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Rainbow in the Dark: The Autobiography
Instant National Bestseller
The long-awaited autobiography by one of heavy metal’s most revered icons, treasured vocalists, and front man for three legendary bands—Rainbow, Black Sabbath, and Dio.
Prior to his tragic death in 2010, Ronnie James Dio had been writing his autobiography, looking back on the remarkable life that led him from his hometown in upstate New York to the biggest stages in the world, including the arena that represented the pinnacle of success to him—Madison Square Garden, where this book begins and ends.
As Ronnie contemplates the achievement of a dream, he reflects on the key aspects that coalesced into this moment—the close gang of friends that gave him his start in music, playing parties, bars, frats, and clubs; the sudden transition that moved him to the microphone and changed his life forever; the luck that led to the birth of Rainbow and a productive but difficult collaboration with Ritchie Blackmore; the chance meeting that made him the second singer of Black Sabbath, taking them to new levels of success; the surprisingly tender story behind the birth of the Devil Horns, the lasting symbol of heavy metal; his marriage to Wendy, which stabilized his life, and the huge bet they placed together to launch the most successful endeavor of his career…his own band, Dio.
Everything is described in great detail and in the frankest terms, from his fallout with Blackmore, to the drugs that derailed the resurrection of Black Sabbath, to the personality clashes that frayed each band.
Written with longtime friend of thirty years and esteemed music writer, Mick Wall, who took up the mantle after Ronnie’s passing, Rainbow in the Dark is a frank, startling, often hilarious, sometimes sad testament to dedication and ambition, filled with moving coming-of-age tales, glorious stories of excess, and candid recollections of what really happened backstage, at the hotel, in the studio, and back home behind closed doors far away from the road.
(Black and white photos throughout plus an 8-page 4-color photo insert.)
The long-awaited autobiography by one of heavy metal’s most revered icons, treasured vocalists, and front man for three legendary bands—Rainbow, Black Sabbath, and Dio.
Prior to his tragic death in 2010, Ronnie James Dio had been writing his autobiography, looking back on the remarkable life that led him from his hometown in upstate New York to the biggest stages in the world, including the arena that represented the pinnacle of success to him—Madison Square Garden, where this book begins and ends.
As Ronnie contemplates the achievement of a dream, he reflects on the key aspects that coalesced into this moment—the close gang of friends that gave him his start in music, playing parties, bars, frats, and clubs; the sudden transition that moved him to the microphone and changed his life forever; the luck that led to the birth of Rainbow and a productive but difficult collaboration with Ritchie Blackmore; the chance meeting that made him the second singer of Black Sabbath, taking them to new levels of success; the surprisingly tender story behind the birth of the Devil Horns, the lasting symbol of heavy metal; his marriage to Wendy, which stabilized his life, and the huge bet they placed together to launch the most successful endeavor of his career…his own band, Dio.
Everything is described in great detail and in the frankest terms, from his fallout with Blackmore, to the drugs that derailed the resurrection of Black Sabbath, to the personality clashes that frayed each band.
Written with longtime friend of thirty years and esteemed music writer, Mick Wall, who took up the mantle after Ronnie’s passing, Rainbow in the Dark is a frank, startling, often hilarious, sometimes sad testament to dedication and ambition, filled with moving coming-of-age tales, glorious stories of excess, and candid recollections of what really happened backstage, at the hotel, in the studio, and back home behind closed doors far away from the road.
(Black and white photos throughout plus an 8-page 4-color photo insert.)
264 pages, Hardcover
First published July 27, 2021
About the author
Ronnie James Dio
12 books19 followersRonnie James Dio (born Ronald James Padavona) was an American heavy metal vocalist and songwriter. He performed with Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Heaven & Hell, and his own band Dio. Other musical projects include the collective fundraiser Hear 'n Aid. He was widely hailed as one of the most powerful singers in heavy metal, renowned for his consistently powerful voice and for popularizing the "devil's horns" hand gesture in metal culture. He was collaborating on a project with former Black Sabbath bandmates Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Vinny Appice, under the moniker Heaven & Hell, whose first and only studio album, The Devil You Know, was released on April 28, 2009. He died of stomach cancer on May 16, 2010.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 128 reviews
August 8, 2021
Three Stars
This is the first time I read a book via audio book. Based on my experience, I definitely prefer reading on my kindle. I found more opportunities for my mind to wander and less impulse to rewind when I possibly missed some words. I can be a slow reader, and if I've got other pressing things on my mind I can actually read but not comprehend what I've just read. But I've always wanted to try out an audio book, so this was a worthwhile experience getting it out of my system.
I was a huge fan of heavy metal during the eighties, especially "hair bands". This wasn't quite a hair band, but I used to see their videos on MTV's "Headbangers Ball" which I would faithfully watch on the weekends, as well as subscribe to various hard rock/metal magazines such as RIP, Hit Parader and others. Even if I didn't particularly have a passion for a certain group, I would still read the articles about other bands just out of curiosity. I did like one particular video of Dio's called "Rainbow in the Dark" that I saw on the Headbanger's Ball. I also heard about Ronnie James Dio recently while watching a great Ritchie Blackmore documentary. Blackmore talked about Ronnie being the lead singer of his solo band "Rainbow" which he created after leaving "Deep Purple". Ritchie made a snarky comment about one of the reasons they parted ways- that Ronnie became more distracted with his wife Wendy than being focused on Rainbow's music.
Ronnie James Dio died in 2010, but he had been writing his autobiography. He died before finishing it, so wife/manager Wendy helped complete it- along with seasoned rock biographer Mick Wall (I just recently finished a biography of Led Zeppelin that he authored, and it was excellent). The narrator of the audio book did a great job, and it just felt like Ronnie was talking to you the way it was written. When it got to the part of his life where he met his future wife Wendy, it occasionally traded off segments where she took up the story, but the male narrator still read it- making his voice higher to reflect that she was talking...and it worked. I have to admit I was a little bored in the beginning with the lead up to him taking off as a known musical act. He started out playing a brass instrument and only much later out of necessity took on the singing role, of which he was surprisingly gifted at. Ronnie was of Italian descent, and his real name was Ronald James Padavona. He adopted the last name Dio from a mobster that he encountered while touring in an earlier band.
Ronnie's band eventually took the name "Elf", an obvious nod to his short stature. They wound up being noticed by the metal band Deep Purple and eventually became a supporting act on their tour. As mentioned previously, founding member and lead guitarist of Deep Purple Ritchie Blackmore asked him to be lead singer of Rainbow in 1975, when he left Purple for the first time. Then when Dio's tenure in Rainbow came to an end, he was asked to replace original Black Sabbath singer Ozzy Osbourne. This spawned a very successful album for Sabbath called "Heaven and Hell". When things in Black Sabbath soured, Dio created his own band called "Dio", financed entirely by himself and his now wife Wendy. Wendy also assumed manager duties.
Dio finally found the ultimate satisfaction with this home grown band. They had success right out of the gate with their debut album "Holy Diver". As with all bands, there was the occasional drama with personnel, particularly with the exit of guitarist Vivian Campbell who now is a member of iconic 80s band Def Leppard. One thing Dio is famous for bringing into metal music culture is the hand gesture of horns, which derived from a classic Italian gesture his grandmother used.
Ultimately, I felt just a bit let down because I had hoped the book would cover Ronnie's illness and death, since his wife was also a part of this book. There was nothing about it. I would have been very engaged in that aspect of his life's challenges on a human interest level. Other than that and the slight disappointment with the audio book format, I was generally pleased with the book. Dio was an intelligent man who loved to read in his spare time, and he did a good job writing this bio.
Thank you to Niji Entertainment Group, Inc./Tantor Audio who provided an advance reader copy via NetGalley.
July 27, 2021
I was given an advance copy of this audiobook from the publisher through NetGalley.
I've always enjoyed music memoirs written by the artists themselves, especially after listening to Scar Tissue by Anthony Kiedis, so when I heard that this was coming out, I immediately added it to my ever-growing TBR pile.
I've been a fan of Ronnie James Dio ever since he was fronting Black Sabbath in the very early 80s, and one of the concert highlights of my late teens was seeing him with his own band, Dio. The man was an epic singer and had one of the most powerful voices in rock.
This was a nice trip down memory lane, though admittedly most of these memories belonged to RJD himself and were significantly before my time. It did take awhile to get going good, as RJD seemed to go into great detail on his early years. This was a foundation for the artist he'd become, but to me it really got interesting at the point that he and his bandmates solidified into the band known as Elf. From there his story really took off, to eras in his musical career that I could relate to, from joining with Ritchie Blackmore to form Rainbow, through his Sabbath days, and finally into forming the band he wanted all along, that which showcased his name: Dio.
I do feel like there was a lot of time that wasn't covered, from the early Dio days of the late eighties until his tragic death in 2010. I'm thinking he simply hadn't gotten around to writing about that era, but as the peak of his success came with the popularity of Dio, this was enough to make a good story. Still, it would have been interesting to hear his thoughts on the times he got back with Sabbath, first with the reunion album Dehumanizer, then to later regroup with them again to form the side-band Heaven and Hell. As I said, he probably had lots to say about all of that, just hadn't the time.
RIP, Ronnie.
I've always enjoyed music memoirs written by the artists themselves, especially after listening to Scar Tissue by Anthony Kiedis, so when I heard that this was coming out, I immediately added it to my ever-growing TBR pile.
I've been a fan of Ronnie James Dio ever since he was fronting Black Sabbath in the very early 80s, and one of the concert highlights of my late teens was seeing him with his own band, Dio. The man was an epic singer and had one of the most powerful voices in rock.
This was a nice trip down memory lane, though admittedly most of these memories belonged to RJD himself and were significantly before my time. It did take awhile to get going good, as RJD seemed to go into great detail on his early years. This was a foundation for the artist he'd become, but to me it really got interesting at the point that he and his bandmates solidified into the band known as Elf. From there his story really took off, to eras in his musical career that I could relate to, from joining with Ritchie Blackmore to form Rainbow, through his Sabbath days, and finally into forming the band he wanted all along, that which showcased his name: Dio.
I do feel like there was a lot of time that wasn't covered, from the early Dio days of the late eighties until his tragic death in 2010. I'm thinking he simply hadn't gotten around to writing about that era, but as the peak of his success came with the popularity of Dio, this was enough to make a good story. Still, it would have been interesting to hear his thoughts on the times he got back with Sabbath, first with the reunion album Dehumanizer, then to later regroup with them again to form the side-band Heaven and Hell. As I said, he probably had lots to say about all of that, just hadn't the time.
RIP, Ronnie.
