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Also know as
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Dio, Ronnie James, Ronald James Padovana, Black Sabbath, Ronald Padavona, Dio, Ronnie Dio, Ronald James Padavona, Roni Džejms Dio
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Ronnie James Dio, was an Italian-American rock and heavy metal vocalist and songwriter. He performed with, among others, 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 music, renowned for his consistently powerful voice. His powerful, operatic voice was called on by many rock groups for songs on their albums. Kerry Livgren called on Ronnie to record two songs on his solo album "Seeds of Change"," Mask of the Deceiver" and "To Live for the King." These songs showcase two of Ronnie's many great vocal abilities, his great timbre and vocal thickness on "Mask of the Deceiver" and his soft operatic singing on to "To Live for the King." Roger Glover of Deep Purple called on Ronnie for "Sitting in a Dream" and " Love is All" from the Butterfly Ball and Grasshoppers Feast" album, which found Dio singing in a orchestral setting. Dio's unique vocal abilities allowed him a great range of styles from 50's Doo Wop and Orchestral to his better known Heavy Metal style. He is credited with popularizing the "metal horns" hand gesture in metal culture. Before his death, he was collaborating on a project with former Black Sabbath bandmates Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Vinny Appice, under the moniker Heaven & Hell, whose only studio album, The Devil You Know, was released on April 28, 2009. Dio died of stomach cancer on May 16, 2010 at St. Joseph's Hospital in Burbank, CA. One of the last songs he recorded was titled "Metal Will Never Die". Ronnie James Dio has sold over 47 million copies of albums with all of the bands he has worked with.
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