Dio was an American heavy metal band centred around vocalist Ronnie James Dio. Formed in 1982, the group originally consisted of Dio, guitarist Jake E. Lee (replaced by Vivian Campbell for the first active lineup of the band), bassist Jimmy Bain and drummer Vinny Appice. The band's final lineup, active until Dio's death on May 16, 2010, included guitarist Craig Goldy, drummer Simon Wright, keyboardist Scott Warren and bassist Rudy Sarzo.
Dio was formed in October 1982 by vocalist Ronnie James Dio and drummer Vinny Appice following their departure from Black Sabbath. [1] For the first lineup, the pair worked with Rough Cutt guitarist Jake E. Lee and former Wild Horses and Rainbow bassist Jimmy Bain for around six weeks, before parting ways with Lee due to stylistic differences. [2] Preferring to work with British musicians, Dio asked Bain for suggestions of a replacement; he recommended Sweet Savage guitarist Vivian Campbell, and Campbell joined the group. [3] Around the release of the band's debut Holy Diver in May 1983, Claude Schnell joined as Dio's first full-time keyboardist. [4] After two more studio albums – The Last in Line and Sacred Heart – as well as live release Intermission , Campbell left the band in March 1986. [5] He was replaced by former Giuffria guitarist Craig Goldy. [6]
Goldy remained for just one new album, Dream Evil , before leaving Dio due to "musical differences" in August 1988. [7] After "hundreds" of submissions from guitarists worldwide, Rowan Robertson was chosen as Goldy's replacement in May 1989. [8] A few months later, Bain and Schnell were replaced by Teddy Cook and Jens Johansson, respectively. [9] In December, Appice also left Dio, [10] with Simon Wright leaving AC/DC to take his place early the next year. [11] The new lineup recorded and released their only album Lock Up the Wolves in 1990. [12] The following January, Dio returned to Black Sabbath. [13]
By November 1992, Dio and Appice had left Black Sabbath for a second time. [14] They reformed Dio and added new guitarist Tracy G and bassist Jeff Pilson early the following year, after initially working with original member Bain. [15] After recording Strange Highways , the group returned to a five-piece with the addition of Scott Warren on keyboards. [16] Pilson remained until the end of the album's tour in late 1994, when he rejoined Dokken, although he contributed to the 1996 release Angry Machines . [15] Larry "Bones" Dennison replaced him for the next tour, which spawned the live release Inferno: Last in Live . [17] In February 1997, Appice was replaced for a run of shows by James Kottak, after being hospitalised for pneumonia. [18] He was also next to leave Dio permanently, when he toured with Black Sabbath from June 1998. [19]
Appice was replaced, again, by Simon Wright. [20] The following year, former members Goldy and Bain also returned. [21] [22] Again, Goldy only lasted one album – 2000's Magica – before he was replaced by Doug Aldrich in January 2002. [23] The new guitarist recorded Killing the Dragon , but by early 2003 had left due to "scheduling conflicts" with his other group Whitesnake. [24] Aldrich was originally set to be replaced by Ratt guitarist Warren DeMartini, [25] however he was replaced within a month by the returning Goldy. [26] Bain also left in early 2004. [27] Pilson returned to perform on Master of the Moon , with former Ozzy Osbourne bassist Rudy Sarzo taking over on tour from July. [28] Aldrich would later return to fill in for Goldy on tour in 2005 due to an arm injury, [29] and again in 2009 due to scheduling conflicts with Budgie. [30]
On May 16, 2010, Ronnie James Dio died of stomach cancer, marking the end of his eponymous band. [31] All four other members went on to form Dio Disciples with former Judas Priest frontman Tim "Ripper" Owens in 2011, [32] while original members Appice, Campbell, Bain and Schnell formed Last in Line with former Lynch Mob vocalist Andrew Freeman in 2012. [33]
| Image | Name | Years active | Instruments | Release contributions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ronnie James Dio (Ronald James Padavona) | 1982–2010 (until his death) |
| all releases | |
| Vinny Appice |
|
|
| |
| Jimmy Bain |
|
|
| |
| Jake E. Lee | 1982 | guitar | none | |
| Vivian Campbell | 1982–1986 |
| ||
| Claude Schnell | 1984–1989 |
| all Dio releases from The Last in Line (1984) to Dream Evil (1987) | |
| Craig Goldy |
|
|
| |
| Rowan Robertson | 1989–1991 | guitar | Lock Up the Wolves (1990) | |
| Teddy Cook |
| |||
| Jens Johansson |
| |||
| Simon Wright |
|
| Lock Up the Wolves (1990) | |
| Tracy G (Tracy Grijalva) | 1993–1999 | guitar |
| |
| Jeff Pilson |
|
|
| |
| Scott Warren | 1993–2010 |
|
| |
| Jerry Best | 1995–1996 | bass | none | |
| Larry "Bones" Dennison | 1996–1999 | Inferno: Last in Live (1998) | ||
| Doug Aldrich |
| guitar |
| |
| Warren DeMartini | 2003 | none | ||
| Rudy Sarzo | 2004–2010 | bass | Holy Diver – Live (2006) |
| Image | Name | Years active | Instruments | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| James Kottak | 1997 (died 2024) | drums | Kottak filled in for Vinny Appice during a tour in February 1997, when he was hospitalised for pneumonia. [18] | |
| Bob Daisley | 1998 | bass | After Larry Dennison had to leave a tour early, Daisley took over for Scandinavian shows in late 1998. [34] |
| Period | Members | Releases |
|---|---|---|
| October – November 1982 |
| none |
| November 1982 – May 1983 |
|
|
| May 1983 – March 1986 |
|
|
| March 1986 – August 1988 |
|
|
| May – September 1989 |
| none |
| September – December 1989 |
| |
| January 1990 – January 1991 |
|
|
| Band inactive January 1991 – November 1992 | ||
| November 1992 – March 1993 |
| none |
| March – summer 1993 |
| |
| Summer – November 1993 |
|
|
| November 1993 – October 1994 |
| |
| August 1995 – May 1996 |
| none |
| May – summer 1996 |
|
|
| November 1996 – May 1998 |
|
|
| May 1998 – June 1999 |
| none |
| June – September 1999 |
| |
| September 1999 – January 2002 |
|
|
| January 2002 – April 2003 |
|
|
| April – May 2003 |
| none |
| May 2003 – March 2004 |
| |
| March – July 2004 |
|
|
| July 2004 – May 2010 |
|
|
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.