July 18, 2021
This is a well-written, entertaining, informative, and enjoyable autobiography. It is tastefully written with wit, some humor, and creative and meaningful chapter headings. It vividly describes the evolution of a musician, singer, songwriter and his bands. The tragedies and triumphs of Ronnie James Dio's life, the behind the scenes drama, the meanings behind songs, and little known facts are marvelously depicted. This autobiography is a must read for rock fans, and especially for fans of Ronnie James Dio. The narrator, Daniel Thomas May, has a captivating voice and does an outstanding job. The only thing that could have made it better would have been if Ronnie James Dio himself could have narrated his story.
NetGalley kindly provided me with an ARC of this audiobook, and this is my honest opinion.
NetGalley kindly provided me with an ARC of this audiobook, and this is my honest opinion.
July 16, 2021
I'm a Dio fan for sure, but there was more I didn't know about Ronnie James Dio than I knew, until I read this book. This memoir has really good insight into how he got involved in the bands he was in, and where he got his inspiration, and really captures his voice in his writing as well. I read this in one day. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the review copy.
June 9, 2023
Although the book only covers Dio’s career up to 1986 I enjoyed it! He always came across as a kind and positive man and that’s reflected here. If you’re looking for raunchy gossip and exploits that usually go hand in hand with rock star autobiographies then you might be disappointed. According to Wendy, Dio had lots of material archived..so Maybe they’ll be another book in the future? 🤘🏻
November 10, 2022
A very enjoyable book. I always loved Dio's voice and from what I'd heard he was a very nice fellow. I loved that he was such a reader and his imagination connects with my own. His work with Rainbow, and especially with Black Sabbath was outstanding, and I've got all the Dio albums. Of course, you know he is dead now, far too soon. Most of this autobiography appears to have been written by him over the years before his death, but it was fleshed out by his wife, Wendy, and by Mick Wall. This volume ends in 1986, and there was plenty more to tell of his story, so I imagine we may eventually get a second book on Dio written by others. I'll be likely to read it.
November 7, 2021
В компанията на "Rainbow in the Dark. Рони Джеймс Дио: Автобиография" (изд. "Сиела") и под звуците на парчета като “Sacred Heart” и “Sunset Superman”, от своите спомени се прехвърлих към тези на Рони Джеймс Дио. Имах чувството, че не държа книга в ръце, а стоя някъде с добър приятел и си говорим за „едно време“, извървения път и това докъде сме стигнали. И това до голяма степен се дължи на лекия, напълно непретенциозен начин, по който е написана книгата. Няма многословие, няма високопарност, а чисто и просто спомени за добрите и лошите мигове в живота. За връзката между тромпетите и рока, за батковците, които са ни учили какво е „хубава музика“, за пакостите с хлапетата от квартала, за бабите, които ни пазят от „зли очи“, за мечтите, за задкулисните изцепки, за еуфорията на публиката…Част от книгата, както може и да се очаква, е чисто и просто фактологически бележки – къде, кога и с кого Дио е бил на сцена. Но те само допълнително подчертават важните мигове, в които личният тон и емоциите проличават много повече. Прочетете ревюто на "Книжни Криле": https://knijnikrile.wordpress.com/202...
August 11, 2021
Spoiler alert: this autobiography ends in 1986. Dio still had almost 25 years to live at that point, but by the time he decided to start writing in the late 00s, the clock ran out and he could only get to the mid-1980s before he died of cancer in 2010. However, what he did write here about is mostly worth your time to read, even if the revelations are rarely Earth-shattering and the 'angle' remains fairly consistent to the way Dio told his own story in interviews over the years. The prose is entertaining, with the right amount of wink-wink embellishment that makes any tale well-told. Were Dio alive today, he'd be doing evening readings on a book tour regaling eager fans with the stories in this book, and they'd love it. Dio was always a great entertainer and this book fits right into that brand.
However, the attraction to this book for me was always the tantalizing prospect that finally we would get a deep dive by the man himself into his career before he became internationally famous in the mid 1970s fronting Rainbow. Importantly, following the Rainbow experience, Dio banked his continued professional success on having to obscure, hide, and lie about the 15 years of his career and personal life before Rainbow. Wendy Dio has taken credit for this strategy in other interviews and Dio played along with well-practiced and convincing consistency over the years, both on- and off-stage. The World Wide Web knew about that earlier career though, and a Dio fan who stumbled across the first Elf album (1972) could begin a journey down a musical rabbit hole quite different from the metal singer they thought they knew. Dio's former bandmates from those years were also willing to flesh out their shared history, but, still, questions remained that really only Dio could answer whenever he finally decided to really come clean. This book promised to be all that, but in the end it disappoints in that area. Dammit.
For example, you'll find much better (more explicit) historical information about Dio's musical career in James Curl's biography of Dio. Granted, Dio chose to write his own book based on stories of his life, not explicit chronology, and that's fine - his life, his book, his choices. Sadly, the result is the same kind of vibe as his interviews, even though he's no longer hiding the existence and depth of that earlier career. Most of the book covers things up to 1975, and it's good that he's writing in the open about things that happened in those years. For example, he is quite candid about the accident that killed Nick Pantas and the immediate aftermath, both psychological and physical. He's still hiding things though, like the way the Prophets band from the early and mid-60s was really about giving Dio a chance to become a teen idol superstar, a la Frankie Valli and other Italian-American singers of the day. He's also hiding the story of his first marriage and the adoption of his son - there's no contemplation of how that marriage affected his life and, oddly, no mention at all of his son. He's still hiding his age - no mention of his birthdate - and why he chose to lie about it for so long. And he's still hiding a deep-seeded self-centeredness that keeps any familial ties outside of Wendy at arms length. Again: his life, his book, his choices. But those choices we read in this book also reflect a man unwilling to grapple with personal issues that might be too 'messy'. This is the place to grapple with them though, and it's disappointing to encounter these absences when reading a book written by a man in his mid-60s and labelled on the front cover as "The Autobiography".
However, the attraction to this book for me was always the tantalizing prospect that finally we would get a deep dive by the man himself into his career before he became internationally famous in the mid 1970s fronting Rainbow. Importantly, following the Rainbow experience, Dio banked his continued professional success on having to obscure, hide, and lie about the 15 years of his career and personal life before Rainbow. Wendy Dio has taken credit for this strategy in other interviews and Dio played along with well-practiced and convincing consistency over the years, both on- and off-stage. The World Wide Web knew about that earlier career though, and a Dio fan who stumbled across the first Elf album (1972) could begin a journey down a musical rabbit hole quite different from the metal singer they thought they knew. Dio's former bandmates from those years were also willing to flesh out their shared history, but, still, questions remained that really only Dio could answer whenever he finally decided to really come clean. This book promised to be all that, but in the end it disappoints in that area. Dammit.
For example, you'll find much better (more explicit) historical information about Dio's musical career in James Curl's biography of Dio. Granted, Dio chose to write his own book based on stories of his life, not explicit chronology, and that's fine - his life, his book, his choices. Sadly, the result is the same kind of vibe as his interviews, even though he's no longer hiding the existence and depth of that earlier career. Most of the book covers things up to 1975, and it's good that he's writing in the open about things that happened in those years. For example, he is quite candid about the accident that killed Nick Pantas and the immediate aftermath, both psychological and physical. He's still hiding things though, like the way the Prophets band from the early and mid-60s was really about giving Dio a chance to become a teen idol superstar, a la Frankie Valli and other Italian-American singers of the day. He's also hiding the story of his first marriage and the adoption of his son - there's no contemplation of how that marriage affected his life and, oddly, no mention at all of his son. He's still hiding his age - no mention of his birthdate - and why he chose to lie about it for so long. And he's still hiding a deep-seeded self-centeredness that keeps any familial ties outside of Wendy at arms length. Again: his life, his book, his choices. But those choices we read in this book also reflect a man unwilling to grapple with personal issues that might be too 'messy'. This is the place to grapple with them though, and it's disappointing to encounter these absences when reading a book written by a man in his mid-60s and labelled on the front cover as "The Autobiography".
January 18, 2022
I’m a fan of Ronnie James Dio. I saw him in concert twice and appreciate his role in hard rock/heavy metal history. I thought I would be fascinated with how he transitioned from wannabe crooner to metal god but it just wasn’t that interesting, as was most of the book. A pretty rote, by the numbers affair - here’s my childhood, the bands I joined and the albums I’ve made. He glosses over stuff that would’ve made it more compelling to fans. He didn’t really get into the differences with Richie Blackmore or Tony Iommi other than - this is what they said, that’s not how I remember it but whatever. I was downright upset though at the way he handled the end of his first marriage in the book. Hint, he didn’t. I don’t even think she was mentioned by name. Here’s how he met his second wife: He and first wife with others go to The Rainbow, waitress is Wendi, it was attraction at first sight. They all go back to his place, the next thing he’s asking Wendi to go see the sunrise. That’s it. No other mention of first wife after stating he went to The Rainbow with her. Only being with Wendi from that point forward. I mean wtf? Another thing that annoyed me was the ridicule of the little person a band member hooked up with. Jeez I mean I know it wasn’t the wokest of times but at least a little remorse for that in retrospect? There’s a few other micro insults in there too. I don’t think Ronnie was a bad person, probably just mired in the times of his upbringing and rock and roll lifestyle sensibilities. I’m still a fan. Just a little bit less of him as a person.
July 26, 2021
More reviews (and no fluff) on the blog http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/
The thing about biographies is that they are mostly preaching to the choir; meaning, they are often there to respond to previous negative rumors/press and targeted to people who already like/love/respect the subject. I felt that keenly with this book: written by Dio himself and by those who loved him, it is very one-sided and any bads are glossed over or downplayed. What you get is a deification (ironic, considering his moniker) of Dio. But because it is first hand, you also get a lot of information about his youth and behind the scenes that you wouldn't get otherwise. This is very obviously a sweet love letter to the artist and very optimistic throughout.The story is told chronologically, starting with Dio's childhood in an upstate New York Italian community. It progresses through the various bands he played in as he earned his name - and the hijinks they got into playing various clubs and Summer vacation spots in the State. Dio was born just after World War II, so he was playing pre-Beatles. Those early years reminiscences greatly reminded me of the movie "Dirty Dancing" since both seemed to take place at the same time/place.
As Dio's experience grew, his band Elf began to take shape in the late 1960s. Though it never took off over the 7 years they played, it gave dio a sounding board and connections that would eventually lead to the Rainbow opportunity. The dealings with the Ritchie Blackmore era of his career are arguably the most interesting in the book. Mercurial Blackmore and his fractious relationship with his bandmates while Dio acted as intermediary and sometimes victims of Blackmore's mood swings tell a lot about the rock and roll era in the late 1970s. Dio isn't bitter about it though his wife Wendy had a few choice words in-between about that time.
