Artist

Ronnie James Dio

Portsmouth, United States

Ronnie James Dio is a musician from Portsmouth, United States. They also recorded with Dio, Black Sabbath, Rainbow, Heaven & Hell and Elf.

Start your shelf →Open in app

101

Albums tracked

2,455

In collections

—

Since

5 projects · 2,455 records in Gatefold collections

Biography

Born as Ronald James Padavona in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, on July 10th 1942. Ronnie adopted the surname "Dio" sometime in the early '60s, taking inspiration from mobster Johnny Dio. He is known for his fantasy-based lyrics and "sword and sorcery" image. His career stretched back to the mid '50s when he performed and recorded with local rockabilly, doo wop, and rock and roll groups in his native upstate New York. Known for fronting the bands Elf, Rainbow and joining Black Sabbath as their new vocalist in 1979. Dio later departed the group, forming his own band, Dio with Sabbath drummer Vinny Appice.
In late 2009, Ronnie was diagnosed with stomach cancer, and passed away in Houston, Texas, due to complications from this disease on May 16th, 2010.
He was married to Wendy Dio who also was his manager.

Bio from Discogs