Look out! 14 of Ronnie James Dio’s greatest vocal performances
It’s been fourteen years since the great Ronald James Padavona (better known to the metal masses by his stage name Ronnie James Dio) left this planet, and things have never been the same. Though he only stood 5’4” tall, Ronnie was a truly titanic figure in the world of heavy metal, and one who left a mark on the genre like few before him (or since, for that matter). He is almost universally recognized as one of the greatest metal vocalists of all time, with a career spanning over fifty years that saw him front not just one but three legendary bands. Whether it was his early doo-wop days in the late fifties/early sixties, his late sixties psychedelic work with the Electric Elves/The Elves/Elf, his explosive introduction to the metal world via his work with Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow, his success in the nearly impossible task (for anyone else) of replacing Ozzy Osbourne in Black Sabbath, or his always consistent output with his solo band Dio, Ronnie was a singer who truly could do it all. Let’s take a look at some of his best vocal performances:
1. RONNIE AND THE RED CAPS - “An Angel Is Missing” (1960)
Ronnie started his musical career at the age of five playing trumpet, but eventually switched to bass guitar when he discovered rock n’ roll in high school. It was in high school that he formed his first band called The Vegas Kings. They soon changed their name to Ronnie And The Red Caps and released a single in 1958 called “Conquest.” That song featured Ronnie on bass guitar only. However, in 1960, the band released their second single, a doo-wop song featuring a still teen-aged Ronnie on lead vocals called “An Angel Is Missing.” Though not a hit on the charts, it’s the first official recording to feature Ronnie’s voice…and what a voice! Right from the get-go, it was clear that Ronnie had a gift, and though he was still in his late teens at the time, he clearly could hold his own against the popular crooners of the day. Someone hearing this for the first time today, not knowing who the lead vocalist was, could easily mistake this for an obscure track by Dion and The Belmonts or any other popular Italian American vocal group from that period. One other significant fact about this record: it was around this time that Ronnie began using the stage name Ronnie Dio (inspired by Italian-American organized crime figure John “Johhny Dio” Dioguardi), and the record was officially released under the name Ronnie Dio & The Red Caps. Who could’ve predicted that the name “Dio” would loom so large in the annals of a form of music that hadn’t even been invented yet?
2. RITCHIE BLACMORE’S RAINBOW - “Man On The Silver Mountain” (1975)
Ronnie Dio & The Red Caps eventually became Ronnie Dio & The Prophets, which morphed into the Electric Elves in 1967. That name was soon shortened to the Elves a year later. When they finally released their first self-titled album in 1972, it was under the name Elf. The album was produced by Roger Glover, bass player for Deep Purple, who had seen Elf perform at a club in January of ’72. Elf was soon regularly opening for Deep Purple, and that’s when Ronnie’s voice attracted the attention of Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore. All was not well in Purple land at the time, and Ritchie was looking to record a solo record and asked Ronnie to sing on it. At first, it was just supposed to be a solo Blackmore single, with Ronnie singing and his Elf bandmate Gary Driscoll on drums. But by 1975, Ritchie had quit Deep Purple and had decided to expand the solo single into a full album. Along with Ronnie and Gary, he recruited the rest of Elf as his backing band (minus guitarist Steve Edwards, because, well, when you’re Ritchie Blackmore, you don’t need another guitarist do you?). What started as a solo project was now a full-fledged band called Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow. Their self-titled debut album was released in September of ’75. “Man On The Silver Mountain” was the album’s opening track and first single, featuring a roaring Ronnie the likes of which we hadn’t heard in his previous work up to that point. Though the album itself is uneven, this song kills, and served as the perfect calling card to introduce Ronnie James Dio to the heavy metal world.
