Rainbow Albums Ranked

When Ritchie Blackmore left Deep Purple, he took his guitar and passion for guitar-driven music with him. He founded a band named after the iconic bar in Los Angeles, the Rainbow. He decided to name the band Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow initially, but after one album, changed it to simply Rainbow. They were a successful hard rock band in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. But, with all the changes in lineup, many couldn't keep up with who was in the band. The people at Ultimate Classic Rock came up with a list, ranking worst to best, the albums of Rainbow

You might see me put my opinion on each one, as it would probably differ from the opinions of the people at Ultimate Classic Rock. I firmly believe that while some feel certain albums are good, others might think otherwise. It's all down to personal preference or opinion

1. Rising (1976)

-Their second album, it still featured vocalist Ronnie James Dio. Now there was drummer Cozy Powell and bassist Jimmy Bain. This album was recorded seemingly as quickly as possible, the band did not overthink the songs. They just went in and recorded them as is. This album is almost as close to Deep Purple as you can. It's a mix of hard rock, with softer songs. The lineup on this album didn't last long, as would be a trademark of the band Rainbow-constantly shifting lineups

-I personally like this album. "Starstruck" is my favorite. Sadly, I know all of the words. Every time it comes on in my car, I turn it up and sing it word for word. Overall, the album is very good

2. Long Live Rock 'n' Roll (1978)

-Their third album and last one with vocalist Ronnie James Dio, there is not much difference between this and Rising. Bassist Bob Daisley came in along with keyboardist David Stone midway through recording. The things that make this album successful are the truly impressive yet symphonic guitar solos from Ritchie combined with Ronnie's powerful vocals

-This is another one of my favorites. "Kill the King" has a ridiculously good guitar solo. It shows just how good Ritchie is on his guitar. The whole album is good, every song good. This is one of my most favorite albums of the band. Not only that, but I love the artwork. I laugh a little when looking at it because, as usual, Ritchie has this annoyed look on his face, almost like he does not know how to smile

3. Down to Earth (1979) 

-This album reunited Ritchie with his former Deep Purple band mate Roger Glover on bass. On vocals is vocalist Graham Bonnet. This album was the fourth album for Rainbow and a move towards more streamlined rock, geared towards getting on the radio. This is considered to the only all British lineup for the band

-I like this one too. "All Night Long" has that really good hard rock sound to it. It starts off with an aggressive guitar sound that sure gets your attention. The video for it is a bit goofy, but then again, it's the 1970s. It's still a good video for a good song. The video is worth a look and you'll get a chuckle if you notice Ritchie's eyes are almost constantly diverting to where the blonde dancer is. Overall, I like this album too

4. Stranger in Us All (1995)

-This was the last album for the band. Instead of being a band record, it, more or less, turned into a Blackmore solo record. The lineup on this album were all new. This album failed to chart, and because of one song on the album, that had a slightly medieval sound to it, it planted the seed for the next major project for Blackmore. A medieval band called Blackmore's Night, with his wife Candace Isralow-Blackmore

-This album is okay. It's not really one of my favorites. There are a few good songs here, but not enough to warrant buying on a CD

5. Straight Between the Eyes (1982)

-This became the highest charting album for the band in the US. The single "Stone Cold" was the only US Top 40 hit for the band. David Rosenthal came in to play keyboards to replace Don Airey. This album provided the type of rock music that audiences wanted in the 1980s

-This is one of my favorites. "Death Alley Driver" is a good song. So is "Stone Cold." I like this album a lot

6. Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow (1975)

-This was done while Ritchie was still part of Deep Purple. This debut album was initially created as a collaboration with Ronnie James Dio and the members of his band, a New York-based outfit called Elf. The lineup on this album didn't last long, as would be a consistent pattern with Blackmore. By the time this album was released nine months later, almost everyone was gone, except for Ronnie and Ritchie. The songs are good, but they sound as if they are unfocused, as if they are just trying things to see if they can or will stick. "Man on the Silver Mountain" is a good one