In twists of fate, the Rainbow era ended and Dio found himself as frontman for Black Sabbath and what many consider to be the magnum opus of his career. The story again gets very interesting here as Dio is navigating personalities and egos while still heavily contributing to creating the most melodic of Black Sabbath's offerings. One thing that the book makes very clear is how influential Dio was on the bands in which he was a part - from the fantasy-lyrics to the heaviness. Once Dio left those bands, those influences were very obvious as the bands would become more pop oriented.
The Sabbath deal led to a solo career where Dio started his own band. The book ends here at the top of Dio's success in 1985. Those familiar with his career will know that things went downhill from there, with many band member changes and even style changes until Dio's death in 2010 at the age of 67 to stomach cancer.
Reading between the lines, it is easy to see that this book was written to combat criticisms: 1) Dio's age/being too old to keep rocking; 2) Being difficult to work with/egotistic/trying to take over bands; 3) not treating his bandmates well or fairly. To combat the age criticism, dates were rarely mentioned in the book nor were the mores or specifics of time periods. Especially at the beginning, you could hardly tell that Dio was operating in the early 1960s, with all that would entail. There were a few comments about racism in the South but for the most part, it was fairly timeless. To combat the interpersonal relationship issues, it was always about artistic integrity and fellow artists misunderstanding things (Black Sabbath's Tony Iommi) or being moody (Ritchie Blackmore). And for the treating bandmates well, Dio's wife Wendy directly assesses the situation of a disgruntled former bandmate of Dio who left with allegations of broken promises. She lists actual payment amounts but the issues of promised royalties and credits are downplayed or ignored.
There were some ironies here. Perhaps the most interesting is we're told over and over that Dio loves everyone (especially the fans) yet every one of his bands seemed to be plagued with issues of bandmates finding him difficult or heavy handed. With someone like Ritchie Blackmore, that makes sense - though I can see why Blackmore would want to go more friendly pop than heavy fantasy, as was Dio's style. But the issues with Black Sabbath were downplayed as Iommi being resentful of Dio being offered a solo album and causing Iommi to reject Dio seems a bit far fetched. As well, Dio continued to have problems with his own band and keeping players from leaving him, with constant reports of frustration with working with Dio. The book never really stops to take a moment and put any culpability on Dio for that - or try to define why.
Perhaps the biggest irony ended up being the parallels between Blackmore's Rainbow and Dio's band. In Rainbow, Dio mentioned constantly that he was frustrated with lack of credit and Blackmore's complete control of the band. Dio hated that Blackmore fired people for what he considered frivolous things. Yet that was the same complaint leveled frequently against Dio himself when Dio had his own band. It was as if Dio ended up doing the same thing as Blackmore did without realizing it.
As per the introduction, this book was the labor of love by Dio's wife Wendy. It looks like she also took a lot of the ire of former bandmates since she was also Dio's manager. Dio is quick to defend her and she makes points to note that she and Dio argued all the time, so it wasn't a case of Dio letting his wife run rampant on the band's finances, etc. while he turned a loving blind eye (I imagine her lack of experience before becoming a manager were cited). So again, it feels a lot like white washing at times against former allegations.
Rainbow in the Dark is a very easy and also entertaining read. You'll learn a lot about Dio's past and get some amusing anecdotes along the way. But it doesn't feel like an honest or reflective book either. As with Peter Frampton's memoirs, it is light and fluffy and kind of glosses over anything bad about the artist. You won't learn why Dio was so fascinated with medieval fantasy and the occult. Any discussions about it in the book can be very inane, as with Dio defending the cover of Holy Diver with something along the lines of, "How do you know the devil is the bad guy? How do you know that's even a priest?" And yes, you'll be told endlessly that Dio originated the devil horn hand symbol (from his superstitious grandmother) that sprung up everywhere in the 1980s.
I listened to the audio narration and the narrator did an excellent job. This is a great choice for listening rather than reading since it is pretty light and fluffy. Note that there are images in the books that you don't get with the audio narration. Reviewed from an advance listener copy provided by the publisher.
January 10, 2022
To say I'm a Ronnie James Dio fan would be an understatement so I was very excited to get my hands on this book.
A pleasure to read about the less reported early times of his decades long career showing how long it takes to become an overnight success.
The interjections from Wendy Dio (wife and manager of the late singer) were some great insight that is always appreciated and gave me some great laughs.
I wish the book went past 1987 but I would not be surprised if another volume covering that part of his life will come in the future
A pleasure to read about the less reported early times of his decades long career showing how long it takes to become an overnight success.
The interjections from Wendy Dio (wife and manager of the late singer) were some great insight that is always appreciated and gave me some great laughs.
I wish the book went past 1987 but I would not be surprised if another volume covering that part of his life will come in the future
July 23, 2021
4.5 stars.
I always considered Dio as one of the top ambassadors of metal (admittedly not really chasing down his work until after the Tenacious D's 2001 song that bore his name), but I sorely misunderstood just how positive of an effect he had on the industry and its fans. Coming from the late man himself (along with his wife, Wendy), this recounting of climbing through the ranks and ending in 1986 not only gives it a real rock-n-roll ending (meaning that it doesn't really make mention of his all-too-sudden death), but that it transmits a ferociously feel-good vibe from a guy who'd basically seen and/or done it all.
As biographies and autobiographies are wont to do, they place things into context so that the reader can best understand the impact of a career and/or lifetime; in summation, seeing all that Dio was able to accomplish is tremendously staggering, and, while it's at points not so out-of-bounds to realize when you hear him sing, the eloquent and personal touch that he gives to his struggles gives it the epic feel to match so many of the songs he wrote.
From repeated automobile accidents to having AC/DC open *for him* to headlining a world tour on his own terms, it's a straight-forward, inspiring, and engrossing read that turned out great and irons out a number of details that fans might have been curious about--I mean, seriously, how do you go from growing up in upstate NY to being the new lead singer of Black Sabbath?
If you're a fan of music autobiographies, it's a must. It'd also be pretty cool to see if this book turns readers on to his records.
Toward the end of the book, there's a callback to a particularly stressful (but comical) moment in Dio's life that's worth the read alone.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Tantor Audio for the advanced listen.
I always considered Dio as one of the top ambassadors of metal (admittedly not really chasing down his work until after the Tenacious D's 2001 song that bore his name), but I sorely misunderstood just how positive of an effect he had on the industry and its fans. Coming from the late man himself (along with his wife, Wendy), this recounting of climbing through the ranks and ending in 1986 not only gives it a real rock-n-roll ending (meaning that it doesn't really make mention of his all-too-sudden death), but that it transmits a ferociously feel-good vibe from a guy who'd basically seen and/or done it all.
As biographies and autobiographies are wont to do, they place things into context so that the reader can best understand the impact of a career and/or lifetime; in summation, seeing all that Dio was able to accomplish is tremendously staggering, and, while it's at points not so out-of-bounds to realize when you hear him sing, the eloquent and personal touch that he gives to his struggles gives it the epic feel to match so many of the songs he wrote.
From repeated automobile accidents to having AC/DC open *for him* to headlining a world tour on his own terms, it's a straight-forward, inspiring, and engrossing read that turned out great and irons out a number of details that fans might have been curious about--I mean, seriously, how do you go from growing up in upstate NY to being the new lead singer of Black Sabbath?
If you're a fan of music autobiographies, it's a must. It'd also be pretty cool to see if this book turns readers on to his records.
Toward the end of the book, there's a callback to a particularly stressful (but comical) moment in Dio's life that's worth the read alone.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Tantor Audio for the advanced listen.
March 8, 2022
While I'm thrilled to be able to read Ronnie James Dio's autobiography even 11 years after his death, it very much reads as the first part of a story that will sadly never have a part 2. Also, due to (understandable and necessary) circumstances, not all of the words are Ronnie's and for that reason it's hard to be sure that no words have been put in his mouth.
To explain a bit further: the book opens with a preface by Ronnie's widow Wendy, who explains the circumstances of the book. It seems that Dio started writing the book somewhere in the 2000s, before his cancer diagnosis, and regarded it as the first part of a longer story. It was apparently always his intention for the book to cover his early years and then conclude with his band headlining Madison Square Garden, which is the case. Because his cancer slowed the writing pace, the book had to be finished by Wendy and by their friend and writer Mick Wall. This was done in a couple ways: filling in some gaps by taking Ronnie's words from other sources such as interviews, as well as a bunch of comments by Wendy scattered throughout the book (which are clearly marked as her words rather than his). Apparently part of the reason for the delay in the book's completion is the time it took to sort through and organize the massive archive of material from years' worth of interviews, notes, and so on, which is perfectly understandable.
Because the book only goes up through the mid-1980s, it's necessarily front-loaded with details of Ronnie's early life. It was never going to cover topics such as his reunions with Black Sabbath, how he dealt with metal's fall from mainstream popularity during the 90s, or his struggle with cancer. But it's even more front-loaded than I expected. The first half of the book takes place entirely before the formation of Rainbow, the band that first brought Dio to prominence. A lot of time is spent with his early career stories, most of which was new to me and therefore quite interesting. Unfortunately, the downside is that everything to do with Rainbow, Black Sabbath, and his own band Dio is crammed into less than 120 pages.
I came into this book most excited to read about Ronnie's time in Rainbow and Black Sabbath, but unfortunately those get short-changed a bit. I'm sure it's partly because of his cancer, and I'd bet Wendy and Mick had to construct a large part of this section themselves through notes, interviews, and their own memories of events. However, the shorter length isn't my only problem with this section - it also feels in some places more like an airing of grievances than a real telling of events. For example, much is made of Ritchie Blackmore's "my way or the highway" approach to Rainbow, constantly firing members and so on. Dio also takes a few digs at Ozzy Osbourne's singing ability in the section about Black Sabbath, and also makes it clear he blamed the other guys in Sabbath (particularly Tony Iommi) for their split, not himself. And then when it comes to Vivian Campbell's departure from Dio, both Ronnie and Wendy basically say "yeah we told him we were going to pay him more after a couple albums, but he was paid well and Ronnie was the band so Vivian was lucky to be here so too bad," although at least Ronnie heavily praises Campbell's playing at the same time. You have to expect a certain amount of this stuff in rock star biographies, but it's still not pleasant reading, and it really makes it clear that Dio himself was every bit as headstrong and stubborn as Blackmore or Iommi when it came to their bands.
