Ronnie James Dio was a larger-than-life performer, renowned for his powerful voice, beloved by metal heads.
In addition to fronting his own self-named band, he also served as vocalist for British rock outfits Rainbow and Black Sabbath. He joined Sabbath after Ozzy Osbourne left that band in 1979, around the same time Dio was departing Ritchie Blackmore’s group. Dio started revisiting and extending his time with Sabbath mainstays Geezer Butler and Tony Iommi in 2006 under the moniker Heaven & Hell, named after that lineup’s first album together.
Dio died of stomach cancer in 2010 at 67, yet his impact continues in spirit. Each year his wife and former manager, Wendy Dio, along with several of his closest friends, host an annual awards gala in Los Angeles to celebrate his career and to raise money for the Ronnie James Dio Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund.
This year’s third gala, March 17 at Avalon in Hollywood, will honor musicians and industry professionals who have contributed to the charity or the metal community in a positive way. Judas Priest frontman Rob Halford will be given the Man on the Silver Mountain award, while producer Greg Fidelman is being bestowed the Master of the Moon title.
Kevin Gore, president and CEO of Rhino Entertainment, will get the cancer fund’s eponymous trophy, while Larry Morand, producer of the Monsters of Rock Cruise, and Tim Carhart of ESP Guitars also will be presented with awards.
But more appealing to metal fans will be the rest of the ceremony, featuring live performances by artists who contributed to the Dio covers album This Is Your Life, due April 1. More acts are signing on each day, but the lineup thus far includes mash-up sets by Halestorm, Corey Taylor of Slipknot and Stone Sour, Ray Mayorga (also of Stone Sour), Christian Martucci (Thousand Watt Stare and the Chelsea Smiles), Oni Logan (Lynch Mob), Rowan Robertson and Jimmy Bain of Dio, Brian Tichy (who has played with Whitesnake and Ozzy Osbourne) and Jason Christopher (of Black President).
The tribute collection, on the other hand, attracted 13 bands – some longtime collaborators, others just admirers of Dio’s work – who tackled tracks from throughout his career. Wendy Dio says that when she started seeking participants, she was “simply overwhelmed” by the response.
“It was amazing,” she says during a recent phone interview, noting that all proceeds from the record go directly to the cancer fund. “It started with Glenn Hughes, who was a great friend of Ronnie’s and recorded ‘Catch the Rainbow,’ which he actually sang at Ronnie’s funeral. It just snowballed from there. Metallica was calling me, Corey Taylor called. Jack Black (of Tenacious D) caught me at the Revolver Golden Gods Awards last year and said, ‘You know I have to be on it, right?’
“It was really quite magical, and I think Ronnie himself might have been directing some of this from above.”
Taylor quickly called dibs on “Rainbow in the Dark.” With Slipknot and Stone Sour busy on other projects, he pulled together a group of friends to assist, including Mayorga, Martucci and Christopher, plus Russ “Satchel” Parrish of Steel Panther for the guitar solo.
“That is by far my favorite Dio song,” he says. “It was one of the first ones I ever heard and it’s just a great, rock ’n’ roll, heavy metal song. It’s got great lyrics and an awesome melody and everything about it feels epic.
“I was able to pretty much get my dream team together for this. I heard the music and then I had to go in and do the vocals, and I was like, ‘I better not (mess) this up.’ Everything had come together so well and then I was like, ‘I think we found the weakest link here.’ ”
Taylor will attempt to nail it at the awards gala, which is open to the general public.
“I just hope I can pull it off,” he says with a laugh. “Those are big shoes to fill. Ronnie James Dio, to this day, is one of the best and most powerful singers, and one of the most natural singers, to ever exist. So I’m going to have to work a little harder here. If I can just do it justice, that’s all that matters.”
Wendy thinks Taylor is being too hard on himself. No matter what happens or who shows up, she says, it’s sure to be an evening filled with surprises.
“I just wish Ronnie was here to see all of this,” she says. “He would be so humbled. He was a very special person. He wasn’t only a great talent, but he was a wonderful human being.”
She considers his death “horrible, devastating. … We need to try to make something good come of it. I think he would be so proud of everyone – the songs they chose and how they played them. I know he’s proud.”
This Is Your Life preview party and 3rd annual awards gala
Who: Halestorm, Corey Taylor, Christian Martucci, Roy Mayorga and more
When: 6 p.m. Monday
Where: Avalon, 1735 Vine St., Hollywood
How much: $25 for general admission (balcony seating for show and album preview only), $395 for VIP tickets (including hosted bar, gourmet food stations, live and silent auctions)
Online: diocancerfund.org
Contact the writer: 714-796-3570 or kfadroski@ocregister.com
File Photo: Getty Images