-I like this album. It has that iconic 1970s sound, kind of distorted sound, goofy lyrics and melodies, but overall good. It just sounds like something that was written in the 1970s. "Man on the Silver Mountain" is a good song. For laughs, there's "Black Sheep of the Family." "Catch the Rainbow" is absolutely gorgeous. It's such a beautiful song and allows Ronnie to show what he can truly do with those powerful vocals

7. Bent Out of Shape (1983)

-This is the seventh album released by Rainbow. It was also their final album with vocalist Joe Lynn Turner and bassist Roger Glover. It was said to be "unremarkable" and "another attempt to crack the elusive US market." Many feel more or less it's okay, but nothing to write home about

-I like this one. Not only are the songs good, but it's the album that introduced me to Rainbow. So it has that additional sentimentality to it for me. "Fire Dance" is a great song. I like "Street of Dreams." This song is really good. The video is almost stereotypically 80s, but still good. The album has a lot of good songs.

8. Difficult to Cure (1981)

-The fifth album for the band, this is Joe Lynn Turner's debut on vocals. They also gained a new drummer named Bobby Rondinelli after Cozy Powell left the band. Blackmore had one goal in mind-make the group accessible to charts, make music that will go on charts and get the attention of potential new fans. This inspired the single "I Surrender." This pop song was written by Russ Ballard. Many of the songs had that shiny 80s production sound and as a result, this album became their highest charting album in all of the UK

-This album is good. My favorite song is "Can't Happen Here." I love that song when it comes on in my car. The album has all good songs, but "Can't Happen Here" is my top favorite from this album

Ronnie James Dio's wife Wendy reveals secret of their lasting marriage

Ronnie James Dio is the iconic vocalist for bands like Dio, Black Sabbath, Elf and Rainbow. He and wife Wendy were married for years, until his untimely death in 2010 from stomach cancer. Fox News did an interview about the secret of their lasting marriage.

The long awaited memoir Rainbow in the Dark was written by both his wife Wendy Dio and British music journalist Mick Wall. They took what Ronnie had written over the years and transformed it into a memoir of a sort. It lets him tell the story of his humble beginnings in New York to being the vocalist for four successful bands

He unfortunately died from stomach cancer at the age of 67 in 2010. While undergoing chemo treatment, he was hopeful to begin touring again. Wendy Dio did an interview with Fox News about why she's releasing the book and what is the secret to their long lasting relationship.

Fox News: Your husband, Ronnie James Dio, began writing his book a long time ago. Why did he choose to write his memoir at that time?

Wendy Dio: A lot of people have been asking him to write a book. One day he decided, why not put it down? He wanted to write about how he got into the business, where he was born, his teen years and his struggles. He's had such a long career that it would, of course, take two or three volumes to cover it all. But he wanted to explore how he got to where he was

Fox News: You met your husband in 1974. What was your initial impression of him?

Wendy Dio: He was too short for me [laughs]. But he was an amazing person. He made everyone that ever talked to him feel like they were the most important person in the world. He just loved people. And he really was a wonderful, caring person

Fox News: Ronnie said that he knew right from the start that you were The One. However, you needed a bit more time to be convinced. Why?

Wendy Dio: Well, in the beginning, he really was a bit short for me. And I wasn't really ready for a relationship at that time. But he was persistent. He kept calling me and then he wanted me to go on tour with him. And I quit my job. I said "I'll come for a couple of weeks." I never came back. But I truly learned what an amazing person he was. He read a book a day, he was so intelligent. He could talk to you about any subject whatsoever

Fox News: We knew Ronnie the rock legend. But what was Ronnie the husband like?

Wendy Dio: Oh, he didn't like to dress up. He was perfectly comfortable in a sweatsuit. He didn't like to go out too much. So we used to have a lot of friends come over to our house instead. He loved to entertain at home. He also loved to watch sports. In fact, he would write songs while watching sports. He knew everything about every sport that was going on

Fox News: You were initially hesitant about taking on the role of manager. Why?