I can't say how much of this is new information and how much was already known through interviews and such, since I've never been the type to really seek out and read those interviews. I will say though that the one thing that's made crystal clear is that Ronnie's musical passion and desire to succeed on his own terms was the driving force of his life and echoed through every moment of the book. It's a worthwhile read for any fan.
To explain a bit further: the book opens with a preface by Ronnie's widow Wendy, who explains the circumstances of the book. It seems that Dio started writing the book somewhere in the 2000s, before his cancer diagnosis, and regarded it as the first part of a longer story. It was apparently always his intention for the book to cover his early years and then conclude with his band headlining Madison Square Garden, which is the case. Because his cancer slowed the writing pace, the book had to be finished by Wendy and by their friend and writer Mick Wall. This was done in a couple ways: filling in some gaps by taking Ronnie's words from other sources such as interviews, as well as a bunch of comments by Wendy scattered throughout the book (which are clearly marked as her words rather than his). Apparently part of the reason for the delay in the book's completion is the time it took to sort through and organize the massive archive of material from years' worth of interviews, notes, and so on, which is perfectly understandable.
Because the book only goes up through the mid-1980s, it's necessarily front-loaded with details of Ronnie's early life. It was never going to cover topics such as his reunions with Black Sabbath, how he dealt with metal's fall from mainstream popularity during the 90s, or his struggle with cancer. But it's even more front-loaded than I expected. The first half of the book takes place entirely before the formation of Rainbow, the band that first brought Dio to prominence. A lot of time is spent with his early career stories, most of which was new to me and therefore quite interesting. Unfortunately, the downside is that everything to do with Rainbow, Black Sabbath, and his own band Dio is crammed into less than 120 pages.
I came into this book most excited to read about Ronnie's time in Rainbow and Black Sabbath, but unfortunately those get short-changed a bit. I'm sure it's partly because of his cancer, and I'd bet Wendy and Mick had to construct a large part of this section themselves through notes, interviews, and their own memories of events. However, the shorter length isn't my only problem with this section - it also feels in some places more like an airing of grievances than a real telling of events. For example, much is made of Ritchie Blackmore's "my way or the highway" approach to Rainbow, constantly firing members and so on. Dio also takes a few digs at Ozzy Osbourne's singing ability in the section about Black Sabbath, and also makes it clear he blamed the other guys in Sabbath (particularly Tony Iommi) for their split, not himself. And then when it comes to Vivian Campbell's departure from Dio, both Ronnie and Wendy basically say "yeah we told him we were going to pay him more after a couple albums, but he was paid well and Ronnie was the band so Vivian was lucky to be here so too bad," although at least Ronnie heavily praises Campbell's playing at the same time. You have to expect a certain amount of this stuff in rock star biographies, but it's still not pleasant reading, and it really makes it clear that Dio himself was every bit as headstrong and stubborn as Blackmore or Iommi when it came to their bands.
I can't say how much of this is new information and how much was already known through interviews and such, since I've never been the type to really seek out and read those interviews. I will say though that the one thing that's made crystal clear is that Ronnie's musical passion and desire to succeed on his own terms was the driving force of his life and echoed through every moment of the book. It's a worthwhile read for any fan.
July 16, 2021
This autobiography is an absolute treat for any Dio fan. Or music fan in general, since we get a lot of insight into how the music industry really works.
Despite Dio sadly passing away before finishing this book, the story feels very complete and cohesive. It's really interesting to see the chronological recount of his life. I personally didn't know many of the details explained in this biography and I feel like I now know Dio a lot better, which helps me enjoy his music even more.
The "chaos" (sex, drugs and rock and roll, right?) of the decades in which Dio and his different bands started their music career makes for really cool rock and roll stories as well. And the behind the scenes shenanigans are really interesting.
Obviously, it would have been fantastic to have Dio himself narrating this audiobook. However, the narrator was fantastic at performing his story. Very clear voice and engaging as well.
Thank you to NetGalley and Tantor Audio for providing me with an early copy of the audiobook.
Despite Dio sadly passing away before finishing this book, the story feels very complete and cohesive. It's really interesting to see the chronological recount of his life. I personally didn't know many of the details explained in this biography and I feel like I now know Dio a lot better, which helps me enjoy his music even more.
The "chaos" (sex, drugs and rock and roll, right?) of the decades in which Dio and his different bands started their music career makes for really cool rock and roll stories as well. And the behind the scenes shenanigans are really interesting.
Obviously, it would have been fantastic to have Dio himself narrating this audiobook. However, the narrator was fantastic at performing his story. Very clear voice and engaging as well.
Thank you to NetGalley and Tantor Audio for providing me with an early copy of the audiobook.
August 1, 2021
Right. I’ve been waiting a long time for this one. Nearly ten years, to be precise. Why so long, you ask? Apparently, Wendy Dio has taken quite a while coming to terms with the death of her former husband and co-author. Still, it’s been well worth the wait.
The consummate skills of Mick Wall have been employed to bring this biography to life. He is long-time friend of the Dios and author of acclaimed rock biographies such as ‘When Gods walked the Earth,’ and ‘Two Riders Were Approaching,’ (Led Zeppelin and Jimi Hendrix respectively.) As such, the prose is more straightforward and less surreal compared with the Led Zep bio, for example. The result is an impeccable narrative and Mr Wall brings Ronald Padavona’s story to life with great warmth and skill. The rough edges of RJD’s character are not glossed over, but are seen in the context of the singer’s relentless drive and ambition. He demanded much of himself, and of those around him.
As a longstanding devotee of Dio (ever since the late seventies,) the prospect of getting the authorised inside story to his remarkable career was long anticipated. I devoured the book in a couple of days and hardly stopped for breath. To be clear, this volume represents the first part of his life-story, up to his appearance at Madison Square Gardens during the mid-eighties – the pinnacle of his career, as he describes it. Will there be a part two? I certainly hope so.
I was pleased to see holes filled in RJD’s history that are not presented (to my knowledge) in any interview I’ve listened to or read before. So, you get a unique insight into his early years, and how he came to possess such a remarkable voice. This was, no doubt, partly due to genetics, but also learning how to breathe properly through four years perfecting his technique on the trumpet. The result was a lion’s roar of a voice that stood the test of time right up to the date of an untimely death in his late sixties.
Additional perspectives are gained from his side of the story regarding break-ups with Ritchie Blackmore, Tony Iommi and Vivian Campbell. What’s more, the reader gets the lowdown on that famed séance at the Chateau d’Herouville, where Rainbow recorded Long Live Rock n’ Roll, and allegedly witnessed the appearance of Baal.
There are other novel descriptions of Dio’s song writing and lyrical approach, re-inforcing my notion that his words can be interpreted in many different ways. Throughout it all, Dio’s voice, stage presence, attitude to life, philosophy and generous personality are revealed.
Dio hardly mentions his first wife. It would seem he was primarily married to the music – no surprise there! However, the relationship with his wife/manager, Wendy Dio, is laid out in great detail. There are segments written by Wendy herself, that add to, rather than detract from the story. As for pictures, ,some new ones are included from the Dio estate, along with others Dio fans will have seen elsewhere.
It doesn’t explicitly state that proceeds from the book go towards Dio’s Stand Up and Shout Cancer fund, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the charity benefits. It’s already raised over $2 million in the last ten years.
Rainbow in the Dark is not so much a rags-to-riches biography as a small beginnings-to- colossal musical achievements epic. Should you buy it? Absolutely. No Dio fan will be disappointed by this book. The Lion that is Dio will roar forever, so ride the tiger and enjoy!
The consummate skills of Mick Wall have been employed to bring this biography to life. He is long-time friend of the Dios and author of acclaimed rock biographies such as ‘When Gods walked the Earth,’ and ‘Two Riders Were Approaching,’ (Led Zeppelin and Jimi Hendrix respectively.) As such, the prose is more straightforward and less surreal compared with the Led Zep bio, for example. The result is an impeccable narrative and Mr Wall brings Ronald Padavona’s story to life with great warmth and skill. The rough edges of RJD’s character are not glossed over, but are seen in the context of the singer’s relentless drive and ambition. He demanded much of himself, and of those around him.
As a longstanding devotee of Dio (ever since the late seventies,) the prospect of getting the authorised inside story to his remarkable career was long anticipated. I devoured the book in a couple of days and hardly stopped for breath. To be clear, this volume represents the first part of his life-story, up to his appearance at Madison Square Gardens during the mid-eighties – the pinnacle of his career, as he describes it. Will there be a part two? I certainly hope so.
I was pleased to see holes filled in RJD’s history that are not presented (to my knowledge) in any interview I’ve listened to or read before. So, you get a unique insight into his early years, and how he came to possess such a remarkable voice. This was, no doubt, partly due to genetics, but also learning how to breathe properly through four years perfecting his technique on the trumpet. The result was a lion’s roar of a voice that stood the test of time right up to the date of an untimely death in his late sixties.
Additional perspectives are gained from his side of the story regarding break-ups with Ritchie Blackmore, Tony Iommi and Vivian Campbell. What’s more, the reader gets the lowdown on that famed séance at the Chateau d’Herouville, where Rainbow recorded Long Live Rock n’ Roll, and allegedly witnessed the appearance of Baal.
There are other novel descriptions of Dio’s song writing and lyrical approach, re-inforcing my notion that his words can be interpreted in many different ways. Throughout it all, Dio’s voice, stage presence, attitude to life, philosophy and generous personality are revealed.
Dio hardly mentions his first wife. It would seem he was primarily married to the music – no surprise there! However, the relationship with his wife/manager, Wendy Dio, is laid out in great detail. There are segments written by Wendy herself, that add to, rather than detract from the story. As for pictures, ,some new ones are included from the Dio estate, along with others Dio fans will have seen elsewhere.
It doesn’t explicitly state that proceeds from the book go towards Dio’s Stand Up and Shout Cancer fund, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the charity benefits. It’s already raised over $2 million in the last ten years.
Rainbow in the Dark is not so much a rags-to-riches biography as a small beginnings-to- colossal musical achievements epic. Should you buy it? Absolutely. No Dio fan will be disappointed by this book. The Lion that is Dio will roar forever, so ride the tiger and enjoy!
August 29, 2021
Opie and Anthony were Howard Stern for people that were too cool to listen to Howard Stern. The Shock Jocks of course had the morning commute radio hours as is custom for whichever show leads the station. This meant that I would miss the live show due to school and depending on what I did afterward only be able to catch the tail end of the replay if any at all. This pursuit led me to discover the radio show that followed O&A, which was Ron and Fez. These shows would also be replays by the time I was able to hunker down and listen to them but I became a true fan. I even frequented their message board religiously during this period. Some people have shows they watch on TV every week, I had this radio show every day. The four hours would carry me into the night.