3. RAINBOW - “Stargazer” (1976)
Rainbow’s debut album may be underwhelming, but their second album Rising is an undisputed masterpiece, and this song is its centerpiece. At 8+ minutes, the word “epic” certainly applies to “Stargazer,” and Ritchie Blackmore’s neoclassical style is on full display, bolstered by the Munich Symphony Orchestra. New bassist Jimmy Bain (who Ronnie would work with again in the 80’s) adds solid bottom end, keyboardist Tony Carey adds a bit of color and atmosphere, and drummer Cozy Powell provides the pounding intro and lumbering heartbeat. But the highlights for me have always been Ronnie’s voice and lyrics. Adopting the role of first person narrator, Ronnie tells a tale from the point of view of a slave forced to help build a tower of stone by an evil wizard in some far off land in an age long forgotten. The wizard claims he’ll be able to fly to the stars from the top of the tower once it’s completed. As is so often the case with charlatans who make outrageous claims, things don’t work out so well for the wizard in the end. The range of emotions felt by the slave is masterfully expressed through Ronnie’s extraordinary voice; first tired resignation mixed with mild hope, a touch of fear, then anger after the deception is revealed, regret for time wasted and lives lost, then elation at the thought of being set free and returning home. As the song reaches its conclusion and begins to fade, Ronnie’s (improvised?) cries of “I see a rainbow rising…I’m going home, I’m going home” are almost joyful, but mixed with a palpable sense of sorrow that will bring a tear to your eye.
4. RAINBOW - “Long Live Rock ‘n’ Roll” (1978)
By 1978, tensions were running high between between Ritchie and Ronnie as egos clashed and disagreements about musical direction began to boil over in Rainbow. Dio was also dissatisfied with the drumming of Cozy Powell, claiming in later interviews that, rather than simply keeping the beat, Powell wanted to “play lead drums.” Bassist Jimmy Bain was out by this time, replaced by soon-to-be Ozzy Osbourne bassist Bob Daisley. Still, tension can sometimes result in great art, and that seemed to be the case with Rainbow’s final studio album to feature Ronnie on vocals, Long Live Rock ’n’ Roll. Its title track remains a hard rock classic to this day, thanks in part to its hooky, anthemic chorus and Ronnie’s impassioned cries of “Let it live! Let it live! Let it live!”
5. BLACK SABBATH - “Children Of The Sea” (1980)
In 1979, Ronnie had quit Rainbow and was looking for a new project. Later that year, he met Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi in Los Angeles (ironically at The Rainbow bar on Sunset Strip). Tony was looking for a singer, having just fired Ozzy Osbourne. At first, the two talked about forming a new band. They kept in touch and eventually met for an informal jam session at Tony’s house in L.A. a few months later. Needless to say, that jam session proved to be extremely fruitful. Tony had the bones of a song that he had attempted to record with Ozzy before his firing from Sabbath, but eventually abandoned. When he played it for Ronnie, the story goes that Ronnie thought it was a great riff, but that Tony didn’t have much else to go with it. Ronnie said “Gimme a minute,” went to the corner, wrote down some words and came up with a vocal melody. “Children Of The Sea” was the result, and it proved to be a turning point in both men’s careers when they decided to continue as Black Sabbath and record a new album (bassist Geezer Butler was on board as well, after having quit for a brief period while going through a divorce, and drummer Bill Ward was in too, though battling alcoholism). Regarding Ronnie’s voice in Sabbath, Tony wrote in his autobiography, “Ozzy would sing with the riff…his vocal melody line copies the melody of the music. There was nothing wrong with that, but Ronnie liked singing across the riff instead of with it, come up with a melody that was different from that of the music, which musically opens a lot more doors. I don't want to sound like I'm knocking Ozzy, but Ronnie's approach opened up a new way for me to think.” And it’s Ronnie’s voice singing across Tony’s iconic riff that carries the song, and showcases Ronnie’s ability to go from gentle balladry to full-throated metal within the space of a few verses. It’s also the first of many songs sung by Ronnie to feature the phrase “LOOK OUT!”, which would become a sort of trademark that he would revisit in several subsequent songs.
6. BLACK SABBATH - “Heaven And Hell” (1980)
The new album that the rejuvenated Black Sabbath recorded with Ronnie on vocals was called Heaven And Hell, and the title track is an absolute monster. Ronnie’s voice is commanding and dramatic, gruff when it needs to be yet almost operatic at times. Ronnie was particularly proud of the lyrics as well (previously, Geezer Butler was the primary lyricist in Sabbath, but Ronnie wrote the lyrics to all the songs during his tenure with the band). In a 1987 interview for BBC radio, Ronnie said, “I've always felt [like I was] somewhat of a spokesman for kids – for people who may be lonely, looked down upon, because they like the wrong kind of music – and, more importantly, the kids who play in bands. So I made the statement that I always wanted to make, which is, 'The world is full of kings and queens, who blind your eyes then steal your dreams / It's heaven and hell.' And that all means beware of people who try to blind your eyes with promises… If you have those dreams, don't let anyone rob you of those wonderful ideas that you have by stealing them and putting them in their pocket, and leaving you lonely by the side of the road. So beware those kings and queens out there, who blind your eyes then steal your dreams.” Though some longtime fans of the Ozzy era found it difficult to accept Ronnie as the frontman for Sabbath, songs like this helped to win them over. These days, the song is regarded as another Black Sabbath classic, regularly appearing in polls and on lists of the best heavy metal songs of all time. The album Heaven And Hell is also the third best selling Sabbath record of all time, just behind Paranoid and Master Of Reality.
