Ronnie James Dio: Memories of a Rock 'N' Roll Icon

Just three months ago the author Ian Carroll, author of the famous book 'From Donington to Download', started appealing to Motorhead fans on Facebook for their memories on the legendary bassist/frontman Ian 'Lemmy' Kilmister, who died tragically on December 28th, 2015, just 48 hours after learning he had terminal brain and neck cancer, The book was a huge success, hitting #1 in heavy metal book charts round the globe. All proceeds from the sale of the book are going to Cancer Research UK, so all in a good cause! 300+ pages of memories from fans far and wide, is certainly a good read, and to have my own page-and-a-half of my thoughts on Lemmy there in print is very empowering for me as a person who only writes as a hobby,

Now he's back, and making preparations for a new book of a similar theme, but this time, the focus is on legendary metal icon Ronnie James Dio. He has asked for memories of the latter, and of course being a fan I jumped to the opportunity. Calling all RJD, Sabbath, Rainbow, Dio, and Elf fans worldwide, this is your chance to relive your memories of the legend, as all contributions will be included! It's going to be good to see another one of my written pieces in print! First a childish poem about Spring I wrote at school, then a eulogy about Lemmy, now one about Dio! I thought 2016 was going to be bad, but things are certainly looking up! 

You can find a link to the book's page here: https://www.facebook.com/Ronnie-James-Dio-Memories-of-a-Rock-N-Roll-Icon-1253094674703996/?fref=nf

And now, without further a due, here is what I have written.

"I started listening to Dio when I was fifteen; the first album I listened to was Rising, the one he did vocals for with Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow, and the track was Stargazer. It was eight minutes of pure hard rock pleasure, and something I would never forget for the rest of my life. I knew I was going down to the record store to buy the record, even though at the time they were really hard to get, and considered retro. But luckily I managed to pick up a mint condition copy of it for just £8 – what a bargain considering at the time it was nearly thirty nine years old!

My love affair with Dio didn’t stop there. I moved on from Rainbow and onto the likes of Black Sabbath, which I’d become hooked on Mob Rules and Heaven & Hell, I just didn’t know who the singer was, until I heard Rainbow, and it clicked that it was the same powerful, gravelly voice that sang the vocals on Long Live Rock n Roll. Neon Knights became my favourite track alongside Holy Diver, which he did with his solo group, it’s what I, as an eclectic music fan would say, a true heavy metal anthem. The video is packed full of action, leaving you wondering what happens to him in the end.

Every fan that I have met through the internet or fan forums, are the high envy of me, either because they have had the privilege of meeting him or seeing him live, whether he was backed by Rainbow, Sabbath . The only regret I have is that I wasn’t born in time to see him perform whilst he was still alive, but like I always say, thank heavens for YouTube and Vimeo, many fans have uploaded their precious memories of the legend, a true god of metal.

Ronnie James Dio will go down in the history books as one of the pioneers of heavy metal and rock, no one can replace him, not even Rainbow’s new frontman, Ronnie Romero. My goal is to visit his plaque on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, as after all, he truly deserved it.

Horns up, Dio. May you rest in peace."