Wendy Dio: Well, it's a big thing. Ronnie was a big star. Even though it was in my background, it was scary. I worked as an intern at Decca Records. I went to an agency for bands and I also worked for attorneys reading contracts. But this was a completely different, life-changing role. In the beginning, I faced a lot of bumps with a lot of people. But gradually, they realized that I had the best interest for Ronnie. In fact, he said one time "I'd rather get screwed by my wife than screwed by my manager." [laughs]. He trusted me and I tried to do my absolute best for Ronnie. I never interfered with his music. He never interfered with my management. And I think that's why it worked. But I did have a lot of hiccups at the beginning with a lot of people who said "Oh, you don't know what you're doing. Give him to me. I know what I can do with him." But we stuck it out.

Fox News: It sounded like he gave you free reign to create your role and identity as his manager

Wendy Dio: Yes, but he was very involved as well, like with album covers and things like that. He was a control freak, I'm a control freak. So you've got two control freaks working on things together. We bumped heads a lot of times, but in the end, it always came out the way we wanted. Our goal was to give our fans great value. He loved his fans more than anything else in the whole world. That was his priority. He never forgot where he came from. The fans came first.

Fox News: According to the book, Ronnie at one point had less than $800 in the bank. How did you two manage at the time?

Wendy Dio: Ronnie got fired from Rainbow. We used to have a big house and a big car. Everything was paid for by the management. Then he wasn't in Rainbow anymore. We didn't have anything. My grandmother left me a little inheritance. We basically took that and drove 3,000 miles to California where we knew more people. It was a big struggle, but you know what? You pay your dues. And we were never down about it. I always knew he was going to get something going and he did, too. The the opportunity to join Black Sabbath came along. That was something he wasn't so sure about in the beginning. But once he was in, he absolutely loved it. It was probably his favorite time in his life.

Fox News: What's the funniest or most unique encounter Ronnie's ever had with a fan?

Wendy Dio: Oh there's so many [laughs]. We had fans who would come from Holland and basically follow the whole tour around on a bus. They're still friends of mine now. Ronnie developed a close bond with his fans. If it was raining outside, he would invite them in to his tour bus. He made sure they were treated well.

Fox News: What surprised you most about the heavy metal scene?

Wendy Dio: Well, Ronnie was a bit different. He wasn't sex, drugs and alcohol. He took his music very seriously. Everything had to be exactly the way he wanted it to be. So I think that made him different, in comparison to some of the other bands that were around at the time. But you know what truly shocked me about the heavy metal scene? The fans are true fans. They never forget. They support nonstop. In different genres, you'll have fans that stick around for a certain time and then move on to something else. But the heavy metal fans, they're with you for life. They are completely genuine, honest and loyal. They have huge hearts and they'll follow the bands all the way through their lives.

Fox News: Is there anything you feel Ronnie would have done differently in his life?

Wendy Dio: Truthfully, I don't think he would have done anything differently. If he hadn't died, he would have kept creating. People tried to put him in a certain box. But he wanted to do things his way. He didn't just want to make record labels happy or just go commercial. The music meant so much more to him than that. And it worked because his music still sells. It makes me so happy, still, to see young bands playing his music

Fox News: What do you believe was the secret behind your lasting marriage to Ronnie?

