Dio

I must admit being saddened Sunday night when I found out that Ronnie James Dio just died at age 67 from stomach cancer. Like I’ve read in a few places on the ’net (most notably on Big Hollywood), if you were a male teenager in the early 80s, you knew Dio. Now, he wasn’t big on my personal pantheon of rock gods, but he was on the radar.

I recall quite fondly the summer of ’84 when “The Last in Line” came out; I taped it off the radio on my boombox and must’ve played it about four or five hundred times. When I got to college I pal’d around a bit with a kid who knew the song note-for-note, and he taught me the rhythm parts. I eventually bought that guy’s amp.

In college my roommate had Heaven and Hell, the first Black Sabbath album with Dio helming at vocals, and I taped that, too. Some say it’s the best Sabbath album, better than anything they did with Ozzy. I don’t know if I’d go that far, but it is as close to perfect an album you’ll hear in that genre. It definitely was a much-needed adrenaline shot in the arm for Iommi and Butler.

During the early ’90s I bought one, maybe two Rainbow CDs, which teamed Ronnie with Richie Blackmore. To be honest I can’t really recall much music (the CDs were stolen in 2004) other than a slow, sad, ethereal tune that might have had “rainbow” in the title or in the chorus. Those CDs are something I’d be interested in checking out again.

The summer of 2007 I bought Jack Black’s Tenacious D self-titled debut CD, and experienced a mild Dio renaissance via their fantastically superb two-minute song, “Dio.” Ronnie James even made a cameo in the Tenacious D movie.

Again, I wasn’t a big fan, but I thought he had a phenomenally commanding voice and had the capability of writing decent lyrics, if the little bits of elves and dragons may be forgiven. I admired his entrepreneurial spirit, his efforts with charity, and his dedication to the craft. Had no idea he was so old, though; turns out he started out singing doo-wop in the 50s. Very Spinal Tap.

In reading his obituary I note that he was raised a Roman Catholic but fell away from his faith as a teen. It’s my fervent hope – seriously – that he was able to reconcile himself someway to the Master before his six-month battle with cancer took him away.

Rest in peace.