Ronnie James Dio R.I.P.
Posted: Mon May 17, 2010 11:31 pm
Learned today that Ronnie James Dio, of Black Sabbath and Rainbow fame, lost his battle with stomach cancer yesterday, May 16, 2010, at age 67. An iconic heavy metal vocalist, I don't know, however, what impressed me more-- his music, or the fact that, in interviews, he was the ever-thoughtful, articulate, and consummate gentleman.
The article that alerted me to his passing noted his birth name, which, for some reason, struck me as vaguely familiar. It went on to cite his past work with the bands Elf and Rainbow. I was aware of his involvement in Rainbow, but it was not until that moment that it clicked in my mind that the blues-rock Elf album I had owned for decades, which few-if-any people I know even knew about, featured a bassist/vocalist named Ronald Padavona who would ultimately come to be better known as Ronnie James Dio.
The article that alerted me to his passing noted his birth name, which, for some reason, struck me as vaguely familiar. It went on to cite his past work with the bands Elf and Rainbow. I was aware of his involvement in Rainbow, but it was not until that moment that it clicked in my mind that the blues-rock Elf album I had owned for decades, which few-if-any people I know even knew about, featured a bassist/vocalist named Ronald Padavona who would ultimately come to be better known as Ronnie James Dio.