So, where does the hand gesture representing a pair of horns, which became an inseparable gesture of Ronnie James Dio ? According to Geezer Butler , it came from him.
Black Sabbath drummer appeared on The Eddie Trunk Show and claimed he has photos of himself making the sign since 1971 and that Dio copied the gesture from him during the Heaven and Hell (transcription via Ultimate Guitar ).
“I used to make that sign to the audience during the breakdown of the song 'Black Sabbath,' right before the fast-paced part at the end,” Butler states. “And in the early shows of the Heaven and Hell , Ronnie was saying, 'Every time I go on stage, I see people making the peace sign to me, and that's an Ozzy [ Osbourne ] thing. I feel like I should do something back.'” Dio then supposedly asked Geezer what the sign he made during “Black Sabbath” was and started repeating the gesture from that moment on. Butler, however, admits that the gesture is old and can be seen on the cover of the Beatles Yellow Submarine from 1966.
Drummer Vinny Appice commented on the controversy during his appearance on The Jamie Show Show , claiming that Dio used to tell a different story. “The only story I heard is that Ronnie used to say he learned [the sign] from his grandmother. It was an Italian thing – in one direction you’re putting the horns on a person, which is kind of evil, and in the other you’re repelling evil, or something like that. I don’t know which side is which. It’s something called ‘maloik’ and he always said his grandmother showed it to him.”
Vinny, however, clarified that he wasn't in Black Sabbath when it all started, so he doesn't know which version is true. Geezer Butler, however, sounded somewhat bitter when he stated that there are "several things that [Dio] copied" from him and that "he claims to have been the creator," and gave examples: "The name Sacred Heart , from Dio's 1985 album – is the name of the school I went to. And he called one of his songs 'One Foot in the Grave.' I jokingly said that should be the name of one of our albums, and when he left [the band], he used the name in one of his songs."
And the list goes on: “Whenever I gave an autograph, I would write 'Magic,' so Ronnie started doing the same and even called his 2000 album 'Magica.' He was quite mischievous about that sort of thing.”
READ ALSO: The day Tony Iommi fell for Dio and Vinny Appice's nasty prank
