Ronnie James Dio
By All Music Guide
By All Music Guide
While Blackmores original musical plan for Rainbow was to get back to basics (the complete opposite of what the rock dinosaur Deep Purple had become towards the end), the new group ended up sounded more or less like Purple, in fact, a more apparent prog rock edge was added. Such hit albums as 1975s Ritchie Blackmores Rainbow, 1976s Rainbow Rising, 1977s On Stage, and 1978s Long Live Rock N Roll helped introduce Dio to the heavy metal masses worldwide, but when Blackmore made it clear that Rainbow was his band, Dio jumped ship. Shortly thereafter, Dio received word that Ozzy Osbourne had left Black Sabbath, and a tryout was arranged. Dio got the gig immediately (penning most of the Sab classic Children of the Sea at their initial jam session), and helped Sabbath break out of their creative and commercial slump, resulting in such metal classics as 1980s Heaven & Hell and 1981s Mob Rules. With Sabbath enjoying their greatest success in years, Dio shocked the metal world by leaving what appeared to be a promising union after the spotty Live Evil release appeared in 1982.
Fed up with the singer for hire tag that was bestowed upon him by many, Dio set out to form his very first solo project, called simply Dio. Similar in style to his previous bands, but with a slightly more commercial edge to it, Dios first two solo albums, 1983s Holy Diver and 1984s Last in Line, racked up platinum sales -- making the band an arena headliner in their own right (complete with a highly theatrical and prop-heavy stageshow). In 1985, Dio also found time to lead a heavy metal version of Band Aid/USA for Africa called Hear N Aid, which saw an all-star group of metallists performing a Dio-penned song, Stars, with all the funds of the single and album of the same name going to fight starvation in Africa. Although Dio couldnt sustain its initial commercial success, they remained a consistent metal attraction. In the early 90s, Ronnie mended his differences with his old Sabbath mates, and found himself fronting the band once again for an album, 1992s Dehumanizer, and subsequent tour. Predictably, the reunion didnt last long, and he returned back to solo work, resulting in such albums as 1996s Angry Machines, 2000s Magica, and 2002s Killing the Dragon.
