Dio (band)From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Dio

Dio in 2005.

Background information

Origin Cortland, New York

Genres Heavy metal, doom metal

Years

active

1982–1991, 1993–2010

Labels Eagle, Warner

Bros., Reprise,Universal, Vertigo, Phonogram, Spitfir

e,Sanctuary

Associate

d acts

Black Sabbath, Rainbow, Elf, Heaven &

Hell, Whitesnake, Rough Cutt

Website www.ronniejamesdio.com

Past

members

Ronnie James Dio

Dio was an American heavy metal band formed in 1982 and led by vocalist Ronnie James Dio, after he left Black Sabbath with intentions to form a new band with fellow former Black Sabbath member, drummer Vinny Appice.[1] 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 ten studio albums and had numerous line-up changes over the years with Ronnie James Dio having been the only constant member. Guitarists have included Craig Goldy (most recent guitarist), Doug Aldrich, Vivian Campbell, Warren DeMartini [2] Tracy G, Jake E. Lee and Rowan Robertson.

The band dissolved in 2010 when Ronnie James Dio died of stomach cancer at the age of 67. The band has sold more than 10 million copies of albums worldwide.

Contents

  [hide] 

1 Biographyo 1.1 Origins and Holy Diver (1982–1983)o 1.2 The Last In Line to Dream Evil (1984–1989)o 1.3 Changes (1990–1999)o 1.4 Comeback (2000–2004)o 1.5 Master of the Moon and Split (2004–2010)o 1.6 Death of Ronnie James Dio

2 Murrayo 2.1 Holy Divero 2.2 The Last in Lineo 2.3 Dream Evilo 2.4 Merchandise

3 Popular culture 4 Band members

o 4.1 Final line-upo 4.2 Former memberso 4.3 Touring memberso 4.4 Timelineo 4.5 Last In Line

5 Discography 6 Videography 7 References 8 External links

Biography[edit]

Origins and Holy Diver (1982–1983)[edit]

In 1982, disagreements originating over the mixing of Black Sabbath's Live Evil resulted in the departure of Ronnie James Dio and Vinny Appice from the band.[3] Wanting to continue together as a band, the two formed Dio in October 1982 in the United States with Vivian Campbell (guitar) and Jimmy Bain (bass). The following May, the band released their debut album, Holy Diver. It featured two hit singles, "Rainbow in the Dark" and "Holy Diver", which gained popularity from MTV. Ronnie James Dio and Jimmy Bain playedkeyboards in the studio, but recruited keyboardist Claude Schnell for live shows in 1983 prior to the Holy Diver tour. Claude Schnell played to the side of the stage on the first two tours before coming out front in 1985.[4] Dio had this to say of the band's origins:

“It was a good time to be in that band. It was perfect for us. Everything just fell into place. The ethic in rehearsal was amazing. The effort in the recording was just as good. Everybody wanted it to be great. We really believed in what we were doing and couldn't wait to get that product out and have people hear it."[5] ”

The Last In Line to Dream Evil (1984–1989)[edit]

Now a quintet with Schnell on keyboards, the band released their second studio album, The Last In Line, on July 2, 1984. It was followed by their third album, Sacred Heart, which was released on August 15, 1985.

In 1985 Ronnie James Dio, Campbell and Bain also wrote the song "Stars" for the Hear 'n Aid project, with many other heavy metal luminaries of the time contributing. Campbell became unhappy working with Dio,[6] and the rift between them culminated in Campbell being fired from Dio's band.[7] Campbell was subsequently invited to join Whitesnake in 1987.[8] Several songs were recorded live during the Sacred Heart tour for the 1986 Intermission EP with Campbell still on guitar, however the EP also contained the studio track "Time To Burn",[9] which served to introduce fans to Craig Goldy as the new guitarist.