7. BLACK SABBATH - “Falling Off The Edge Of The World” (1981)
After the success of Heaven And Hell, the Dio-fronted Sabbath entered the studio in 1981 to record the follow-up (minus drummer Bill Ward, who left the band in the middle of the previous tour and was replaced by Vinny Appice). The result was the album Mob Rules, and though not quite as successful as the previous record in terms of sales and chart placement, it’s still a really solid record, and serves as a fitting companion piece to Heaven And Hell. One of my favorite tracks from the album is this deeper cut from side two. Ronnie has never sounded more haunted or world weary than in the spooky, melancholy intro to “Falling Off The Edge Of The World.” But once the metal kicks in (courtesy of one of Tony Tommi’s most under-appreciated riffs), the song takes flight. Ronnie’s voice is our guide, first desperately cataloguing his trials, then urgently warning us of the dangers to come, until finally taking control of his own destiny and confidently steeling himself for whatever lies ahead. Masterful.
8. BLACK SABBATH - “The Sign Of The Southern Cross” (1981)
One of the criticisms often applied to the Mob Rules album is that it’s essentially “Heaven And Hell Part II,” and there’s some truth to that assessment. Allmusic.com critic Greg Prato says “…the only serious problem [with Mob Rules is] the sequencing of the material which mirrors Heaven And Hell’s almost to a tee.” He’s not wrong; both albums start with speedy, uptempo opening tracks (“Neon Knights” and “Turn Up The Night” respectively), both close out side one with strong title tracks, both albums end with sad bluesy songs (“Lonely Is The Word” and “Over And Over”), and both were produced by Martin Birch, so they have similar sonic qualities as well. And, if the goal was to replicate the feel and style of the tracks from Heaven And Hell on Mob Rules, then “Sign Of The Southern Cross” is definitely this album’s “Children Of The Sea.” It’s slower tempo, acoustic intro and powerful vocal from Ronnie all sound very familiar. Still, the formula works…again! And there’s a sinister, foreboding quality to this one that helps set it apart from its predecessor. Ronnie once again shines here, playing the role of elder statesmen addressing the youth. When you hear him sing “Gather all around the young ones/ They will make us STRONG!” punctuated by that musical punch-in-the-face of a distorted Tony Iommi riff, you’ll follow him into battle anywhere.
9. DIO - “Holy Diver” (1983)
Much like Rainbow, a clash of egos brought Ronnie’s time in Black Sabbath to an end. Towards the end of the first Black Sabbath era, Ozzy and Bill Ward had mostly been happy (or too “out of it” thanks to various substances) to defer to Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler when it came to most of the songwriting and creative decisions. Ronnie and Vinny Appice obviously had much stronger opinions, triggering a bit of a power struggle within the band. Their label Warner Brothers didn’t help matters when they decided to extend the band’s contract, but also offered Ronnie a solo deal, which obviously didn’t sit well with Tony. Tensions reached a boiling point during the mixing of 1982’s Live Evil concert album. Depending on which story you believe, Tony and Geezer claimed that they were getting fed up with Ronnie’s “bossy” attitude and outspokenness (Tony even told an interviewer that they had a nickname for Ronnie during this period: “Little Hitler.”) Ronnie and Vinny claimed that Tony and Geezer both had a problem with cocaine, and often failed to show up for mixing sessions or arrived hours late. Tony claimed he worked on the live tracks with a mixing engineer during the day, only to have Ronnie show up to the studio at night and and alter the mix by turning up his vocals. Said Tony in a 1992 interview: “We were all acting like children.”
