Ronnie James Dio was born in 1942 in New Hampshire, and began his musical education at age 5. While in high school, the vocalist formed his first band, The Vegas Kings , which later changed its name to Ronnie and the Redcaps and released two singles. The same band later became Ronnie and The Prophets , and in 1972, after some changes in its lineup, released its first album under the name Elf .
Elf recorded three albums and became well-known in the rock scene, frequently opening for Deep Purple until splitting up in 1975. With guitarist Ritchie Blackmore and drummer Gary Driscoll , Dio formed Rainbow . With the band, Dio released three studio albums and one live album before leaving in 1977 after disagreements with Blackmore.
After leaving Rainbow in 1979, Dio was invited by guitarist Tony Iommi to join Black Sabbath , who had just fired Ozzy Osbourne . With Black Sabbath, the vocalist released the albums Heaven And Hell (1982), Mob Rules (1981), and Live Evil (1982). Conflicts with the band led the vocalist to leave Black Sabbath in 1982, returning only in 1992 to release the album Dehumanizer (1992).
With Black Sabbath drummer Vinny Appice , Dio formed his solo band, Dio , with Vivian Campbell on guitar and Jimmy Bain on bass. Their debut album, Holy Diver, featured hits like "Rainbow in the Dark" and the title track, and was the band's most successful. As Dio, the vocalist released 10 albums, being the only constant member of the band.
In 2006, Dio, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Vinny Appice reunited under the name Heaven and Hell and released the album The Devil You Know in 2008. The band also completed a world tour with 98 shows.
In addition to making history in several bands, the vocalist also collaborated on various side projects with Roger Glover , Tenacious D , Queensrÿche , among others. Ronnie James Dio passed away on May 16, 2010, from stomach cancer. Frequently cited as one of the best heavy metal vocalists in history and responsible for popularizing the maloik, Dio sold over 47 million albums in his career.
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