On July 21, 1987 their fourth album Dream Evil was released. After Dream Evil, Goldy, wanting to pursue solo projects, left the band.[10] In June 1989 18-year-old Rowan Robertson was announced as Goldy's successor but further changes were to follow, with Schnell, Bain, and Appice leaving the band.

Changes (1990–1999)[edit]

Schnell, Bain, and Appice were replaced, respectively, with Jens Johansson, Teddy Cook, and former AC/DC drummer Simon Wright. The new band released the album Lock Up the Wolves in the spring of 1990. During the tour, Ronnie James Dio had a chance meeting with former Black Sabbath bandmate Geezer Butler which led to that band's short-lived reunion, producing one album, Dehumanizer. After this Ronnie James Dio reassembled Dio once again, retaining only Appice on the drums. By early 1993 guitarist Tracy G, keyboardist Scott Warren of Warrant and bassist Jeff Pilson of Dokken had all joined. During this era, the band abandoned fantasy themed songs and focused on modern issues.[11] As a result some fans regard the albums made during this period—1993's Strange Highways, 1996's Angry Machines 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 Machinesmanagement wanted the band to go back to their earlier style prompting the departure of Tracy G[12] to be replaced by the returning Craig Goldy.

Comeback (2000–2004)[edit]

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 independent charts. It featured the return not only of Goldy but of Simon Wright and Jimmy Bain, although on the European tour Chuck Garric played bass. A concept album, Magica features a return to the band's older, more successful sound, while increased use of keyboards gives it a modern feel.[13] During the following tour, however, tensions rose between Goldy on the one hand and Bain and Ronnie James Dio on the other, as Goldy was dealing with the obligations of a family. Goldy left the band in January 2002 and was replaced with Doug Aldrich, whom Bain had met while recording a tribute album for Metallica. Because of his late arrival, Aldrich did not contribute much to Dio's ninth work, Killing the Dragon, which was written primarily by Ronnie James Dio and Bain. Killing The Dragon was released in 2002 through Spitfire Records and was well received in the metal community, making the Billboard top 200. Aldrich would stay in the band until April of the following year, when he, like Campbell before him, joinedWhitesnake, prompting Goldy's return. Soon afterwards, Bain left the band.[14]

Master of the Moon and Split (2004–2010)[edit]

Dio released their tenth studio album, Master of the Moon on August 30, 2004 in Europe through SPV Records and on September 7, 2004 in the United States through Sanctuary Records. The album features multi-instrumentalist Jeff Pilson (formerly of Dokken) 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 (formerly of Ozzy Osbourne, Quiet Riot, Whitesnake, Blue Öyster Cult among others) on the tour.

2005 saw the release of the Dio live album Evil or Divine – Live in New York City, which featured the same show that was released on DVD in 2003. Dio toured South America,Japan, Europe, and Russia 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 would reunite with Ronnie James Dio and go under the name Heaven & Hell. The band released The Devil You Know in 2009.

Ronnie James Dio's involvement with Heaven & Hell delayed the recording of what was to be the follow-up to Master of the Moon, Magica II.[15] 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.[16] 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.[17]

On November 18, 2009 the European tour was cancelled due to Ronnie James 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."[18]

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 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" (which is the last song the band recorded), from the unfinished albums Magica II & Magica III.[19]

Death of Ronnie James Dio[edit]

Ronnie James Dio died on May 16, 2010, of stomach cancer at the Texas Medical Center in Houston, 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 festival and showcases several songs from the Ronnie James Dio era of both Rainbow and Black Sabbath, in addition to songs from Dio's own catalogue.[20]

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 [Dio, Ronnie's widow/manager] has been talking about reissuing [DIO'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".[21]

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 front man Tim "Ripper" Owens under the moniker DIO Disciples. The project has been touring extensively since 2011.

In May 2012, former Dio guitarist Vivian Campbell, 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 will feature former Lynch Mob vocalist and The Offspring touring member Andrew Freeman stepping in for Ronnie James Dio.[22][23] and will perform under the name Last in Line.[24]

Murray[edit]

Murray is the demonic-looking mascot of Dio. Murray appears on some of the band's album covers, as well as in the sets for their live shows.