With the band now divided into two separate factions, Ronnie and Vinny quit Sabbath in 1982. They immediately formed the band Dio, adding Ronnie’s old Rainbow bandmate Jimmy Bain on bass and a young guitarist from Northern Ireland named Vivian Campbell, who had previously played in a New Wave Of British Heavy Metal Band called Sweet Savage (and who would later go on to play with Whitesnake and Def Leppard). In may of 1983, Dio (the band) released their debut album Holy Diver. Ronnie said the title track was about a Christ-like figure sent to redeem the people of another planet (not Earth). But before he can leave to save the souls on even more planets, the people claim him as their own and force him to stay. It was meant to be a comment on how selfish man can be, and it’s one of Dio’s signature tunes. In 2023, Rolling Stone magazine placed it at #9 on their list of the 100 greatest metal songs of all time. Also another song where Ronnie says “LOOK OUT!”
10. DIO - “Rainbow In The Dark” (1983)
The second single from Holy Diver became Dio’s biggest and best known song, helped by regular airplay on rock radio and on MTV. Lyrically, “Rainbow In The Dark” seems to be about isolation, feeling trapped, and unrealized potential. In at least one interview, Ronnie said quitting Sabbath was a partial inspiration for the song, and that he felt alone and rejected during that time, unable to shine “like a rainbow in the dark.” Musically, this is perhaps the hookiest song in Dio’s catalogue; so hooky, in fact, that Ronnie said he absolutely hated the song at first because it sounded so poppy compared to the rest of the album. Ronnie was very leary of giving fans any excuse to accuse him of “selling out” or “going pop” after leaving Sabbath. After he and the Dio band had finished recording it, Ronnie threatened to literally slice it from the master tape in the studio with a razor blade, he hated it so much. Thankfully, the other guys in the band convinced him not to, and the rest is history. The song has now become synonymous with Ronnie, and if you hear a song by Dio on rock radio nowadays, chances are, it’s this one. When I saw Dio live in Worcester, MA back in 2000, he said, “Well, when you’re Frank Sinatra, you have to play ‘My Way,’ and when you’re me, you have to play this one I suppose,” before launching into “Rainbow In The Dark” to a thunderous ovation. One of the great thrills of my concert-going life. Oh, and what’s that I hear? Is it…yes! It’s another patented Dio “LOOK OUT!”
11. DIO - “We Rock” (1984)
As you go through the Ronnie James Dio discography, one thing becomes clear: if nothing else, the man knew how to kick off an album. Whether it’s “Man On The Silver Mountain” on the first Rainbow album, “Neon Knights” on Heaven And Hell, or “Stand Up And Shout” on Holy Diver, most albums that feature Ronnie on vocals start off with an absolute banger of an opening track, perfectly suited for the live environment. The Last In Line, Dio’s 1984 follow-up to Holy Diver, is no exception. Right out of the gate, “We Rock” kicks the door open and throws down the gauntlet with what could be a simple yet undeniable mission statement for the Dio band: We rock! And as Vinny Appice pummels his snare drum with rapid fire precision, Vivian Campbell shreds along at speed metal velocity, Jimmy Bain provides a bit of bassy groove amongst the din, and Ronnie implores us all to “Sail on/ sing a song/ carry on…’cuz WE ROCK!!”, all you can do is sit there, stunned and helpless as you raise your horns in salute, responding: “Hell YEAH you do!”
12. DIO - “The Last In Line” (1984)
Though not quite as strong of an album as Holy Diver, the one thing that The Last In Line has in common with its predecessor is an absolutely killer title track. A driving Vivian Campbell riff powers the song as it lumbers along at a mid-tempo pace, and new member Claude Schnell softens the riff just enough with subtle keyboard accents to make the track a tad more radio-friendly. As always, the star of the show is Ronnie, bringing the over the top drama with his lyrics, biting delivery, and the impressive note he hits in the line “We are coming…HOOOOOOOOOOOME!!!” Fun fact: the fun video for this song was directed by Don Coscarelli, famous for directing the Phantasm horror film series.