It was on one of these nights that I fell asleep to Ron and Fez and was woken up by this heavy guitar riff. All of a sudden: "Johnny was a dark child. He was promised to us all. But riders in the night can lift you out of sight when they call."
The show was Eddie Trunk. The song, I would later learn, was "One Night In The City" by Dio.
I can proudly say that very shortly after this I bought almost the entire Dio collection from Tower Records.
I came across this book in a roundabout way. For some reason, articles from Ultimate Guitar show up in my phone's newsfeed. I don't play guitar. I also don't care that much about music anymore. What interested me on this particular day was an interview with Wendy Dio talking about Ronnie's autobiography. I don't listen to a lot of music. I very rarely put something on in the background. I'm very comfortable with silence. Despite all of that, I'm a sucker for biographies. There are some great music autobiographies. Scar Tissue by Anthony Kiedis. It's so Easy and other Lies by Duff McKagan.
Right away, I hated the cover. It's terrible. It reminds me of the scene in The Pick of Destiny when Dio is on a poster in Jack Black's bedroom and starts singing. I would have commissioned artwork to be done by the guy who drew his albums. Dio could appear alongside the demon who fans know as Murray. What we were given is a student's photoshop project. Cool if you are in third grade.
Dio reveals a lot about himself. It's surprising when I realize how quickly this book goes. Remember, Ronnie has been in three major bands. He'd been around forever. This was his entire life in book form. The time flew by while reading this. I suppose for Ronnie the time flew while experiencing it. For as much as he does share with us readers, he leaves a lot out. During times when he was experiencing band trouble, I began to wonder what isn't being said. Later on in the book, Wendy starts interjecting Ronnie's stories with her versions of events that happened or thoughts on bad blood between bandmates. She touches on things that Ronnie doesn't. For as much as I like Ronnie, I don't jive with his wife. There's kind of a cattiness that should have been left out of the book.
I wouldn't call Ronnie a perfect person. The sanitized version he portrays himself as is slightly disappointing. There's a very out-of-place moment when he mentions his first wife. He's suddenly revealed to be married in between talking about a band. Then his wife is never mentioned again. This frees him up for his pursuit of Wendy. We don't find out what happened to his first wife or any other details there. Again, a hole in the life of Dio. He was on the road for a huge amount of his life. He could have shared many stories. We get one or two hijinks and move on to the next big thing. There's simply too much. If I had the Dio book I wanted, it would probably be longer than Infinite Jest. I appreciate what we are given. People are fascinating creatures. To see Dio go from being forced to learn the trumpet to starting his first bands to getting big break after big break is inspiring. It doesn't matter where you are from. You can do it.
A crazy occurrence during Ronnie's life is how often he was involved in car crashes. It starts with Dio letting a friend of his drive his dad's car only for it to crash into a neighbor's house. Later there is a car-meets-mule scenario. The saddest part of the whole book comes from yet another accident that claimed the life of Ronnie's best friend and bandmate as well as severely injuring multiple other members of the band. Ronnie included. Who wasn't injured? The drunk driver who hit them. It would have been poetic in a sense for Ronnie to eventually die a car-related death.
He didn't. Cancer got him. But anyway.
I'm persistently uncomfortable by the way biographies and autobiographies end. It always seems abrupt. No slow fade out. Biographies usually have someone dying or moving on. Autobiographies just cut out. If I were to write my autobiography, I would end it with my death. Then I would hang myself. BUT WAIT you say. That's absolutely crazy. It is. But I'm saying, that's the only real ending to an autobiography because otherwise there's more left to be written and I don't like leaving off in the middle of a story. What is doubly surprising about Rainbow in the Dark is that we don't even get through all 10 Dio albums. We leave off around album four. There are two decades of material I'm missing here.
It's great to see relationships form between all of these epic people. Ronnie reveals himself to be a regular person and not the god of heavy metal that most people consider him as. Coming around after the fact, I wasn't privy to everything that went down with Ronnie replacing Ozzy in Black Sabbath or the reasons why Ritchie Blackmoore started Rainbow. Plenty of people probably are aware of all of this. It's kismet seeing how it all worked out. I never had a chance to see Dio perform live outside of youtube. This book is the closest I will ever get to the man whose voice woke me up and carried me through my teen years.
Devil horns for you brother!
It was on one of these nights that I fell asleep to Ron and Fez and was woken up by this heavy guitar riff. All of a sudden: "Johnny was a dark child. He was promised to us all. But riders in the night can lift you out of sight when they call."
The show was Eddie Trunk. The song, I would later learn, was "One Night In The City" by Dio.
I can proudly say that very shortly after this I bought almost the entire Dio collection from Tower Records.
I came across this book in a roundabout way. For some reason, articles from Ultimate Guitar show up in my phone's newsfeed. I don't play guitar. I also don't care that much about music anymore. What interested me on this particular day was an interview with Wendy Dio talking about Ronnie's autobiography. I don't listen to a lot of music. I very rarely put something on in the background. I'm very comfortable with silence. Despite all of that, I'm a sucker for biographies. There are some great music autobiographies. Scar Tissue by Anthony Kiedis. It's so Easy and other Lies by Duff McKagan.
Right away, I hated the cover. It's terrible. It reminds me of the scene in The Pick of Destiny when Dio is on a poster in Jack Black's bedroom and starts singing. I would have commissioned artwork to be done by the guy who drew his albums. Dio could appear alongside the demon who fans know as Murray. What we were given is a student's photoshop project. Cool if you are in third grade.
Dio reveals a lot about himself. It's surprising when I realize how quickly this book goes. Remember, Ronnie has been in three major bands. He'd been around forever. This was his entire life in book form. The time flew by while reading this. I suppose for Ronnie the time flew while experiencing it. For as much as he does share with us readers, he leaves a lot out. During times when he was experiencing band trouble, I began to wonder what isn't being said. Later on in the book, Wendy starts interjecting Ronnie's stories with her versions of events that happened or thoughts on bad blood between bandmates. She touches on things that Ronnie doesn't. For as much as I like Ronnie, I don't jive with his wife. There's kind of a cattiness that should have been left out of the book.
I wouldn't call Ronnie a perfect person. The sanitized version he portrays himself as is slightly disappointing. There's a very out-of-place moment when he mentions his first wife. He's suddenly revealed to be married in between talking about a band. Then his wife is never mentioned again. This frees him up for his pursuit of Wendy. We don't find out what happened to his first wife or any other details there. Again, a hole in the life of Dio. He was on the road for a huge amount of his life. He could have shared many stories. We get one or two hijinks and move on to the next big thing. There's simply too much. If I had the Dio book I wanted, it would probably be longer than Infinite Jest. I appreciate what we are given. People are fascinating creatures. To see Dio go from being forced to learn the trumpet to starting his first bands to getting big break after big break is inspiring. It doesn't matter where you are from. You can do it.
A crazy occurrence during Ronnie's life is how often he was involved in car crashes. It starts with Dio letting a friend of his drive his dad's car only for it to crash into a neighbor's house. Later there is a car-meets-mule scenario. The saddest part of the whole book comes from yet another accident that claimed the life of Ronnie's best friend and bandmate as well as severely injuring multiple other members of the band. Ronnie included. Who wasn't injured? The drunk driver who hit them. It would have been poetic in a sense for Ronnie to eventually die a car-related death.
He didn't. Cancer got him. But anyway.
I'm persistently uncomfortable by the way biographies and autobiographies end. It always seems abrupt. No slow fade out. Biographies usually have someone dying or moving on. Autobiographies just cut out. If I were to write my autobiography, I would end it with my death. Then I would hang myself. BUT WAIT you say. That's absolutely crazy. It is. But I'm saying, that's the only real ending to an autobiography because otherwise there's more left to be written and I don't like leaving off in the middle of a story. What is doubly surprising about Rainbow in the Dark is that we don't even get through all 10 Dio albums. We leave off around album four. There are two decades of material I'm missing here.
It's great to see relationships form between all of these epic people. Ronnie reveals himself to be a regular person and not the god of heavy metal that most people consider him as. Coming around after the fact, I wasn't privy to everything that went down with Ronnie replacing Ozzy in Black Sabbath or the reasons why Ritchie Blackmoore started Rainbow. Plenty of people probably are aware of all of this. It's kismet seeing how it all worked out. I never had a chance to see Dio perform live outside of youtube. This book is the closest I will ever get to the man whose voice woke me up and carried me through my teen years.
Devil horns for you brother!
August 31, 2021
Big fan. I have read many rock tones. This one was so overblown and full of BS. Very very one sided golden view of Dios life. Book even ends before he does. Cmon. Give us some dirt. Peel back the curtain. This book reads like a Wikipedia article written about and by someone. Boring. Read rob halfords book instead.
January 5, 2022
Pretty good up until the 11-years-dead Ronnie James starts complaining about his Dio bandmates wanting better deals by their third album. This late chunk of the story smacks of managerial and legal score-settling, tainting what was an otherwise decent read.
All that aside, I do hope there is a part two.
All that aside, I do hope there is a part two.
October 26, 2021
Wendy Dio says in the intro that it was Ronnie's intention to end this "first memoir" in 1986, so this book only covers up to Sacred Heart. It's arguable that that period has his best/highest-profile work, but as enjoyable as this is, it feels very truncated.
October 3, 2022
Viisi tähteä Ronnie James Diolle, kolme tähteä kirjalle ja kaksi tähteä suomennokselle.
Tavallaan Dion muistelmissa on kiehtovaa juuri se, ettei niitä ole rakennettu tarkan kolmenäytöksisen narratiivin varaan, kuten suurin osa omaelämäkerroista. Mutta uskollisuus kuolleen miehen tekstille aiheuttaa sen, että mukaan on valikoitunut aika paljon turhaakin materiaalia. Toisaalta kertoo miehestä paljon, etteivät pääsosassa ole huumeet ja bändärit, vaan lähinnä viattomat kepposet. Ainakin tätä lukijaa olisi kuitenkin kiinnostanut lukea enemmän Rainbow/Black Sabbath/Dio -ajasta kuin alkuvuosien muisteloista. Mutta siihen eivät toki kirjan toimittajat ole voineet mitenkään vaikuttaa, kun materiaali on mitä on. Sisällöllisesti yllätti, että Dio puhui niinkin rauhallisesti Blackmoresta ja kriittisesti Iommista, kun monista muista lähteistä kuva on ollut juuri päinvastainen.