Murray appears on several of Dio's album covers, including Holy Diver, The Last in Line, Dream Evil, as well as on some of their singles and compilation albums.

Holy Diver[edit]

Dio's first studio album, Holy Diver, from 1983, was the first to feature Murray on its cover. Murray appears to be torturing a cleric, but Ronnie James Dio said that it is not necessarily true.[25]

The Last in Line[edit]

Murray is also featured on Dio's second studio album, The Last in Line. 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[edit]

Murray is not featured on Dio's third studio album, Sacred Heart, but is, for the last time in his original form, featured on the cover of Dream Evil. He is shown in the window of a bedroom with a child sleeping in a bed, while being haunted by several different scary creatures. Murray's story is printed in the Dream Evil Tour book. The cover art of Dream Evil is a reference to one of the tracks on the album, "Faces in the Window" (the entire album's concept is fears and superstitions about the night and darkness).

Merchandise[edit]

The official Ronnie James Dio Webstore has created and is selling a baseball cap featuring a red embroidery of Murray on the front of the hat, and the DIO logo, in the same red embroidering, on the back side.[26]

Popular culture[edit]

A villain of the Japanese manga series JoJo's Bizarre Adventure is named Dio Brando.He is named after both Ronnie James Dio and movie star Marlon Brando.

A video game released in Japan for the Famicom (Japanese version of the Nintendo Entertainment System) in 1989 was titled Holy Diver. The gothic and medieval theme of the game is very similar to Dio's music video of "Holy Diver".

In 1999, an animated spoof of Dio appeared in an episode of South Park titled "Hooked on Monkey Fonics". The band appears performing "Holy Diver" at an elementary school dance. Although Ronnie James Dio's appearance is somewhat like himself in reality, the rest of the band just appears as a stereotypical heavy metal band with no reference to the real band members.

Throughout his stint with the Philadelphia Phillies, outfielder Pat Burrell was known to use a clip of Dio's Holy Diver as his walk up music. It normally pumped up the crowd.

Comedy/rock duo Tenacious D released a song on their first album entitled "Dio", a song written as a tribute to rock singer Ronnie James 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.[27] Before playing the song live Jack Black would typically speak about how Dio's tenure in Black Sabbath served as his inspiration to get into heavy metal. The duo appeared in the music video for his song, "Push". Ronnie also appeared in and sang on Tenacious D's comedy movie "The Pick of Destiny".[28]

The song "Holy Diver" is on the video games Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories as well as the Game/Guitar Learning tool "Rocksmith 2014." It also appears as Download-able content for the Rock Band Series, along with "Stand Up and Shout". The song "Rainbow in the Dark" appears in "Rock Band 3."

Band members[edit]

Final line-up[edit]

Ronnie James Dio  – vocals, keyboards (1982–1991, 1993–2010; died in 2010)

Craig Goldy  – guitar (1986–1989, 1999–2001, 2004–2005, 2006–2010)

Simon Wright  – drums (1989–1991, 1998–2010)

Scott Warren  – keyboards (1993–2010)

Rudy Sarzo  – bass (2005–2010)

Former members[edit]

Warren DeMartini  - guitar (2003)http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/ratt-guitarist-joins-dio/

Vinny Appice  – drums (1982–1989, 1993–1998)

Jimmy Bain  – bass (1982–1989, 1999–2004)

Jake E. Lee  – guitar (1982)

Vivian Campbell  – guitar (1982–1986)

Claude Schnell  – keyboards (1984–1989)

Rowan Robertson  – guitar (1989–1991)

Jens Johansson  – keyboards (1989–1991)

Teddy Cook – bass (1989–1991)

Tracy G  – guitar (1993–1999)

Jeff Pilson  – bass (1993–1997, 2004–2005)

Larry Dennison – bass (1997–1999)