Wendy Dio: Well, we had a lot of ups and downs and fights, of course. We had a few separations and came back again. But I think we both truly wanted this. We also believed in his music and his goal in life was to make his fans happy. And that's my goal now. I want to keep his music and imagination alive. He had a wonderful sense of humor. He was a trickster. His band used to play tricks on each other all the time. And when he wasn't performing, he was at home watching sports. He was a huge sports fan. I remember one time Wayne Gretzky gave him the prized jersey. I had no idea what it was or what it meant. I just thought it was an old, oversized shirt that was 10 times too big for Ronnie. So I just threw it in the trash. He wanted to kill me for that [laughs]

Fox News: It sounded like he was a homebody

Wendy Dio: He really was. He loved to sit in the house, invite friends over and watch the games. He just wanted to have a normal life. And anytime he was watching any sport - Giants, Yankees - he was always inspired and writing new music. He loved every kind of sport. He wanted to play baseball or do things like that growing up, but he wasn't allowed to because his father made him practice the trumpet all day. But his love for sports remained. He was just a normal guy with a wonderful sense of humor and a dream. 

Geezer Butler on why Black Sabbath's manager didn't want Ronnie James Dio

It's already well known that back then, Black Sabbath's manager Don Arden didn't want Ronnie James Dio fronting Black Sabbath. Geezer shares his memories of the time recording Vol. 4, The Mob Rules and Heaven and Hell.

1980's Heaven and Hell and 1981's The Mob Rules were the first two albums with new vocalist Ronnie James Dio. Ozzy Osbourne had, more or less, quit the band to pursue a solo career. It worked for him because he did have some success as a solo artist. It also worked out for Black Sabbath because with Dio up front, and his amazing vocals, the band could go in new directions. Butler talks about the sessions for Vol. 4, where the whole band was in a house in Los Angeles. In an interview with Billboard, Butler says "It was mental. Completely mental! We used to have bucketloads of cocaine there, and we had this big bowl in the middle of the table, full of cocaine. One day Ozzy noticed this button below one of the windows; He kept pressing it, wondering 'I wonder what this does?' The next thing, the police turned up - it was a panic button. And there was us with this great bowl of cocaine in the middle. So we dumped all the cocaine down the toilet and ran upstairs to get rid of our own stashes. The coppers went 'What's the problem?' 'Oh, nothing...' 'OK, see ya...' And we'd dumped about five grams of cocaine down the bog!"

While Butler has good memories of all three albums, he describes Heaven and Hell as being a particularly challenging time for the band, especially with Ozzy leaving and Ronnie entering. During the subsequent tour for Heaven and Hell, Vinny Appice replaced drummer Bill Ward. "The manager at the time didn't want Ronnie in the band - he said he was too little! He used to call him "the dwarf" and all this stuff. And we said 'That's ridiculous. He's got a great voice, his songwriting's brilliant, he's doing great with the band and that's it. We're keeping him."

Geezer also mentions that both Ronnie and Vinny brought "massive enthusiasm back to the band. We were on our last legs kind of thing, after Ozzy went. We were almost thinking about breaking up. But Ronnie brought incredible enthusiasm with him; He could play guitar, bass and put over his ideas instrumentally as well as vocally. He was brilliant to write with, too... Vinnie was the same way. Ronnie knew him and asked him to come down and rehearse with us, and he fitted in straight away, so we carried on."

As everyone knows, Black Sabbath is no longer touring. Ozzy Osbourne, Geezer Butler and Tony Iommi carried the band through their The End tour in 2016-2017. The final show was in their hometown of Birmingham, England. These days, Butler is more at home with his wife of 40+ years Gloria and their multitude of dogs and cats and he writes music at his leisure. He's also written a memoir called Into the Void. He describes Black Sabbath as a thing of the past. "We went out on top - why ruin it? We're all old - really old. I don't think we could last a tour these days [laughs]. Tony had his cancer; He's in remission but he doesn't want to chance going out on the road. God knows what Ozzy's doing; He was waiting to do his final tour for the past three years. I don't know if he'll ever go out on the road again. So no, Sabbath, it's definitely the end for us."

