 |
Claude Schnell | |
|---|---|
 Schnell at NAMM 2012. | |
| Background information | |
| Born | May 17, 1955 Brooklyn, New York, U.S. |
| Genres | Hard rock, heavy metal |
| Occupation(s) | Keyboardist |
| Years active | 1980s–present |
| Website | claudeschnell |
Claude Schnell (born May 17, 1955) is an American keyboardist who has been a member of the bands Magic, [lower-alpha 1] Rough Cutt, Dio, and Last in Line.
Born in Brooklyn, New York, and raised in France, when he was six years old his family moved back to New York, and Schnell immersed himself in the traditional classical piano curriculum of private lessons, practice and recitals.
As he was growing up, with the impact of artists like Jimi Hendrix playing in the Village, Humble Pie at the Fillmore and Zeppelin at Madison Square Garden, Schnell discovered rock and roll. He maintained the discipline of his Classical studies, he also began playing in a wide assortment of bands.
Schnell left New York City to spend several years in Buffalo where more long-term musical friendships were forged, most notably with bass players Billy Sheehan and Joe Cristofanilli, and drummer Pete O'Donnell.
Upon arriving in Los Angeles in the early 1980s, it was not long before Schnell's virtuoso talents were in high demand. He formed two promising bands, Magic and Rough Cutt.
By 1983, Schnell's musical diligence and precision had earned him a reputation as one of L.A.'s most serious and well-respected players. Schnell joined Dio in May 1983. Schnell first played with Dio on the Holy Diver tour, though he did not play on the album itself.
After almost seven years in that band, Schnell chose to redefine his artistic focus, and embark upon his own musical odyssey.
| Authority control databases: Artists |
|---|
 | This article on a keyboardist is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
Ronald James Padavona, known professionally as Ronnie James Dio, was an American heavy metal singer. He fronted and founded numerous bands throughout his career, including Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Dio and Heaven & Hell.
Dio was an American heavy metal band formed in 1982 and led by vocalist Ronnie James Dio. Dio left Black Sabbath with intentions to form a new band with fellow former Black Sabbath drummer Vinny Appice. The name Dio was chosen because it made sense from a commercial standpoint, as the name was already well known at that time.
Rainbow are a British/American rock band formed in London and Los Angeles in 1975 by guitarist Ritchie Blackmore. Established in the aftermath of Blackmore's first departure from Deep Purple, they originally featured four members of the band Elf, including their singer Ronnie James Dio, but after their self-titled debut album, Blackmore fired these members, except Dio, recruiting drummer Cozy Powell, bassist Jimmy Bain and keyboardist Tony Carey. This line-up recorded the band's second album Rising (1976), while Long Live Rock 'n' Roll (1978) saw Bob Daisley and David Stone replace Bain and Carey, respectively. Long Live Rock 'n' Roll was also the last album with Dio before he left the band to join Black Sabbath in 1979.
Jake E. Lee is an American musician best known as lead guitarist for Ozzy Osbourne between 1982 and 1987 and later as a member of the heavy metal band Badlands with Ray Gillen. He formed the band Red Dragon Cartel in 2013, and their debut album released in January 2014 entered the Billboard Album Chart at number 69. He has also recorded solo works under his own name—examples being the instrumental album A Fine Pink Mist (1996) and cover album Retraced (2005).
Dream Evil is the fourth studio album by American heavy metal band Dio, released on July 21, 1987. It features former Rough Cutt members Craig Goldy and Claude Schnell, and includes the singles "All the Fools Sailed Away" and "I Could Have Been a Dreamer". Dream Evil was Dio's last album to feature mascot Murray on the cover and also the last to feature drummer Vinny Appice until the 1993 album Strange Highways. It was also the last album to feature bassist Jimmy Bain until the release of 2000's Magica. The album also marks Schnell's final appearance with Dio.
Vincent Samson Appice is an American rock and metal drummer best known for his work with the bands Dio, Black Sabbath, and Heaven & Hell. Of Italian descent, he is the younger brother of drummer Carmine Appice.
The Last In Line is the second studio album by American heavy metal band Dio, released on July 2, 1984. It is the first Dio album to feature former Rough Cutt keyboardist Claude Schnell. It became the band's highest-charting album in both the UK and the U.S., reaching number 4 and number 23, respectively.