Doug Aldrich  – guitar (2001–2004, 2005–2006)

Timeline[edit]

Former members

Dio Disciples

Current members

Craig Goldy  – guitar (2011–present)

Simon Wright  – drums (2011–present)

Scott Warren  – keyboards (2011–present)

Bjorn Englen  – bass (2012–present)

Oni Logan  – vocals (2012–present)

Mark Boals  - vocals (2013–present)

Tim "Ripper" Owens  – vocals (2011–2014)

Rudy Sarzo  – bass (2011)

Toby Jepson  – vocals (2011–2012)

James LoMenzo  – bass (2011–2012)

Last In Line[edit]Current Members

Vivian Campbell  - Guitar (2013–Present)

Vinny Appice  - Drums (2013–Present)

Jimmy Bain  - Bass Guitar (2013–Present)

Claude Schnell  - Keyboards (2013–Present)

Andrew Freeman  - Lead Vocals (2013–Present)

Discography[edit]

Main article: Dio discography

Studio albums

Holy Diver  (1983) The Last in Line  (1984) Sacred Heart  (1985) Dream Evil  (1987) Lock Up the Wolves  (1990) Strange Highways  (1993) Angry Machines  (1996) Magica  (2000) Killing the Dragon  (2002) Master of the Moon  (2004)

Live albums

Intermission  (1986) Inferno: Last in Live  (1998) Evil or Divine: Live in New York City  (2005) Holy Diver: Live  (2006) Dio at Donington UK: Live 1983 & 1987  (2010) Finding The Sacred Heart: Live In Philly 1986  (2013) Live in London, Hammersmith Apollo 1993  (2014)

Videography[edit]

Live in Concert (VHS, 1984) A Special from the Spectrum  (VHS, 1984) Sacred Heart "The Video"  (VHS, 1986 – DVD, 2004) Time Machine  (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[edit]

1. Jump up^ Saulnier, Jason (March 24, 2012). "Vinny Appice Interview". Music Legends. RetrievedMay 6, 2013.

2. Jump up^ http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/ratt-guitarist-joins-dio/

3. Jump up^ Goodman, Dean (26 October 2006). "Black Sabbath reunites without Ozzy".news.com.au. Archived from the original on October 5, 2009. Retrieved October 13,2009.

4. Jump up^ "Dio Discography". Retrieved January 9, 2009.5. Jump up^ "Black Sabbath Online: Ronnie James Dio

Interview". Retrieved December 30, 2008.6. Jump up^ "Dio Biography". Retrieved January 9, 2009.7. Jump up^ "Def Leppard’s Vivian Campbell Has No Regrets

About His Feud With Ronnie James Dio". Ultimateclassicrock.com. Retrieved 2015-04-03.

8. Jump up^ "Vivian Campbell Biography". Retrieved January 9, 2009.

9. Jump up^ "Allmusic  Intermission overview". Retrieved January 9, 2009.

10. Jump up^ "Autobiographical Interview with Craig Goldy". Retrieved January 9, 2009.

11. Jump up^ "Angry Machines review". Retrieved January 9, 2009.

12. Jump up^ "Tracy G interview". Retrieved January 9, 2009.13. Jump up^ "Magica review". Retrieved January 9, 2009.14. Jump up^ "Killing the Dragon review". Retrieved January

9, 2009.15. Jump up^ "BlabberMouth news archive".

Retrieved January 9, 2009.16. Jump up^ "Dio Announces U.K. Tour" (in Blabbermouth).

27 August 2009. Retrieved August 28,2009.17. Jump up^ "Dio To Play New Song Live; H&H Tour In

February". Classic Rock. 23 October 2009. Retrieved 17 November 2009.