Yleensä luen nämä alkuperäiskielellä, mutta nyt BookBeatista tuli suomennettu versio ja se kärsii samasta tönköstä käännöksestä kuin todella monet nykyiset Englanti-Suomi -käännökset. Jostain hahmosta kirjoitetaan, että "hän oli viileä" ja studioon mennään "leikkaamaan" (cut/nauhoittamaan) uusia biisejä. Jne. jne. Kääntäminen on vaikeaa, siitä aina propsit tekijälle, mutta harmittaa lukea kirjaa, kun tietää, että kaiken olisi voinut tehdä huolellisemmin.
Tavallaan Dion muistelmissa on kiehtovaa juuri se, ettei niitä ole rakennettu tarkan kolmenäytöksisen narratiivin varaan, kuten suurin osa omaelämäkerroista. Mutta uskollisuus kuolleen miehen tekstille aiheuttaa sen, että mukaan on valikoitunut aika paljon turhaakin materiaalia. Toisaalta kertoo miehestä paljon, etteivät pääsosassa ole huumeet ja bändärit, vaan lähinnä viattomat kepposet. Ainakin tätä lukijaa olisi kuitenkin kiinnostanut lukea enemmän Rainbow/Black Sabbath/Dio -ajasta kuin alkuvuosien muisteloista. Mutta siihen eivät toki kirjan toimittajat ole voineet mitenkään vaikuttaa, kun materiaali on mitä on. Sisällöllisesti yllätti, että Dio puhui niinkin rauhallisesti Blackmoresta ja kriittisesti Iommista, kun monista muista lähteistä kuva on ollut juuri päinvastainen.
Yleensä luen nämä alkuperäiskielellä, mutta nyt BookBeatista tuli suomennettu versio ja se kärsii samasta tönköstä käännöksestä kuin todella monet nykyiset Englanti-Suomi -käännökset. Jostain hahmosta kirjoitetaan, että "hän oli viileä" ja studioon mennään "leikkaamaan" (cut/nauhoittamaan) uusia biisejä. Jne. jne. Kääntäminen on vaikeaa, siitä aina propsit tekijälle, mutta harmittaa lukea kirjaa, kun tietää, että kaiken olisi voinut tehdä huolellisemmin.
January 18, 2022
Ronnie James Dio was a true hero in my youth. I was 15 when I attended a rock concert for the first time in 1983. On the stage stood he with his new band named after him, Dio. I loved the music he had created in Rainbow and Black Sabbath the previous years and I loved Dio. For me he is one of the greatest and most powerful singers ever. It felt like I lost an old friend when he died of cancer in 2010.
The Autobiography is a very good read. Almost the first half covers the years I don't know very well, before he teamed up with Ritchie Blackmore to create Rainbow in 1975. The years when he first was a trumpetist, then took up the bass guitar and later was both a bass player and singer, in unsuccessful bands. Things turned when his band, Elf, was support for Deep Purple in the early 70s. Ritchie Blackmore left Purple and built Rainbow with four members from Elf.
Then the reader can enjoy a thoroughly written story about the years with eccentric personalities like Ritchie Blackmore in Rainbow and Tony Iommi in Black Sabbath. There is room for a love story as we get to know Dio's life companion, Wendy, who was his wife for 36 years until his death and his manager.
The ups and downs in his life and career makes this an entertaining and emotional story.
The Autobiography is a very good read. Almost the first half covers the years I don't know very well, before he teamed up with Ritchie Blackmore to create Rainbow in 1975. The years when he first was a trumpetist, then took up the bass guitar and later was both a bass player and singer, in unsuccessful bands. Things turned when his band, Elf, was support for Deep Purple in the early 70s. Ritchie Blackmore left Purple and built Rainbow with four members from Elf.
Then the reader can enjoy a thoroughly written story about the years with eccentric personalities like Ritchie Blackmore in Rainbow and Tony Iommi in Black Sabbath. There is room for a love story as we get to know Dio's life companion, Wendy, who was his wife for 36 years until his death and his manager.
The ups and downs in his life and career makes this an entertaining and emotional story.
August 29, 2021
I knew of Ronnie James Dio but I didn't know much about him. I also don't care that much for the music he was involved in but that doesn't mean you can't enjoy an autobiography of course.
And I enjoyed reading this one. It's nothing spectacular but it's okay. The thing is, Ronnie James Dio, seemed like a decent, level headed, guy. There isn't too much drama in here. Of course there were ups and downs but overall it seems like Dio lived a fairly tranquil life.
The writing was fairly straight forward and, as often with autobiographies, the story did feel a bit cleaned up. I was left thinking maybe not everything was laid out on the table.
It must be said, the autobiography ends in the mid-eighties so there's definitely much more to tell. If that last part of his life ever gets put on paper I'd definitely be interested in reading that, knowing the real struggles of Ronnie James Dio's life were still ahead.
And I enjoyed reading this one. It's nothing spectacular but it's okay. The thing is, Ronnie James Dio, seemed like a decent, level headed, guy. There isn't too much drama in here. Of course there were ups and downs but overall it seems like Dio lived a fairly tranquil life.
The writing was fairly straight forward and, as often with autobiographies, the story did feel a bit cleaned up. I was left thinking maybe not everything was laid out on the table.
It must be said, the autobiography ends in the mid-eighties so there's definitely much more to tell. If that last part of his life ever gets put on paper I'd definitely be interested in reading that, knowing the real struggles of Ronnie James Dio's life were still ahead.
December 31, 2021
Great but ultimately short book on the life and career of Ronnie James Dio up until the mid 80s.
The earliest days are beautifully fleshed out with many anecdotes from Ronnie's youth, however the Rainbow years and covered far too quickly while the Sabbath years almost feel as though they were added as a matter of course.
I suspect perhaps Ronnie didn't write as much material for these eras and maybe Mick Wall had to fill in the blanks a bit with these.
Still there's plenty of stories and tales I'd never heard before so it's definitely worth a read for the passionate Dio fan.
The earliest days are beautifully fleshed out with many anecdotes from Ronnie's youth, however the Rainbow years and covered far too quickly while the Sabbath years almost feel as though they were added as a matter of course.
I suspect perhaps Ronnie didn't write as much material for these eras and maybe Mick Wall had to fill in the blanks a bit with these.
Still there's plenty of stories and tales I'd never heard before so it's definitely worth a read for the passionate Dio fan.
March 11, 2023
The all time greatest heavy metal vocalist wrote a book about himself.
A very fascinating and inspiring story about a man whose career spanned the entire breadth of Rock n’ Roll music. From the fifties to the 21st century. All the “dirt”, the triumphs, and insight into songs that changed the way I viewed music and art in general. Strongly recommend it to all fans of Dio’s music and anyone who loves a good rock music tell-all.
A very fascinating and inspiring story about a man whose career spanned the entire breadth of Rock n’ Roll music. From the fifties to the 21st century. All the “dirt”, the triumphs, and insight into songs that changed the way I viewed music and art in general. Strongly recommend it to all fans of Dio’s music and anyone who loves a good rock music tell-all.
February 17, 2023
I mean, Dio in his own words. It slipped under my radar when it came out. Chronicles his life up to '86 with focus on the incredible run of work from "Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow" through "Sacred Heart," which is probably the best 10-year run of anyone in heavy metal, right? At least close. Anyway, a great, quick rock autobiography of one of my favorites. Check it out on Hoopla.
September 4, 2021
Loved it. Sure, it would have been nice to hear more personal details (he did have a son, right?) or take the story further than the mid 80’s, but listening to Dio’s journey in music from the 50’s on was incredible. His early groups and early tragedies, joining and exiting Rainbow and Black Sabbath, and of course Dio, were all fascinating. Imagine young Ronnie Dio stealing cars or playing trumpet on stage.
SPOILER: He all but admits promises were made to Vivian Campbell that weren’t kept.
SPOILER: He all but admits promises were made to Vivian Campbell that weren’t kept.
December 30, 2021
3.5 out of 5. A good read but it kinda ends abruptly.
February 7, 2022
I love a good biography and this one ranks in my top five. Dio's story is hugely entertaining and his writing is both humorous and candid.
July 27, 2021
I wrote this review for MetalTalk
In my favourite TV series, White Collar, one of the characters says that if you want a happy ending, it depends when you end the story.
And Rainbow in the Dark, a collection of memoirs by Ronnie James Dio, edited by his wife, Wendy, and renowned music writer Mick Wall, starts when Ronnie is six years old, and ends at exactly the right place, just as Dio headline Madison Square Garden in June 1986 on their Sacred Heart tour, a time argued by many to be the height of Ronnie’s commercial success.
Interestingly, May 1986 was the first time I ever saw Dio, in Hannover, West Germany, also on the Sacred Heart tour.
And it was an amazing show.
Although complied into seventeen chapters, you could easily divide the book into four parts: Ronnie’s early life up to Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, and then Dio.
Ronnie’s narrative starts at the end, if you like, at Madison Square Garden, just before Dio’s headline concert starts, and it’s a statement of achievement, actualisation, of having done what he’d said he’d do twenty-five years earlier, and it sets the scene for the book, which tells us exactly how Ronnie got there.
And exactly is the right word. Ronnie seems to have been an absolute machine at writing notes about his past, because it’s all recounted as though it just happened. We read about how, at his father’s insistence, Ronnie started playing the trumpet at age six. The breathing techniques he learned went on to make a big difference as he became a singer. You can also see how his father’s discipline, work ethic and perfectionism rubbed off on him, qualities we’ve all known or read about that relate directly to Ronnie himself. We also learn the origin of the Devil’s Horn sign, which his grandmother used all the time.
And of course, Ronnie’s rich Italian American heritage is evident right through the book, but especially so at the start. You could easily imagine Robert De Niro or Joe Pesci reading the narrative. As Ronnie is introduced to rock ‘n’ roll and the blues, he learns there is more to music than his classical lessons, and in a slightly dangerous move, he changed his name to Ronnie Dio, Mafia Musician, after Johnny Dio, the real Mafia boss. And he was real too. Ronnie had several near misses when members of the mob came looking for Johnny’s musician nephew. Thankfully for all of us metal fans, they never found him.
And Ronnie’s survivability is no more apparent in the number of car crashes, and later aircraft belly landing incidents that he walked away from. Some of these episodes were tinged with tragedy, one involving a drunk driver who killed Ronnie’s then-guitarist, Nick Pantas.
The next few chapters take the reader on an aspirational, never-quit journey as Ronnie took up the bass guitar and sought fame and fortune with The Vegas Kings, then Ronnie and the Red Caps. At that time, he also dropped out of university and joined a gang called The Angels.