Sacred Heart is the third studio album by American heavy metal band Dio. It was released on August 12, 1985, on Warner Bros. Records in North America, and Vertigo elsewhere. The record peaked at No. 29 on the Billboard 200 chart. It includes the singles "Rock 'n' Roll Children" and "Hungry for Heaven".
Vivian Patrick Campbell is a Northern Irish guitarist. He came to prominence in the early 1980s as a member of Dio and has been a member of Def Leppard since 1992. Campbell has also worked with Thin Lizzy, Whitesnake, Sweet Savage, Trinity, Riverdogs and Shadow King.
Rough Cutt is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles who released two studio albums on Warner Bros. Records in the mid-1980s. Rough Cutt never achieved the commercial success enjoyed by many other Los Angeles bands of that time but various members went on to success in other groups, including Jake E. Lee with Ozzy Osbourne, Amir Derakh with Orgy, Paul Shortino with Quiet Riot, and Craig Goldy and Claude Schnell with Dio.
James Stewart Bain was a Scottish musician, best known for playing bass guitar in the bands Rainbow and Dio. He also worked with Kate Bush and Thin Lizzy frontman Phil Lynott, co-writing on his solo albums.
Paul Shortino is an American rock singer and musician who has sung for Rough Cutt/The Cutt, Quiet Riot, Bad Boyz, and Shortino. He briefly recorded with J.K. Northrup as the duo, Shortino/Northrup. He has also recorded as a solo artist, writing and performing the song "E.G.G.M.A.N." as the theme for Dr. Eggman in Sonic Adventure 2 for Sega, and in Shadow the Hedgehog as "E.G.G.M.A.N. Doc Robeatnix Mix". Shortino recorded lead vocals for the Heavy Metal benefit project Hear 'n Aid in 1985. The single from this project, "Stars", also features lead vocals by heavy metal singers Ronnie James Dio, Rob Halford, Geoff Tate, Don Dokken, Kevin DuBrow, Eric Bloom and Dave Meniketti.
Thomas "Craig" Goldy is an American musician, best known as the guitarist of the rock bands Dio and Giuffria.
Rough Cutt is the debut studio album by American heavy metal band Rough Cutt, released in 1985. It was produced by Tom Allom, who is most famous for producing Judas Priest.
Richard Hugh Blackmore is an English guitarist and songwriter. He was a founding member and the lead guitarist of Deep Purple, playing jam-style hard rock music that mixed guitar riffs and organ sounds. He is prolific in creating guitar riffs and has been known for playing both classically influenced and blues-based solos.
Dave Alford also known as Rockin Dave is an American Heavy Metal Rock drummer, singer, songwriter and producer who has played in the bands Max Havoc, Ratt, Jailhouse, Mod Ev, Kryme and Rough Cutt, whom he rejoined in 2016 upon their reformation. Alford also contributed to the Hear 'N Aid video project where various heavy metal/ hard rock artists collaborated to raise money for Famine Relief in 1985; produced by Ronnie James Dio. In 2013 Dave reunited with members of Jailhouse to perform on the Monsters of Rock Cruise. More recently, Dave has reunited with Rough Cutt members for the 2016 Monsterwood Monsters of Rock Cruise. Dave Alford currently resides in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina and is playing various venues; also supporting his new project Rockin Dave's Hit Factory.
Joey Cristofanilli is a bassist who played in the bands Magic, Rough Cutt, Ratt, Jag Wire and Radio 9.
This is a list of Ronnie James Dio releases. Some of his early appearances on 45 rpm singles are collected on several volumes of the LP series The History of Syracuse Music, released in the 1980s. A complete discography with lyrics can be found here.
Last in Line is a British rock band formed in 2012 by former members of Dio's original lineup. Their name comes from the 1984 Dio album, The Last in Line. Following the death of frontman Ronnie James Dio in 2010, drummer Vinny Appice, bassist Jimmy Bain, guitarist Vivian Campbell and keyboardist Claude Schnell reunited and added vocalist Andrew Freeman to perform the Dio songs they originally recorded. They released three studio albums of original material without Schnell between February 2016 and March 2023.