Wendy Dio Says Ronnie was "always overlooked" during his career

The late legend's wife Wendy says that during his career, Ronnie was "always overlooked"

In a new interview, the late wife of legendary singer Ronnie James Dio, discusses the legacy he left behind and his influence on fans both old and new. "I just think that Ronnie was always overlooked during the time that he was alive. And after his passing, I just felt that his music was something he wrote for the fans, he performed for the fans. He loved his fans and that should continue and carry on. That's one of the reasons why we did this documentary, was so that people could understand him, understand his life and where he came from and the trials and tribulations he had. He wasn't an overnight success. He paid his dues, for sure. And also to get his message out there. Ronnie's message was always like, follow your heart, follow your dreams [and] don't give up."

In the same interview, Wendy, who helped produce the documentary, Dio: Dreamers Never Die, she revealed her first reaction to seeing it. It will hit cinemas worldwide on Sept. 28 and Oct. 2. "When they put the film together, and we had a private screening for me, it was my first chance to see all the little bits put together and it was very bittersweet. I broke down and cried. And it was just exactly how I wanted Ronnie to be portrayed. They had done such a magnificent job. And that was just really, really - after all the hard work we all put into it, it was like 'woah.' I think the fans are absolutely gonna love it."

The new documentary had been fully authorized by the artist's estate and explores the creative life, rising from a 50s doo-wop crooner to his early days in Elf and Rainbow to replacing Black Sabbath front man Ozzy Osbourne and finally fronting his own self-named band. The film also includes never-before-seen footage and photos, in addition to close scenes with some of his peers, family and friends. They include: Wendy Dio, Black Sabbath's Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, Vinny Appice, Glenn Hughes, Lita Ford, Judas Priest front man Rob Halford, Sebastian Bach and Jack Black

June Birthdays

Charlie Watts

-Birth name: Charles Robert Watts

-DOB: 6/2/1941

-Where: Bloomsbury, London, England

-DOD: 8/24/2021

-Where: London, England (throat cancer)

-Prior to becoming a musician, he worked as a graphic artist

Johnny Depp

-Birth name: John Christopher Depp II

-DOB: 6/9/1963

-Where: Owensboro, Kentucky

-He had gotten a tattoo of his mother's name, Betty Sue, on 5/31/1988

Nicko McBrian

-Birth name: Michael Henry McBrain

-DOB: 6/5/1952

-Where: Hackney, London, England

-Has two sons named Nicholas and Justin with wife Rebecca

Ian Paice

-Birth name: Ian Anderson Paice

-DOB: 6/29/19448

-Where: Nottingham, England

-He was only 19 when he joined Deep Purple in 1968

Rainbow in the Dark by Mick Wall and Wendy Dio

This is the recently released biography on legendary vocalist Ronnie James Dio. The book goes into his life before, during and after all the bands he's been in. It's a good book, definitely funny. But, this book starts in and ends in 1986. It doesn't go through to current day. It doesn't talk about his second stint in Black Sabbath

Ronnie was born Ronald James Padavona on 7/10/1942 in Cortland, New York. He is the only sibling in his home. Initially, like most kids of his age and generation, he grew up being a massive baseball fan. One day, out of the blue, his father took him to a music shop and asked him which instrument he would like to play. Young Ronnie didn't know. He ended up choosing a trumpet because of the amount of jazz that was played in his home. He jokingly said that after choosing this, the store clerk took him to the back of the store to get measurements on various points of his face and that he was waiting for the guy to tell him to drop his pants and then turn and cough. Luckily, that didn't happen. The guy was just measuring him up to find the perfect trumpet for him. Almost by magic, the young Ronnie made magic happen when he started to play. He would get the remark he would get repeatedly later on "Where does all that power come from?" because of his short stature.

