RIP RONNIE JAMES DIO.
On May 16th the metal world was sadded by the passing on Ronnie James Dio who succumbed to Stomach Cancer that was diagnosed in November of 2009. A private funeral was held with the pall bearer's being long time friends Vinny Appice, Geezer Buttler, Craig Goldy, Steve Mignardi, Scott Warren and Simon Wright. On May 30th their was a public memorial to celebrate the life of DIO. A fund was formed called the STAND UP AND SHOUT Cancer fund to help raise money for cancer research. For more info on that go to http://ronniejamesdio.com
We at THE METAL PIT send our best wishes to Wendy DIO and all the family and friends of Ronnie and the following in the personal thoughts of each writer of THE METAL PIT.
Blake Mossey:
I am in my 40's so been around since the early days of Metal and it was Iron Maiden that got me into Metal but once I discovered the best form of music I was listening to music involving Ronnie James Dio. I am a little hazy on what I
heard first if it was his work with
Rainbow or with Sabbath or maybe it was even his first solo album Holy
Diver. So I am not sure which I heard first but I do know he has
appeared on many of my favourite albums and been apart of some of my
favourite Metal songs of all time. From his Rainbow days there is Tarot
Woman, Long Live Rock and Roll and Man on the Silver Mountain the
latter 2 which were always staples in his solo tours. Then with the 2
albums he did with Sabbath there is the classic Heaven and Hell, Turn
up the Night, Neon Knights. And on his solo releases which is where I
r
eally became the biggest fan with Holy Diver being one of my fav metal
albums of all time and closely followed by The Last In Line and he
followed with more great albums and finishing it off with reforming
with the Sabbath guys as Heaven and Hell for one last album and his
voice always prevailed even into his last few years. I didn't see DIO
live as much as I would of liked. I seen him on his Sacred Heart tour
and then again in 2009 with Heaven and Hell. He was always a great live
performer as well and outside of his studio albums has appeared on many
live cds and dvds. It was a very sad day the day he passed away as I lost one of the main figured in Heavy Metal and the day after I listened to Holy Diver and The Last In Line and that was the first time listening to DIO made me sad. The next few days you would read all the testimonails from other metal bands on how great of a person he was and not just how he was a great singer and songwriter which is the truest form of a compliment for a person. I as well as many others likes to think of the Metal community as a family and if thats true then DIO was the like the wise old grandfather who not only gave the Metal world many great songs and many great albums and influenced so many people but he also gave us THE HORNS which us METAL people know is supposed to be a Metal thing even though its not the origin of the sign but it was kind of adopted by Metal cause of Ronnie using it on stage. And now everyone outside of Metal uses it and stole it and doesn't even know what it means but we know what it represents and seems to mean even more now. And since Ronnie is a italian maybe he shouldn't be known as the Grandfather in our Metal family but the GODFATHER!! As he just very well maybe the GODFATHER of METAL.
RIP DIO
Nick Rohm:
Farewell to a brother........ The recent passing of Ronnie James Dio was very devastating news for all of the people who loved him, family, friends and fans alike.
I never had the privilege of meeting or interviewing the man but from those I have spoken to that did know him, he was not just a very talented and gifted performer but also a quality human being. To me that is rare to find these days, especially in the music business.
Heavy Metal fans and musicians are family to me and Ronnie was to all of us an icon in our family.For the most part the people I have met in our Metal family have been great people and very down to earth but as with all families there are always exceptions to that rule and you do come across an asshole from time to time.Ronnie Dio was not like that at all,even though with his resume and supreme talent he probably should have been.
His death has been very hard for me to take personally and it has made me reflect back on Ronnie's music and where I was at certain times in my life when I heard it.
Way back in the
mid seventies when I
was an angry young pre-teen,one of the bands I first got into was
Rainbow (Granted the name Rainbow did not seem "tough" enough for me at
that time) but I really gravitated to the music and their singer Ronnie
James Dio.I had never heard a voice like that and the songs about
wizards and dragons and all of that mystical stuff were just
fascinating to me.Some of my all time favorite Rainbow tunes were "Man
on the Silver Mountain", "Kill the King" and "Stargazer" and they are
songs that have stood the test of time and I still listen to to them
this very day.One regret I will always have is not having the chance to
see Rainbow play live.Towards the end of the decade as I was getting older and angrier,my musical tastes turned much heavier with bands like Sabbath,Priest and Maiden and it was at that time that Dio had left Rainbow and Ozzy had been booted out of Sabbath that the Metal Gods somehow intervened and brought Ronnie Dio and Black Sabbath together.Initially this was a shock to me because I did love Sabbath and Ozzy and was not sure this new marriage would work but man was I wrong.Ozzy is a great guy in his own right but quite honestly he could never hold a candle to Ronnie as far as a singer and Ozzy himself has even said that.Truth was,Black Sabbath never sounded better.To this day the album "Heaven and Hell" in my opinion is one of the greatest Metal cd's of all time.The songs were powerful,well written and the vocals were just pure magic....this was going to be a history making supergroup.
Sabbath later put out the album "The Mob Rules" which in my opinion was a great album but not quite the caliber of
Heaven and Hell.Sadly this was to be the last album the guys would
all do together as creative differences drove Ronnie from the
band........at least for the time being.Some of the classic tunes from
this Dio era were "Heaven and Hell",Children of the Sea","The Mob
Rules" and "Country Girl".Within the next few years Ronnie started his own band Dio and finally got to have things the way he wanted and got to write and sing about what he wanted.Dio had some killer cds with classic songs that further cemented his legacy as one of the greatest Metal performers of all time."Holy Diver"," Straight through the Heart" and "Lock up the Wolves" are some of my favs.
For the next few years both Dio and Sabbath had very successful careers and Ronnie even had a few stints with the boys from Sabbath until finally they all formed the band "Heaven and Hell".It seemed an appropriate name and maybe it was time to let the name Black Sabbath go quietly into Heavy Metal history.
Just when things seemed to be going great for the band and all involved,Ronnie got sick and everything else had to be put on hold temporarily.....at least that is what we had all thought and hoped but sadly that was not the case and Ronnie James Dio
passed away on May 16th and I know a little piece of all of us died
that day as well.
For me personally,I will always have those memories and the great music. I "did" get to see Ronnie perform with Sabbath twice and once with Dio and it is something I will never forget.His command of the stage,flawless voice and relationship with his audience was something really magical to witness.
Ronnie will forever be remembered for his music,his kindness,his love for what he did,for the infamous "Horns" but most of all Ronnie James Dio will be remembered for being a great guy and a quality human being.His talent and spirit will live on forever and will never be forgotten.
Horns way up to the "Man on the Silver Mountain"
............. Nick Rohm.
Ola Mazzuca:
Despite his small build and genuine demeanor, Ronnie James Dio could captivate and overwhelm an audience by the sheer so
und of his voice. He was also a man of Italian
descent, a culture in which I share with him. From his work with Black
Sabbath, filling in the gap that Ozzy left behind in a more than
satisfactory manner, to his solo career featuring his most definitive
tracks of "Holy Diver" and "Rainbow In The Dark", Dio has made his mark
as an influential figure in the global metal scene. Not only a man of
talent, but a man of virtue, his legacy will continue to inspire those
who have followed him since his prime to those who will discover him in
the future. In addition to the loss of Peter Steele of Type O Negative
who also passed away on April 14th, I will sincerely miss Ronnie and
his presence in music.