13. BLACK SABBATH - “I” (1992)
in 1990, Dio was on tour for the album Lock Up The Wolves. It was the band’s lowest charting album up to that point, and ticket sales for the tour had been less than stellar. At a show in Minneapolis, they were joined onstage by Geezer Butler (who by this time had been out of Sabbath for a number of years) to perform the classic Heaven And Hell track “Neon Knights.” After the show, Ronnie and Geezer talked about the possibility of rejoining Black Sabbath. Tony Iommi was still continuing to tour and record as Black Sabbath, but the albums were not well received by fans or critics and sold poorly, and the final seven dates of Sabbath’s 1990 UK tour had to be cancelled due to low ticket sales. All of this may have been a factor in Tony agreeing to a reunion with Ronnie and Geezer, though Tony did tell an interviewer later that he “…seemed to think maybe we could recapture something that we had.” Whatever the reasons, the reunion was on, and Tony fired then Sabbath vocalist Tony Martin and bassist Neil Murray to make way for the return of Ronnie and Geezer. Ronnie’s old rainbow bandmate Cozy Powell, Sabbath’s drummer at the time, was retained, and the new line-up met in Wales in the fall of 1990 to begin work on a new album. However, Cozy broke his hip in a horse-riding accident and was unable to complete the sessions. He was replaced by Vinny Appice, making this a full-on reunion of the Mob Rules-era line-up of Black Sabbath. Perhaps not surprisingly, tensions flared between Ronnie and Tony once again, resulting in certain songs being written over and over. The difficult and costly recording sessions lasted for over a year, and the new album Dehumanizer was finally released in June of 1992. Personally, I always found the album to be a little lackluster, and the production a little cold and sterile for a Sabbath album. Nevertheless, there are some solid tunes on this one, with “I” being one of the stand-outs. With a great riff from Tony and a snarling, defiant vocal from Ronnie and lyrics about the power self-reliance, this track can easily hold its own when pitted against classic tracks from the 80’s Dio-era Sabbath albums. Though the reunion didn’t last, Tony might’ve been right; perhaps they did manage to recapture a tiny bit of the old magic.
14. HEAVEN AND HELL - “Bible Black” (2009)
In 1997, the original Black Sabbath lineup of Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward reunited for two shows in their home city of Birmingham. The shows were recorded and released as the double live album Reunion a year later. A full world tour followed (which I caught at the TD Garden in Boston in 1999, and it was amazing). After a brief hiatus so the individual members could work on solo projects, the band entered the studio with famed producer Rick Rubin in 2001 to begin work on a brand new Black Sabbath studio album. However, the sessions didn’t last long, as Ozzy had to finish work on his own solo album Down To Earth over the summer. The band went on another extended hiatus before reuniting once again to headline Ozzfest in 2004 and 2005.
Meanwhile, in 2006, Rhino Records announced plans to release a new compilation album called The Best Of Black Sabbath: The Dio Years. As the title suggested, the set was to be comprised of select tracks from Heaven And Hell, Mob Rules, Live Evil and Dehumanizer. For this release, Tony, Geezer, Ronnie Dio and Vinny Appice agreed to reunite to write and record three brand new tracks. The comp was released in 2007, and one of the new songs called “The Devil Cried” got some airplay on rock radio. Encouraged by the positive reaction, Tony and Ronnie decided to reunite with Geezer for a world tour. Initially, Bill Ward was supposed to play drums, but dropped out before the tour began, and was of course replaced by Vinny Appice. The original band lineup that included Ozzy and Bill Ward was still officially on hiatus and was still known as Black Sabbath, so the reunited Mob Rules- era lineup was christened Heaven And Hell to avoid any confusion. Tony said it also helped send a signal to fans that they weren’t going to hear things like “Iron Man” or “War Pigs” on this tour, only Dio-era songs.
The band hit the road for a US tour in 2007 and released a live album and DVD of their Radio City Music Hall performance later that year. Another tour followed in 2008 (with spectacular support from Judas Priest, Motorhead and Testament) and the band also entered the studio to record a brand new studio album called The Devil You Know, released in April of 2009. The album was well received, and the first single, “Bible Black,” proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that even in his late 60’s, Ronnie James Dio was still one of the greatest heavy metal vocalists of all time.
The band toured in support of the album in 2009, but the final show on August 29th would prove to be Ronnie’s last public appearance. In November of 2009, Ronnie was diagnosed with stomach cancer. The initial prognosis was good. There was talk of recording a new album, and plans were made for a summer European tour with Iron Maiden for 2010. Sadly, the tour was cancelled when Ronnie’s health took a turn for the worse.
Ronnie James Dio passed away on May 16th, 2010 at the age of 67.
Gone too soon, but the body of work he left behind is simply unmatched in the world of heavy metal. Obviously, this list is subjective and almost certainly incomplete. Ronnie’s career is littered with one great performance after another. Dive in and enjoy.
Horns up!