Once the music bug had bitten him, the venom of that bug would not leave him alone at all. He then was inspired to choose music as a career. Many in that generation looked at performing music for a living as a lark, a hobby, not something to be completely serious over. But Ronnie, ever so stubborn, was determined. He and some of his band mates, who would later join him in the bands Elf and Rainbow, went through a series of names, like Ronnie and the Prophets, Ronnie and the Redcaps, before settling on Elf after changing it slightly from The Electric Elves. He also took on the stage name Ronnie Dio, taking the "Dio" part from gangster Johnny Dio because Ronnie was an avid fan of mob-related history

Ronnie James Dio and the Prophets

The band's debut album. By the way, this "elf" is actually Ronnie with prosthetic ears and rubber facial parts to give him the look of a fearsome elf from mythology

During a road trip to a gig for this band, they were driving down the road and suddenly got into a crash with a drunken driver. The person in Ronnie's band that was driving was guitarist Nick Pantas. He was killed on impact because the steering wheel hit his head too hard. David Feinstein, Dio's cousin, the other guitarist, went through the windshield and was injured seriously. His legs had been mangled by the front end of the truck that hit them. Ronnie and the other band members suffered minor cuts and bruises. When taken to the hospital, Ronnie was livid. The only way that Massachusetts state troopers could calm Ronnie down was to accept his demand take a blood alcohol level test on the driver. Suffice to say, not only did the blood alcohol level reveal the driver's inebriated state, Ronnie could tell right away the driver was drunk. He learned that a bone specialist was in town and was able to save David's legs, which were thought to be at risk for amputation. This bone specialist was able to save David's legs. Because of this, they had to shuffle around duties by bringing in Mickey Lee Soule to play keyboards and Doug Thaler, who was originally the keyboard player, switched to guitar

Eventually, as the times went on, the band changed their sound once they realized people were more open to slightly longer songs and more album-oriented music instead of the singles that people had released in the 1960s. Bands like Aerosmith, Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin were setting the stage (no pun intended) for harder, heavier music in addition to bands like ELO (Electric Light Orchestra) and more. The band realized they could go heavier and with Ronnie, who had initially been playing bass, he decided to focus solely on singing. By some luck, the band Elf had been picked up by Purple Records, the label created by legendary hard rock band Deep Purple. That, of course, put Ronnie and his band in almost constant contact with any number of the members of Deep Purple, whether it be Ian Gillan, Ritchie Blackmore, David Coverdale, Glenn Hughes, Roger Glover, Jon Lord or Ian Paice. He definitely noted the heavy tension between Ian Gillan and Ritchie Blackmore. He described it as a "I hate you" kind of mood.

It was the attention of Ritchie Blackmore that had gotten Elf noticed. Ritchie was in a rut with Deep Purple and beginning to grow tired of the heavy funk-fusion type music they had switched to. He invited Elf to a club in Camberley, where Ritchie had a house. They auditioned together and suddenly a new band was formed. They had moved operations to LA and thus, named the band Rainbow after the famed LA club. While in England, staying with Ritchie, this began a life long love of all things English for Ronnie. This probably explains why when Ronnie would talk, he would talk in his normal American accent, but his English would be very refined and sophisticated. He also developed a love of the zany comedy from people like the Monty Python's Flying Circus and more. The only downside is that the new band Rainbow would basically be Elf minus guitarist Steve Edwards and drummer Mark Nauseef.

At the time, Elf had been in the process of releasing an album, Trying to Burn the Sun. It did get released in the US in June of 1975. As time went on, Ronnie would go on to release three albums with Rainbow-1975's Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow, 1976's Rising, 1978's Long Live Rock 'n' Roll. Ronnie could definitely understand Ritchie's frustration at how Rainbow didn't seem to be taking off as well in America as they did in Europe. As time went on, however, things started getting tense in the Rainbow camp. As the press would suggest it, Ronnie was fired by Ritchie. According to Ronnie, he left of his own accord. The reason that Rainbow keyboard player Tony Carey was fired was because he was loud, outgoing, boisterous, "too American", as Ritchie put it. He managed to get under Ritchie's skin almost constantly because of his outgoing nature. He would be fired and brought back at least two more times before being fired for good. The song "L.A. Connection" from Long Live Rock 'n' Roll was about Tony's constant calls home to L.A. The song "Starstruck" from Rising was about this stalker-like female fan who would follow the band everywhere. Ritchie and the rest of the band would see her everywhere. During his days with Rainbow, he met, fell in love and married the woman who would be not only his best friend, but his wife and manager, Wendy. They married in 1974 and remained together until his death in 2010

