THE UNSUNG HERO
Ted Jacobus
12/1/94
Ronnie James Dio, whose last name interestingly means God in Italian, has been in five major professional heavy rock bands since the early 1960s. He is truly one of the greatest vocalists of all time; the music he has created, or helped create, over the past three decades is a testimony to his greatness.
Ronnie, a native New Yorker, started out in two different types of bands: the first was Ronnie Dio and the Prophets and the second was Elf. Ronnie Dio and the Prophets was more of a fast Beatles type of music and Elf was more of a jazzy-rock type. Neither lasted long, Dio and the Prophets lasted off and on for seven or eight years, whereas Elf lasted about four or five years. Ronnie Dio and the Prophets failed to make any kind of mark on the rock scene, but Elf at least received critical acclaim. Both of these first two bands of Ronnie's were excellent, so it is unfortunate that he did not experience greater success with either. On the other hand, if it hadn't been for the commercial failures of Elf and Ronnie Dio and the Prophets, Ronnie might never have joined Rainbow or Black Sabbath, much less formed his own band Dio.
Despite the commercial failure of Elf, Ronnie's amazing vocal talents and awe-striking on-stage persona had so impressed Deep Purple's guitarist Ritchie Blackmore, Ritchie personally got Elf a once in a lifetime gig: opening up for Deep Purple in concert. When Ritchie left Purple in 1975, Ronnie was the sole candidate for the vocalist spot in Ritchie's new band, Rainbow. This partnership created some of the biggest classics of the time: "Man On the Silver Mountain," "Stargazer," "Catch the Rainbow," and "Long Live Rock 'n' Roll." They experienced mega-success in Europe and Japan, and because of this pairing, Ronnie had become a star.
When Ritchie formed Rainbow (originally named Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow) with Ronnie in 1975, they faced an uphill battle for acceptance amongst the Deep Purple fans, whom many still weren't too happy with Ritchie for his departure from the band. However, not long after the release of their first album, appropriately titled Blackmore's Rainbow, that Rainbow won over most of the Purple fans and went on to enjoy mega-success overseas, with thanks largely going to Ronnie. If it hadn't been for his fondness for writing medieval lyrics and his leatherlunged, evil sounding voice to blend in beautifully with Ritchie's guitar playing, Rainbow might very well have ended up just as a footnote in the history books of rock and roll and/or to Ritchie's career.
By late 1978, Ronnie Dio had quit Rainbow; but instead of going out on his own, he had the esteemed honor to be sought after to replace the always controversial Ozzy Osbourne by the British, quintessential, as well as, by all accounts, the first heavy metal band, Black Sabbath. Together, Ronnie and Black Sabbath produced greater music and success either party had previously created or experienced. Such awesome albums as: Heaven and Hell, Mob Rules, and Live Evil were created by this partnership, and from these albums came great classic songs like "Neon Knights," "Sign of the Southern Cross," "Die Young," "Heaven and Hell," "The Mob Rules," and "Children of the Sea." This partnership was by far the best either party ever had. The two partners were musically perfect for each other; Ronnie's vocals fit Sabbath's heavy music like a glove, especially the heavy duty riffs of guitarist Tony Iommi's. His lyrics fitted the tremendous music perfectly, as well; they were similar and much in the same style as bass guitarist Geezer Butler's, who wrote all the Black Sabbath lyrics during the Ozzy years. But, unfortunately, like all good things, this partnership didn't last either.
It is near impossible for me to talk about the partnership of Ronnie James Dio and Black Sabbath without mentioning how he saved them from near extinction. Black Sabbath went from being almost completely irrelevant and a near total obscurity to the fans and in the music industry by 1978, with Ozzy Osbourne, to selling multi-platinum albums ranking in the top 10 pop charts and selling out huge stadiums and arenas worldwide by 1983, with none other than Mr. Ronnie James Dio. This certainly was no coincidence or accident of any kind. There is an undeniable, direct correlation between Ronnie joining Sabbath and their enjoying mega-success for the first time in over half a decade. When Ronnie joined the band in 1979, he brought years of songwriting experience, a killer voice to match their evil music, and a demanding, more energetic, as well as an awe-striking stage presence, all of which they were severely lacking with Ozzy. Sadly, however, at least in the U.S., Ronnie is almost never given any recognition or credit for the tremendous and numerous contributions, by the music press and industry, he has given to Black Sabbath or, for that matter, Rainbow.
When the early 1980s rolled around, Ronnie, along with Black Sabbath drummer and close friend Vinny Appice, formed his own band, named Dio. Dio, although not as good as Black Sabbath, created some of the greatest musical masterpieces of the 1980s: Last in Line, Dream Evil, Holy Diver, and Sacred Heart.
Dream Evil stands alone as the greatest Dio album, up until that time. Its mixture of melodic sounds with heavy music is incredible and excellent. Such tunes as "I Could Have Been A Dreamer," "All the Fools Sailed Away," "Dream Evil," and "Overload" are perfect evidence to the album's greatness. Although the other Dio albums of that time are also excellent, not one of them can touch Dream Evil.
Dio broke up in early 1991; but, even though they were an excellent band, the break-up was for the best. Ronnie and Vinny rejoined the band they had quit a decade earlier, Black Sabbath. This time they created the best album ever created by any of the parties, the highly critically acclaimed Dehumanizer. Dehumanizer is thee masterpiece of all masterpieces, and it is the best album in years, or at certainly thee best of the 1990s. Many things make it the best: It is the most evil and demonic sounding album I've ever heard. Listening to it for the first time alone sent chills up and down my spine. Two, everyone on the album never sounded better; they're all in top form. Three, it is the heaviest, most aggressive, and modern album anyone in Black Sabbath ever made. Probably the coolest thing about Dehumanizer is it doesn't sound like a group of old men trying to sound modern; this is where Black Sabbath has always stood alone in the music industry, especially with this opus. Listening to this musical masterpiece, I never once would have figured that it had been 22 years since the release of their debut album Black Sabbath in the United States, much less the fact that all four members were all in their late 30s to mid 40s. On the contrary, my first thought would have been that they were a brand new group who were all in their early 20s.
Unfortunately, for myself and other fans, this reunion didn't last long because they could've created more outstanding music; Ronnie had quit again in late 1992 and Vinny in early 1993. However, they reformed Dio and in 1994 created their best album yet: Strange Highways. This album is a direct follow-up to Dehumanizer in every way: it's heavy, fast, aggressive, modern, and evil. The guitar riffs and rhythms on Strange Highways, for example, sound similar to those on Dehumanizer. On this latest album comes great tunes like: "Pain," "Here's To You," "Strange Highways," and "Evilution;" plus Ronnie proves once again why he is one of the greatest singers and songwriters ever.
Whether with Elf, Rainbow, Ronnie Dio and the Prophets, Dio, or Black Sabbath, Ronnie James Dio has created much of the most outstanding music of all time. One of his greatest testaments is that he has never written or recorded a pop song or album in his entire career. With all that he's accomplished, both musically and commercially, not to mention all the barriers he's overcame, it is a travesty he has not received the recognition or respect, at least in the U.S., he has earned and deserves. He is truly the unsung hero.