You can tell by the way Ronnie writes, talks, the musicians he’s worked with, or if you’ve ever seen or heard one of his interviews, that he was a real anglophile. And that influence started with the Beatles. Ronnie wasn’t alone in wanting to be like them and he developed a real appreciation of British sound of the sixties. At that time Ronnie and the Red Caps were then renamed to Ronnie Dio and the Prophets and it’s then that musicians who would later become Elf and also the first incarnation of Rainbow started to come into Ronnie’s life.
As Ronnie Dio and the Prophets changed into Electric Elves, then shortened to The Elves, the death of guitarists Nick Pantas hardened the band’s resolve to succeed. By this point they were touring in support of major stars and really getting a taste of the rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle, as well as honing their own skills as musicians. But it wasn’t until Doug Thaler left the band that the rest of them basically had to think for themselves. Their own influences and musical styles came through and they became a hard rock band, in keeping with the musical fashion of the time. In 1971 they changed their name to Elf and Ronnie’s voice became more gravelly and like the one we’re all used to hearing. It wasn’t long after then that the connections that changed Ronnie’s life were made. Elf were signed to Purple Records, and when they weren’t making records, they were supporting Deep Purple on tour. It was a real learning time for Ronnie, who also writes about Elf opening for Alice Cooper if there were three bands on the bill, and how the Alice Cooper live show influenced the Dio sets in the 80’s. Having seen Dio in the 80’s and Alice Cooper a lot more recently, the big stage show, lots of effects, and really giving the crowd some bang for their buck is something that Dio and Alice Cooper can both be quite happily accused of.
At this point Ronnie’s narrative becomes very quirkily quasi-English. At the time Elf made their second album at Richard Branson’s Manor Studio, the band spent a lot of time in the UK and the culture really rubbed off on Ronnie. It wasn’t superficial either. How many Americans have heard or even use the term quid, liked watching Fawlty Towers, know about pubs and ale or what Stella’s nickname is? Ronnie James Dio did.
But by the time Elf’s third album was in the can, things were changing. Ritchie Blackmore was looking to leave Deep Purple, Ronnie jammed with Ritchie, and what started as a guest recording on a few songs turned into the formation of Rainbow.
Or maybe that was always Ritchie’s plan. According to Ronnie, who knew him as well as anyone, you could never quite be sure. And if you were in Rainbow but weren’t Ritchie Blackmore, you could never be sure when you’d be fired either. And so it was with the three other Elf members Ronnie brought with him. Rainbow became a seismic collection of immense talent, but none of it stayed around for very long. As Ritchie used to say, keep it fresh.
But the experience for Ronnie was huge. Up until that point, it was good times and rock ‘n’ roll. But with the coming together of Ritchie and Ronnie, for a while at least, their stars were aligned, they both wanted to develop and play the same kind of music, and the combination of two such vast talents was colossal.
Ronnie also takes the time to mention how he met Wendy, his wife, and how the song Rainbow Eyes was about her. Wendy also adds to the narrative with her take on how they met and got together.
While Ronnie and Ritchie were very close, and actually needed each other musically, Ronnie pulls no punches with his candid description of Ritchie’s practical jokes and wicked sense of humour. What they both had in common though, was perfectionism, and for a time, the same musical vision. It was that shared belief and driving talent that brought us three amazing studio albums, including Rising, an absolute monster of an album, even now.
Unfortunately though, Ritchie’s penchant for getting shot of his band members like they were belt-fed ammo had its drawbacks, and Ronnie describes the delays in getting replacements, meaning their 1977 US tour was postponed, which may well have lessened the impact they could have made.
If any Rainbow fans ever wondered what the cryptic note ‘no thanks to Baal’ meant on the sleeve of Long Live Rock ‘n’ Roll, Ronnie’s last album with Rainbow, Ronnie tells all, citing stories of very strange goings on at a creepy French chateau where the album was made.
There are also some real pub quiz nuggets also thrown out about the songs on Ronnie’s last album with Rainbow. I’d vaguely heard that LA connection was something to do with Tony Carey, and here Ronnie gives all the details, but who knew that Kill the King was actually about chess? Dio fans out there, and I count myself as one, be prepared to learn loads about the man and his work in this book.
Like the time he was hit onstage by a bottle thrown at him, got his head stitched and then came back on to finish the set, no football-player histrionics for this guy.
For as long as Ronnie and Ritchie were following the same script, they made a formidable combination, but once Ritchie sought more commercial success, Ronnie bailed, choosing to jump before he was pushed. In singing for Rainbow, a fundamental of Ronnie’s personality was laid down: he played his music his way, but unlike Ritchie, commercial success was secondary to the music.
Fine principles, but it sent Ronnie straight into unemployed homelessness. Despite Rainbow Rising, despite being part a world class band for three amazing studio albums and an absolutely seminal live one, there was no rock star pay cheque waiting for him, and no royalties. So with Wendy now as his manager, they headed to LA with little more than hope and belief.
Given what was to follow, it’s almost unbelievable that it was Wendy’s connections with Sharon Arden, soon to be Sharon Osbourne, that got Ronnie the contact with Tony Iommi and a spot as Ozzy’s replacement in Black Sabbath. Cue the stand out moment for me in this book as Ronnie is arrested for his one and only use of cocaine, and he gets such a monumental thunder-bollocking by Wendy that even the police were impressed.
There’s also lots of insights throughout the book about the management machinations that follow every band, although the fans don’t always get to see it. The convoluted dealings and motivations of the suits are almost a soap opera in itself, although the hard business sense coming into conflict with the musical creativity would probably come as no surprise to most music fans.
Ronnie also gives the final line in the Devil’s Horns story, from where it stuck in his mind having seen his grandmother use the sign all the time, to wanting a way to connect with the Sabbath fans, to let them know he wasn’t just a session man, that he had something to offer them.
So he used the horns.
And you can say what you want, but they’re a part of metal folklore now.
Much like Heaven and Hell is, and it’s hard to over-estimate just how important the album was for Black Sabbath. Or how unbelievably good it still is. Over the years, Ronnie has consistently said that Black Sabbath was his favourite band, and in the book he’s even more emphatic, saying that if they’d kept the line-up together they’d have been the biggest band in the world. Given the resurgence of heavy metal at the time, there would be few detractors.
But just like Rainbow, although for entirely different reasons, a line-up that oozed sheer talent and chemistry didn’t, wouldn’t, or even, tragically, couldn’t last. There was history and baggage from years before to contend with, and while it just about survived Bill Ward’s departure, the long term damage was done. In helping Black Sabbath on the publicity and interview front it had the unintended action of fuelling suspicions that Ronnie wanted to take over the band. After the tour in support of the album, Mob Rules, it quickly turned sour, and by the time Live Evil was being mixed, the oft-repeated stories about who was sneaking into the studio at night to alter the mix started circulating. Ronnie denies this and his own assessment of Live Evil is a lot of overdubs and very little crowd noise, both good points. Having said that, it remains for me one of my favourite live albums.
Ronnie poignantly described what could have been, and expressed real regret at what, looking back, seems an utterly banal reason for an argument, but actually turned out to be why he left Black Sabbath.
But it was what it was, Ronnie was out of Black Sabbath and back to square one. Albeit a world renowned singer back to square one and looking for a band. This time though, Ronnie didn’t take any chances. This was going to be his band, his way, and no way was anyone telling him what to do. It was a big gamble, and Ronnie was reminded of the chance Ritchie took when he started Rainbow. Unlike Rainbow, Ronnie and Wendy emphatically point out that all band members were regularly paid and also got their royalties, a subject that has been talked about on both sides of the argument ad infinitum ever since.
And if you want to know about Jake E Lee’s involvement in the embryonic Dio stages, look no further than this book. You won’t believe how he got the gig with Ozzy.
The Mark one Dio line up of Ronnie, Vivian Cambell, Jimmy Bain and Vinnie Appice was absolutely corrosive. The huge success of their first album, Holy Diver, has been well documented and its position as an all-time classic heavy metal album is assured. It was exactly what Ronnie needed, but even he was probably surprised at the hugely positive reception it received. Although it was no chance thing, and Wendy’s astute management skills ensured that the album’s release was known about by all the right people, as were the live shows.
After The Last in Line album and tour, which for my money was better than Holy Diver, Ronnie describes the band being straight into the studio to record their third album, Sacred Heart. He talks in great detail about the developing rift with Vivian, which ultimately left to his departure during the Sacred Heart tour, and his replacement, Craig Goldy.
I think most of us would agree that as an album, Sacred Heart was good, although it didn’t quite hit exactly the same spot as the two previous albums. But the tour was an absolutely different story altogether. It was my first metal concert in May 1986 and it’s still the most memorable. A ruined castle, lasers, a fire breathing dragon, it was amazing. And that’s before you chuck five on-fire talented musicians into the mix. Ronnie describes how he’d been thinking about the whole concept for a long time, and he wanted everything to be perfect. Well, I had no complaints, that was for sure.
The Hear ‘n’ Aid project which Vivian took part in, but was released after he left the band also gets a mention, and Ronnie is effusive about the selfless contribution by the metal community to a famine relief single and album. If you’ve never heard it, I seriously recommend the extended version of the single, Stars.
Which then takes the reader full circle, and the night before Dio headline Madison Square Garden. It’s a musical journey which Ronnie started as a passenger but ended entirely on his terms, and none of it was easy.
But I daresay he wouldn’t have had it any other way.
In my favourite TV series, White Collar, one of the characters says that if you want a happy ending, it depends when you end the story.
And Rainbow in the Dark, a collection of memoirs by Ronnie James Dio, edited by his wife, Wendy, and renowned music writer Mick Wall, starts when Ronnie is six years old, and ends at exactly the right place, just as Dio headline Madison Square Garden in June 1986 on their Sacred Heart tour, a time argued by many to be the height of Ronnie’s commercial success.
Interestingly, May 1986 was the first time I ever saw Dio, in Hannover, West Germany, also on the Sacred Heart tour.
And it was an amazing show.
Although complied into seventeen chapters, you could easily divide the book into four parts: Ronnie’s early life up to Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, and then Dio.
Ronnie’s narrative starts at the end, if you like, at Madison Square Garden, just before Dio’s headline concert starts, and it’s a statement of achievement, actualisation, of having done what he’d said he’d do twenty-five years earlier, and it sets the scene for the book, which tells us exactly how Ronnie got there.
And exactly is the right word. Ronnie seems to have been an absolute machine at writing notes about his past, because it’s all recounted as though it just happened. We read about how, at his father’s insistence, Ronnie started playing the trumpet at age six. The breathing techniques he learned went on to make a big difference as he became a singer. You can also see how his father’s discipline, work ethic and perfectionism rubbed off on him, qualities we’ve all known or read about that relate directly to Ronnie himself. We also learn the origin of the Devil’s Horn sign, which his grandmother used all the time.
