Dio

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Dio is an American heavy metal band led by vocalist Ronnie James Dio, who formed it in 1982 after leaving Black Sabbath. In an interview, available on the special edition re-release of Holy Diver, Dio states that he never intended to begin a solo career. His intention was to form a new band with fellow former Black Sabbath member, drummer Vinny Appice. Naming the band Dio made sense from a commercial standpoint, as the name was already well-known at that time. Dio in Italian and Medieval Latin means "God" but when the band's logo is inverted, it appears to form the word "devil". This apparent duality of good and evil was also touched on in the song "Heaven and Hell" that Dio wrote while still a member of Black Sabbath.

In 1982, disagreements originating over the mixing of Black Sabbath's Live Evil resulted in the departure of Ronnie James Dio and Vinny Appice from the band. Wanting to continue together as a band, the two formed Dio in October 1982 in the United States. The following May, the band released their debut album, Holy Diver. It featured two hit singles, "Rainbow in the Dark" and "Holy Diver", which gained popularity from MTV. Ronnie James Dio and Jimmy Bain played keyboards in the studio, but recruited keyboardist Claude Schnell for live shows in 1984. Dio had this to say of the band's origins:

“

It was a good time to be in that band. It was perfect for us. Everything just fell into place. The ethic in rehearsal was amazing. The effort in the recording was just as good. Everybody wanted it to be great. We really believed in what we were doing and couldn't wait to get that product out and have people hear it."[

Now a quintet with Claude Schnell on keyboards, the band released their second studio album, The Last in Line, on July 2, 1984. It was followed by their third album, Sacred Heart, which was released on August 15, 1985.

Several songs were recorded live during the Last in Line tour for the 1986 Intermission EP which also contained the studio track "Time To Burn". In 1985 Ronnie James Dio also wrote the song "Stars" for the Hear 'n Aid project, with Vivian Campbell contributing on guitar.

Campbell became unhappy with the direction of the band and in 1987 was invited join Whitesnake and was replaced by Craig Goldy. On July 21, 1987 their fourth album Dream Evil was released.

After Dream Evil Goldy, wanting to pursue solo projects, left the band. In June 1989 18 year-old Rowan Robertson was announced as Goldy's successor but further changes were to follow, with Schnell, Bain, and Appice leaving the band.

Wikipedia contributors. Dio. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. February 26, 2009, 05:38 UTC. Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dio&oldid=273367267. Accessed February 28, 2009.