It was after the 1978 Long Live Rock 'n' Roll album that Ronnie finally quit. He was under a lot of stress dealing with someone like Ritchie, whose mood could be described, at best, moody and erratic. For a short time, Wendy and Ronnie didn't have much money except for $800 in a bank account and all their possessions in a car. Ronnie was offered the chance to front Black Sabbath since their original front man Ozzy Osbourne, had gone solo with wife Sharon Arden-Osbourne managing him. That gave Ronnie the idea to have her manage him. She urged Ronnie to join Sabbath as it would put money in their accounts. At first, Ronnie, Tony, Geezer got along great. Geezer was out of the picture since he was having marital problems. When Geezer came back, there was a little tension between Geezer and Ronnie because of the whole bass/writing lyrics thing. Geezer was the primary lyricist for Sabbath and when he came back, he discovered Ronnie had also been able to write lyrics. Ronnie definitely didn't like the slightly laid back vibe from Tony and Geezer. He wanted to get straight to work and get it done.

When drummer Bill Ward left, in came another fellow New Yorker named Vinny Appice. Ronnie also sets the record straight with the whole "altering the master tapes" issue that Tony accused him of. Ronnie didn't last long in Sabbath as the tension once again started coming up, this time with Tony Iommi and not Ritchie Blackmore. He jokingly says that if you want to work with someone moody and erratic, try working with Ritchie Blackmore. If you want to work with someone demanding, try working with Tony Iommi. He describes Black Sabbath as a ghost ship with no captain. When he joined Sabbath, he noticed Tony and Geezer shied away from doing interviews. He would take the role of captain at the helm for interviews and he and Vinny would make sure every fan got an autograph, despite the ire that was rising with Tony and Geezer, who would often tell them to hurry up. He quit Sabbath because of stress in that environment. Despite the bad vibes between him and Geezer and Tony, they all still remained friends until his death.

It was then that Wendy suggested creating his own band and naming it simply Dio. He said he actually preferred to work with European and British musicians because they didn't often have egos. He wanted Dio to be British-American. He certainly accomplished that by bringing in various musicians. On drums, he could think of no one more capable than Vinny Appice. He asked Vinny what his choice was: stay with an accomplished band or take a risk with a good friend and start something new? The choice was obvious. He was sticking with Dio. On guitar, he brought in young, Irish-born guitarist Vivian Campbell, who would come to have problems with Dio later on. It was suggested later on that Dio had fired him or some such thing. Dio straight up says that Campbell was actually threatening to sue Dio because he wanted equal rights on songs and equal pay, despite the fact that everything in the band was being bankrolled by Ronnie and Wendy. He demanded double the $1700 he was getting. When Campbell's lawyer called and gave them the choice to comply or he quit, Wendy told the lawyer Campbell had already been replaced. The band would go to make at least 10 studio albums, dozens of live albums. The most successful album of Dio's would be their initial right out of the starting gate, Holy Diver. This is the album that introduces some fans to Dio, while later albums get people into their music. The lineups had changed here and there, but the magic of Dio would remain the same. Also, when Dio started touring, he started introducing what is commonly known as "The Metal Horns". This gesture of holding down the middle fingers with the thumb while leaving the index and pinky finger extended started becoming a household feature at Dio concerts and now metal concerts worldwide. He credits his Sicilian grandmother being overly superstitious and using it to ward off evil spirits and freak out Americans, who would think it was some sign of devilish worship or activity

Vivian Campbell

Rainbow in the Dark: Memoir of Ronnie James Dio

 This should make a lot of fans of Ronnie James Dio happy!