And of course, Ronnie’s rich Italian American heritage is evident right through the book, but especially so at the start. You could easily imagine Robert De Niro or Joe Pesci reading the narrative. As Ronnie is introduced to rock ‘n’ roll and the blues, he learns there is more to music than his classical lessons, and in a slightly dangerous move, he changed his name to Ronnie Dio, Mafia Musician, after Johnny Dio, the real Mafia boss. And he was real too. Ronnie had several near misses when members of the mob came looking for Johnny’s musician nephew. Thankfully for all of us metal fans, they never found him.
And Ronnie’s survivability is no more apparent in the number of car crashes, and later aircraft belly landing incidents that he walked away from. Some of these episodes were tinged with tragedy, one involving a drunk driver who killed Ronnie’s then-guitarist, Nick Pantas.
The next few chapters take the reader on an aspirational, never-quit journey as Ronnie took up the bass guitar and sought fame and fortune with The Vegas Kings, then Ronnie and the Red Caps. At that time, he also dropped out of university and joined a gang called The Angels.
You can tell by the way Ronnie writes, talks, the musicians he’s worked with, or if you’ve ever seen or heard one of his interviews, that he was a real anglophile. And that influence started with the Beatles. Ronnie wasn’t alone in wanting to be like them and he developed a real appreciation of British sound of the sixties. At that time Ronnie and the Red Caps were then renamed to Ronnie Dio and the Prophets and it’s then that musicians who would later become Elf and also the first incarnation of Rainbow started to come into Ronnie’s life.
As Ronnie Dio and the Prophets changed into Electric Elves, then shortened to The Elves, the death of guitarists Nick Pantas hardened the band’s resolve to succeed. By this point they were touring in support of major stars and really getting a taste of the rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle, as well as honing their own skills as musicians. But it wasn’t until Doug Thaler left the band that the rest of them basically had to think for themselves. Their own influences and musical styles came through and they became a hard rock band, in keeping with the musical fashion of the time. In 1971 they changed their name to Elf and Ronnie’s voice became more gravelly and like the one we’re all used to hearing. It wasn’t long after then that the connections that changed Ronnie’s life were made. Elf were signed to Purple Records, and when they weren’t making records, they were supporting Deep Purple on tour. It was a real learning time for Ronnie, who also writes about Elf opening for Alice Cooper if there were three bands on the bill, and how the Alice Cooper live show influenced the Dio sets in the 80’s. Having seen Dio in the 80’s and Alice Cooper a lot more recently, the big stage show, lots of effects, and really giving the crowd some bang for their buck is something that Dio and Alice Cooper can both be quite happily accused of.
At this point Ronnie’s narrative becomes very quirkily quasi-English. At the time Elf made their second album at Richard Branson’s Manor Studio, the band spent a lot of time in the UK and the culture really rubbed off on Ronnie. It wasn’t superficial either. How many Americans have heard or even use the term quid, liked watching Fawlty Towers, know about pubs and ale or what Stella’s nickname is? Ronnie James Dio did.
But by the time Elf’s third album was in the can, things were changing. Ritchie Blackmore was looking to leave Deep Purple, Ronnie jammed with Ritchie, and what started as a guest recording on a few songs turned into the formation of Rainbow.
Or maybe that was always Ritchie’s plan. According to Ronnie, who knew him as well as anyone, you could never quite be sure. And if you were in Rainbow but weren’t Ritchie Blackmore, you could never be sure when you’d be fired either. And so it was with the three other Elf members Ronnie brought with him. Rainbow became a seismic collection of immense talent, but none of it stayed around for very long. As Ritchie used to say, keep it fresh.
But the experience for Ronnie was huge. Up until that point, it was good times and rock ‘n’ roll. But with the coming together of Ritchie and Ronnie, for a while at least, their stars were aligned, they both wanted to develop and play the same kind of music, and the combination of two such vast talents was colossal.
Ronnie also takes the time to mention how he met Wendy, his wife, and how the song Rainbow Eyes was about her. Wendy also adds to the narrative with her take on how they met and got together.
While Ronnie and Ritchie were very close, and actually needed each other musically, Ronnie pulls no punches with his candid description of Ritchie’s practical jokes and wicked sense of humour. What they both had in common though, was perfectionism, and for a time, the same musical vision. It was that shared belief and driving talent that brought us three amazing studio albums, including Rising, an absolute monster of an album, even now.
Unfortunately though, Ritchie’s penchant for getting shot of his band members like they were belt-fed ammo had its drawbacks, and Ronnie describes the delays in getting replacements, meaning their 1977 US tour was postponed, which may well have lessened the impact they could have made.
If any Rainbow fans ever wondered what the cryptic note ‘no thanks to Baal’ meant on the sleeve of Long Live Rock ‘n’ Roll, Ronnie’s last album with Rainbow, Ronnie tells all, citing stories of very strange goings on at a creepy French chateau where the album was made.
There are also some real pub quiz nuggets also thrown out about the songs on Ronnie’s last album with Rainbow. I’d vaguely heard that LA connection was something to do with Tony Carey, and here Ronnie gives all the details, but who knew that Kill the King was actually about chess? Dio fans out there, and I count myself as one, be prepared to learn loads about the man and his work in this book.
Like the time he was hit onstage by a bottle thrown at him, got his head stitched and then came back on to finish the set, no football-player histrionics for this guy.
For as long as Ronnie and Ritchie were following the same script, they made a formidable combination, but once Ritchie sought more commercial success, Ronnie bailed, choosing to jump before he was pushed. In singing for Rainbow, a fundamental of Ronnie’s personality was laid down: he played his music his way, but unlike Ritchie, commercial success was secondary to the music.
Fine principles, but it sent Ronnie straight into unemployed homelessness. Despite Rainbow Rising, despite being part a world class band for three amazing studio albums and an absolutely seminal live one, there was no rock star pay cheque waiting for him, and no royalties. So with Wendy now as his manager, they headed to LA with little more than hope and belief.
Given what was to follow, it’s almost unbelievable that it was Wendy’s connections with Sharon Arden, soon to be Sharon Osbourne, that got Ronnie the contact with Tony Iommi and a spot as Ozzy’s replacement in Black Sabbath. Cue the stand out moment for me in this book as Ronnie is arrested for his one and only use of cocaine, and he gets such a monumental thunder-bollocking by Wendy that even the police were impressed.
There’s also lots of insights throughout the book about the management machinations that follow every band, although the fans don’t always get to see it. The convoluted dealings and motivations of the suits are almost a soap opera in itself, although the hard business sense coming into conflict with the musical creativity would probably come as no surprise to most music fans.
Ronnie also gives the final line in the Devil’s Horns story, from where it stuck in his mind having seen his grandmother use the sign all the time, to wanting a way to connect with the Sabbath fans, to let them know he wasn’t just a session man, that he had something to offer them.
So he used the horns.
And you can say what you want, but they’re a part of metal folklore now.
Much like Heaven and Hell is, and it’s hard to over-estimate just how important the album was for Black Sabbath. Or how unbelievably good it still is. Over the years, Ronnie has consistently said that Black Sabbath was his favourite band, and in the book he’s even more emphatic, saying that if they’d kept the line-up together they’d have been the biggest band in the world. Given the resurgence of heavy metal at the time, there would be few detractors.
But just like Rainbow, although for entirely different reasons, a line-up that oozed sheer talent and chemistry didn’t, wouldn’t, or even, tragically, couldn’t last. There was history and baggage from years before to contend with, and while it just about survived Bill Ward’s departure, the long term damage was done. In helping Black Sabbath on the publicity and interview front it had the unintended action of fuelling suspicions that Ronnie wanted to take over the band. After the tour in support of the album, Mob Rules, it quickly turned sour, and by the time Live Evil was being mixed, the oft-repeated stories about who was sneaking into the studio at night to alter the mix started circulating. Ronnie denies this and his own assessment of Live Evil is a lot of overdubs and very little crowd noise, both good points. Having said that, it remains for me one of my favourite live albums.
Ronnie poignantly described what could have been, and expressed real regret at what, looking back, seems an utterly banal reason for an argument, but actually turned out to be why he left Black Sabbath.
But it was what it was, Ronnie was out of Black Sabbath and back to square one. Albeit a world renowned singer back to square one and looking for a band. This time though, Ronnie didn’t take any chances. This was going to be his band, his way, and no way was anyone telling him what to do. It was a big gamble, and Ronnie was reminded of the chance Ritchie took when he started Rainbow. Unlike Rainbow, Ronnie and Wendy emphatically point out that all band members were regularly paid and also got their royalties, a subject that has been talked about on both sides of the argument ad infinitum ever since.
And if you want to know about Jake E Lee’s involvement in the embryonic Dio stages, look no further than this book. You won’t believe how he got the gig with Ozzy.
The Mark one Dio line up of Ronnie, Vivian Cambell, Jimmy Bain and Vinnie Appice was absolutely corrosive. The huge success of their first album, Holy Diver, has been well documented and its position as an all-time classic heavy metal album is assured. It was exactly what Ronnie needed, but even he was probably surprised at the hugely positive reception it received. Although it was no chance thing, and Wendy’s astute management skills ensured that the album’s release was known about by all the right people, as were the live shows.
After The Last in Line album and tour, which for my money was better than Holy Diver, Ronnie describes the band being straight into the studio to record their third album, Sacred Heart. He talks in great detail about the developing rift with Vivian, which ultimately left to his departure during the Sacred Heart tour, and his replacement, Craig Goldy.
I think most of us would agree that as an album, Sacred Heart was good, although it didn’t quite hit exactly the same spot as the two previous albums. But the tour was an absolutely different story altogether. It was my first metal concert in May 1986 and it’s still the most memorable. A ruined castle, lasers, a fire breathing dragon, it was amazing. And that’s before you chuck five on-fire talented musicians into the mix. Ronnie describes how he’d been thinking about the whole concept for a long time, and he wanted everything to be perfect. Well, I had no complaints, that was for sure.
The Hear ‘n’ Aid project which Vivian took part in, but was released after he left the band also gets a mention, and Ronnie is effusive about the selfless contribution by the metal community to a famine relief single and album. If you’ve never heard it, I seriously recommend the extended version of the single, Stars.
Which then takes the reader full circle, and the night before Dio headline Madison Square Garden. It’s a musical journey which Ronnie started as a passenger but ended entirely on his terms, and none of it was easy.
But I daresay he wouldn’t have had it any other way.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 18, 2023
The world is full of kings and queens
Who blind your eyes and steal your dreams
It's Heaven and Hell.
Who blind your eyes and steal your dreams
It's Heaven and Hell.
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