18. Jump up^ "NME News". 26 Nov 2009. Retrieved 27 Nov 2009.

19. Jump up^ "DIO / RonnieJamesDio.com - Official Site of Ronnie James Dio". Ronniejamesdio.com. Retrieved 2010-11-13.

20. Jump up^ "wo CD Digipak "Dio At Donnington UK: Live 1983 & 1987" To Be Released In November". Eddie Trunk.com. Retrieved 2010-12-07.

21. Jump up^ "Last Song RONNIE JAMES DIO Worked On To See Light Of Day". Blabbermouth.net. Retrieved 2010-12-06.

22. Jump up^ "Vivian Campbell To Reunite Original Dio Band | News @". Ultimate-guitar.com. Retrieved 2012-05-09.

23. Jump up^ "VVN Music: Former Dio Members Planning to Do Shows". Vintagevinylnews.com. 2012-05-05. Retrieved 2012-05-09.

24. Jump up^ "Dio replacement ready to be 'world's most hated singer'". Classicrockmagazine.com. Retrieved 2012-05-17.

25. Jump up^ Quoted from the interview on the 2005 remastered CD edition of the Holy Diver album, track 19, 00'48

26. Jump up^ "Murray Hat". The Official Ronnie James Dio Webstore. Retrieved November 13, 2010.

27. Jump up^ Binelli, Mark (November 29, 2006). "73% of the Way to Being the World's Greatest Rock Band". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2007-11-11. Retrieved April 12,2008.

28. Jump up^ Brinn, David (September 29, 2005). "Ronnie James Dio: I'm Proud Of Starting 'Devil Horns' Trend". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved March 25, 2008.

External links[edit]

Wikiquote has quotations

related to: Dio (band)

Wikimedia Commons has

media related to Dio.

Official website

[hide]

v

t

e

Dio

Ronnie James Dio

Vinny Appice

Jimmy Bain

Jake E. Lee

Vivian Campbell

Claude Schnell

Craig Goldy

Simon Wright

Rowan Robertson

Teddy Cook

Jens Johansson

Scott Warren

Tracy G

Jeff Pilson

Larry Dennison

Doug Aldrich

Rudy Sarzo

Studio albums

Holy Diver

The Last in Line

Sacred Heart

Dream Evil

Lock Up the Wolves

Strange Highways

Angry Machines

Magica

Killing the Dragon

Master of the Moon

EPs The Dio E.P.

Live albums

Intermission

Inferno: Last in Live

Evil or Divine: Live in New York City

Holy Diver: Live

Dio at Donington UK: Live 1983 & 1987

Finding the Sacred Heart: Live in Philly 1986

Live in London, Hammersmith Apollo 1993

Compilations

Diamonds: The Best of Dio

Anthology

Master Series

The Very Beast of Dio

Anthology Volume Two

Stand Up and Shout: The Dio Anthology

The Ronnie James Dio Story: Mightier Than the Sword

The Very Beast of Dio Vol. 2

Singles "Holy Diver"

"Rainbow in the Dark"

"The Last in Line"

"We Rock"

"Mystery"

"Rock 'n' Roll Children"

"Hungry for Heaven"

"Dio Live"

"King of Rock and Roll"

"I Could Have Been a Dreamer"

"All the Fools Sailed Away"

"Electra"

Videos

Live in Concert

A Special from the Spectrum

Sacred Heart "The Video"

Time Machine

Evil or Divine: Live in New York City

We Rock

Holy Diver: Live

Finding the Sacred Heart: Live in Philly 1986

Live in London, Hammersmith Apollo 1993

Related bands

Black Sabbath

Rainbow

Elf

Hear 'n Aid

Heaven & Hell

Related articles

Discography

Holy Dio: Tribute to Ronnie James Dio

Magic: A Tribute to Ronnie James Dio

Dio   - Jorn Album

Ronnie James Dio: This Is Your Life

Authority control MusicBrainz : c55193fb-f5d2-4839-a263-4c044fca1456

Categories: 

Dio (band)

American hard rock musical groups

Heavy metal musical groups from New Hampshire

Heavy metal musical groups from New York

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

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