In Memorium-Ronnie James Dio

Six years ago this day, metal god Ronnie James Dio passed away. For over 50 years, Dio recorded across genres on every medium from 7″ singles to digital downloads. From Elf to Rainbow to Black Sabbath to his own band, Dio, his vision and energy propelled metal forward. He contributed to Roger Glover’s Butterfly Ball and the Grasshopper’s Feast, singing the international hit “Love Is All.” Within a decade, Dio was directly involved in three of the most important albums in the history of heavy metal: Rainbow’s Rising (1976), Black Sabbath’s Heaven and Hell (1980), and Dio’s Holy Diver 1983. Known for mythological imagery and perhaps the strongest and most nuanced voice in the history of not only heavy metal but perhaps all of popular music, Dio constant exhorted us to “look out” lest we become “fools.” He also popularized the “Devil’s Horns,” a symbol not of the devil but of unity, approval, and love.