THE LITTLE LION THAT ABSOLUTELY ROARED...

...goodbye, Ronnie James Dio...

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One of my absolute favorite groups was Deep Purple...fiery, melodic, hard-driving and so talented. Ritchie Blackmore, "Purple's" guitarist, has always been one of my favorite players. But back in the mid-70s, things began changing for "Purple", resulting in different singers, drummers and keyboard players as Blackmore, who basically ruled "Purple", kept changing group members for various reasons. I guess things had come to a head in 1976, when Deep Purple released the album, "Come Taste The Band", because Blackmore was, all of a sudden, not "Purple" anymore. He formed another band, "Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow"; I guess he was looking for that musical 'something' that Deep Purple couldn't give him anymore.

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Right around that time, I'd been looking through the record bins one fine day, and I happened across an album with an absolutely Gorgeous cover, and what can I say, I'm a sucker for great album cover art. And, when I flipped the jacket over, I saw that there were only two songs on Side 2, which kick-started my imagination; I've always loved LONG songs, and when I got the record home, onto the turntable it went immediately. The four-songs on Side One were okay; they rocked hard, but I was absolutely BLOWN AWAY by Side Two, which contained two 8-minute tracks, "Stargazer" and "A Light In The Black". "Stargazer" kicks off with a thundering drum roll, exploding into a majestic larger-than-life medium-fast tempo. "Rainbow's" lead singer back then, was Ronnie James Dio, and on that song, he proved that he was one of the Best Ever Rock Singers. After two verses and a long instrumental portion, Dio ad-libs for over two minutes, and absolutely Wails, and it's a performance that brings Shivers every single time I hear it. But there's more...

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Side Two's second song "A Light In The Black", bursts out of the gate, galloping along at a breakneck tempo with an immortal guitar solo by Ritchie, and a great synthesizer section (played by Tony Carey), and again, Ronnie James Dio's voice absolutely ROARS; he's so convincing, powerful and communicative; when you've got a band full of great musicians playing at a frantic full-tilt, and a lead singer who is on Top Of It, things can sound amazing, and here, they do. The first time I heard this tune, I just stared at the turntable; it was all I could do as my ears tried to absorb it all. That was back in 1976, and over thirty years later, I still feel a tremendous rush when I hear this tune; what with Dio's exhortations, and the musicians blistering along as fast as humanly possible, it's the kind of tune that can knock you over, so hang on tight and listen hard! "Rainbow Rising" was the group's second album; the first was self-titled ("Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow") and rocks along hard, although it doesn't quite have the force that "Rainbow Rising" contains. The "Rising" album still blows me away.

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Before "Rainbow", Ronnie James Dio fronted a little-known band, "Elf", which I 'spose was an apt name for the group; Dio, he of the roaring voice was barely over five feet tall. The Little Lion that Roared. And, on "Elf's" first album, released on Epic Records in the early '70s, the lead singer was listed as Ronald Padanova, but it was definitely Dio doing the singing. (I can see why he changed his name.) After "Elf" recorded two more albums, Dio joined Rainbow. After three albums with "Rainbow" (Blackmore changed the group's lineup and recorded a few more albums), Dio was out of a job. But, Ozzy Osbourne of Black Sabbath had overdone the drug-thing, and the rest of Sabbath kicked Ozzy out. Dio stepped in for the vocals on Black Sabbath's album, "Heaven and Hell", and he helped bring that group back to life. (To be fair, Ozzy Osbourne will always be the Voice Of Sabbath, but Dio did a great job of fronting the Ozzy-less Sabbath.)

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Then, Dio formed his own band, "Dio" (of course!) and while I'm not all that familiar with the Dio Group's albums, I'm sure they featured some spellbinding rock music. He kept the"Dio"group going thru the years, and was touring as late as last summer, and planned to go back on the road again, only Cancer got in the way. He was 67. And I'm sad he's gone. He may have been short on stature, but his ability to communicate and really get inside a song was rare indeed. A truly magnificent lead vocalist is gone, but he gave it all he had. Ronnie James Dio, I salute you.

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Included below is a YouTube clip of "A Light In The Black" with Ronnie James Dio's vocals...granted, this music ain't for everyone, but if you're looking for true Rock and Roll majesty, this is it...listen if you dare...

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