Fans of Ronnie James Dio celebrate! There is a biography set for a July release on the life of the legendary operatic vocalist. The book claims to be "a frank, startling, often hilarious, sometimes sad testament to dedication and ambition, filled with moving coming-of-age tales, glorious stories of excess and candid recollections of what really happened backstage."

July 27 is when the world will finally get to know the real Ronnie James Dio. Titled Rainbow in the Dark, this will tell the whole story of one of metal's most honored vocalists. A press release was given out about the book, stating it will "comprise everything from his fallout with Ritchie Blackmore, drugs that derailed the resurrection of Black Sabbath, the personality clashes that frayed each of his three bands, and the huge bet he and (wife) Wendy placed together to launch the most successful endeavor of his career...his own band, Dio". The book will start and end at Madison Square Garden, which some think represented the pinnacle of success

July Birthdays

Since it's July, time to say Happy Birthday!!

Lauren Harris

-DOB: 7/6/1984

-Where: Essex, England

-This is an obvious fact, but she is a hard rock vocalist. She's also a classically trained actor and most obviously, the oldest daughter of Iron Maiden bassist/founding member Steve Harris

Geezer Butler

-Birth name: Terence Michael Butler

-DOB: 7/17/1949

-Where: Aston, Birmingham, England

-He has written almost 90% of the lyrics used in songs by Black Sabbath

Sylvester Stallone

-Birth name: Sylvester Enzio Stallone

-DOB: 7/6/1946

-Where: New York City, New York

-When he was born, doctors had used forceps on him to pull him out. This severed a nerve in his cheek, resulting in partial facial paralysis on the lower left side of his face and slightly slurred speech

Ringo Starr

-Birth name: Richard Starkey

-DOB: 7/7/1940

-Where: Merseyside, Liverpool, England

-Got his nickname "Ringo" from his habit of wearing rings

Ronnie James Dio

-Birth name: Ronald James Padavona

-DOB: 7/10/1942

-Where: Portsmouth, New Hampshire

-DOD: 5/16/2010

-Where: Los Angeles, California (stomach cancer)

-Had issues with at least one person in almost each band he was in. He had issues with Ritchie Blackmore in Rainbow. He had issues with Terence "Geezer" Butler and Tony Iommi in Black Sabbath and Vivian Campbell in DIO

Mick Jagger

-Birth name: Michael Phillip Jagger

-DOB: 7/26/1943

-Where: Dartford, Kent, England

-He has appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone Magazine 20 times. First in 1968 and most recently in 2005

Eric Carr

-Birth name: Paul Charles Caravello

-DOB: 7/12/1950

-Where: Brooklyn, New York

-DOD: 11/24/1991

-Where: New York City, New York

-Died on the same day as Queen vocalist Freddie Mercury

Daniel Radcliffe

-Birth name: Daniel Jacob Radcliffe

-DOB: 7/23/1989

-Where: Fulham, London, England

-Even though he doesn't enjoy playing football (soccer to everyone else), he does support the hometown team of Fulham FC

Geddy Lee

-Birth name: Gary Lee Weinrib

-DOB: 7/29/1953

-Where: Toronto, Canada

-Earned his nickname "Geddy" from his Hungarian grandmother's heavily accented pronunciation of "Gary"

Helen Mirren

-Birth name: Helen Lydia Mironoff

-DOB: 7/26/1945

-Where: Hammersmith, London, England

-Her paternal grandparents were Russian

Brian May

-Birth name: Brian Harold May

-DOB: 7/19/1947

-Where: Hampton, Middlesex, England

-He was studying at Imperial College in London for a Bachelor of Science for physics and math and had even started working on a doctorate in astronomy, but had dropped out to join Queen. He later went back and received his doctorate in astrophysics

Roger Taylor

-Birth name: Roger Meddows Taylor

-DOB: 7/26/1949

-Where: Kings Lynn, Norfolk, England

-A strange coincidence. He played in his band Queen at Live Aid just as another band called Duran Duran played there as well. They also have a drummer named Roger Taylor