Strange Highways is the sixth studio album by American heavy metal band Dio. It's also their first album since Ronnie James Dio and Vinny Appice's reunion tour with Black Sabbath. The European release was on Vertigo, in October 1993; the U.S. release was on Reprise Records, in January 1994.
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.
Master of the Moon is the tenth and final studio album by American heavy metal band Dio. It was released on August 30, 2004 in Europe through SPV/Steamhammer and on September 7, 2004 in the US through Sanctuary Records. It was produced by Ronnie James Dio.
Jeffrey Steven Pilson is an American musician best known for being the bass player in the glam metal band Dokken and currently classic rock band Foreigner. He has also had an extended stint with Dio in the 1990s.
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.
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.
Thomas "Craig" Goldy is an American musician, best known as the guitarist of the rock bands Dio and Giuffria.
Magica is the eighth studio album by American heavy metal band Dio. A concept album, it was produced by frontman Ronnie James Dio and released on March 21, 2000, through Spitfire Records.
Intermission is the first live album released by the American heavy metal band Dio in 1986 on the label Vertigo Records in Europe and Warner Bros. Records in North America. The live songs were recorded with guitarist Vivian Campbell during the first leg of the Sacred Heart tour. Craig Goldy replaced Campbell in mid-tour, and the band wanted something to represent the new line-up, so they recorded the song "Time to Burn" in the studio with him, which was added to this album.
Benedictum is an American heavy metal band formed in 2005 in San Diego, California that now resides in Phoenix, Arizona. Their current lineup consists of vocalist Veronica Freeman, guitarist Pete Wells, bassist Aric Avina, and drummer Rikard Stjernquist. Since their formation the band released four studio albums, debuting with Uncreation in 2006, followed by Seasons of Tragedy in 2008, both through Spain-based label Locomotive Music, before signing with Italian label Frontiers Records for their third album, Dominion, issued in 2011. Their fourth and most recent album, Obey, was released on Frontiers Records in 2013.
Heaven & Hell was a British-American heavy metal supergroup active from 2006 to 2010, featuring guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Geezer Butler, vocalist Ronnie James Dio and drummer Vinny Appice.
The Very Beast of Dio is the second greatest hits collection CD from the American heavy metal band Dio. The first to be released in the U.S., it has sold over 400,000 copies, according to SoundScan. As of 11/03/2009 it has been certified Gold by the RIAA, having sold more than 500,000 copies in the US.
Metal Hits is a compilation album by the heavy metal band Dio and was released in 2005 by Rhino Flashback Records. Multi-instrumentalist and heavy-metal mainstay Ronnie James Dio built up a hefty back catalog over the decades, with a career that spans vocalizing for Rainbow, Black Sabbath, and of course, his own group, Dio. This best-of, which covers the Dio years exclusively, spans the period 1983's Holy Diver and 1990's Lock Up the Wolves, and is packed with the kind of high-octane performances Dio fans have come to treasure. Neo-Gothic masterpieces like "Sunset Superman" and "Dream Evil" share space with the metal mysticism of "Last in Line," while Dio's hell's-gate scream holds sway over all.
At Donington UK: Live 1983 & 1987 is a live album from American heavy metal band Dio. It was released on November 9, 2010 as the first release from Dio's Niji Entertainment Group label. It features two appearances by Dio at the Monsters of Rock festival at Donington: the 1983 show and the 1987 show. In addition to his work with his own band, material from Ronnie James Dio's time in Black Sabbath and Rainbow is also showcased. Much of the material on these two discs is included as bonus tracks on the deluxe expanded editions of Holy Diver and Dream Evil, released in 2012 and 2013 respectively.
Rowan Wingate Robertson is an English rock guitarist who currently performs in the Las Vegas production show Raiding the Rock Vault and plays for Bang Tango. He also plays for DC4. Robertson also played guitar for AM Radio, Dio, Vast, and Violet's Demise. Robertson has also done work as a film composer for director Amber Moelter's Dirty Step Upstage and has filmed numerous instructional guitar videos.
The Very Beast of Dio Vol. 2 is a posthumous compilation album by American heavy metal band Dio. It is a followup to The Very Beast of Dio, a compilation album released in 2000 featuring tracks from Dio's first six studio albums and live EP. Vol. 2 picks up where the previous album left off, including tracks from the band's seventh through tenth studio albums.
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.
