster Than the Speed of Night'' (1983). The song was released as a single b ...

Jaimoe

Dimeo was the keyboard player for

Jaimoe John Lee Johnson (born July 8, 1944), frequently known by the stage names Jai Johanny Johanson and Jaimoe, is an American drummer and percussionist. He is best known as one of the founding members of the Allman Brothers Band. Johanson played ...

drummer and founding member of

The Allman Brothers Band The Allman Brothers Band was an American rock band formed in Jacksonville, Florida in 1969 by brothers Duane Allman (founder, slide guitar and lead guitar) and Gregg Allman (vocals, keyboards, songwriting), as well as Dickey Betts (lead guita ...

and his jazz-rock collective known as Jaimoe's Jasssz Band at the legendary venue

My Father's Place My Father's Place was a music venue in Roslyn, New York. It first opened in 1971, and according to ''The New York Times'', "created a scene that would influence music for decades to come." In the nearly sixteen years the club was open before it ...

on April 27, 2019.

Leslie West

Dimeo played keyboards on Legacy: A Tribute To

Leslie West Leslie West (born Leslie Abel Weinstein; October 22, 1945 – December 23, 2020) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. He was the co-founder, guitarist and co-lead vocalist of the rock band Mountain. Life and career Early years: 1 ...

. The album originally scheduled to begin recording weeks before his death features a variety of guitarists. That group of musicians including

Slash Slash may refer to: * Slash (punctuation), the "/" character Arts and entertainment Fictional characters * Slash (Marvel Comics) * Slash (''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'') Music * Harry Slash & The Slashtones, an American rock band * Nash ...

Yngwie Malmsteen Yngwie Johan Malmsteen ( ; born Lars Johan Yngve Lannerbäck, 30 June 1963) is a Swedish guitarist. He first became known in the 1980s for his neoclassical playing style in heavy metal, and has released 22 studio albums in a career spanning ov ...

Zakk Wylde Zachary Phillip Wylde (born Jeffrey Phillip Wielandt; January 14, 1967) is an American musician. He is best known as the lead guitarist for Ozzy Osbourne and as the founder, lead guitarist, lead singer, songwriter and producer of the heavy meta ...

, Charlie Starr Blackberry Smoke and many others, came together to record the album which was officially released on 25 March 2022 on

Mascot Records Mascot Records is a record label and rock music subsidiary of Mascot Label Group. Artists *10 Years *Agent Steel * Black Country Communion *Black Label Society *Black Stone Cherry * Bootsy Collins *Crobot *Conquer Divide * Dragged Under *Dublin ...

Other Artists

Australian

band Ilium released their album, ''Ageless Decay'' on June 26, 2009 featuring DiMeo on vocals.Mike Dimeo Joins Tenpoint
In 2010 DiMeo appeared on debut album '' Tears of white roses'' of Czech melodic power metal band Sebastien, released on November 19 via Escape Music.

Discography

*1994 ''

Nightbreaker ''Nightbreaker'' is the eighth studio album by American heavy metal band Riot. It was the band's first release with vocalist Mike DiMeo, as well as the studio debut of guitarist Mike Flyntz and bassist Pete Perez. The album was released in ...

'' – Riot *1996 '' The Brethren of the Long House '' – Riot *1998 ''

Inishmore Inishmore ( ga, Árainn , or ) is the largest of the Aran Islands in Galway Bay, off the west coast of Ireland. With an area of and a population of 762 (as of 2016), it is the second-largest island off the Irish coast (after Achill) a ...

'' – Riot *1998 '' Shine On Live in Japan'' – Riot *1999 ''

Sons of Society ''Sons of Society'' is the eleventh studio album by American heavy metal band Riot, released in Japan on July 15, 1999, and in the US on September 7, 1999, with a missing track. Track listing * "Queen" is a standard track on the original Ja ...

'' – Riot *2002 '' Through the Storm'' – Riot *2004 '' Cold Blooded Kings'' – The Lizards *2005 '' Against All Odds'' – The Lizards *2006 '' Army of One'' – Riot *2007 '' Lost And Gone EP'' – Masterplan *2007 '' MK II'' – Masterplan *2008 '' Archeology'' – The Lizards *2008 '' 4-2-11'' Live DVD – The Lizards *2009 '' Ageless Decay'' – Ilium *2010 ''A New Beginning'' – Creation's End *2011 ''What Dreams May Come (single)'' – Midas Fate *2011 '' Genetic Memory'' – Ilium *2011 ''

'' –

*2014 '' Step Back'' – Johnny Winter *2015 '' Reptilicus maximus'' – The Lizards *2017 ''

'' – Brand New *2022 ''Legacy : A Tribute To

References

External links

Riot's official websiteThe Lizards' official websiteMasterplan's official websiteMidas Fate's official websiteMike DiMeo at MySpaceMike DiMeo joins Creation's EndVinnie Moore's official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dimeo, Mike 1968 births Living people American heavy metal musicians American heavy metal singers Tommy James and the Shondells members Riot (band) members Masterplan (band) members American people of Italian descent