Dio

Ronald James Padavona (July 10, 1942 – May 16, 2010), better known as Ronnie James Dio, was an Italian-American heavy metal vocalist and songwriter. He performed with, amongst others, Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Heaven & Hell, and his own band Dio. Other musical projects include the collective fundraiser Hear 'n Aid. He was widely hailed as the most powerful singer in heavy metal,^[1] renowned for his consistently powerful voice. He consistently ranks as one of the greatest rock vocalists of all time in various online polls and lists. He is credited with popularizing the "devil horns" hand gesture in metal culture. Prior to his death, he was collaborating on a project with former Black Sabbath bandmates Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Vinny Appice, under the moniker Heaven & Hell, whose first studio album, The Devil You Know, was released on April 28, 2009.^[2] Dio died of stomach cancer on May 16, 2010.^[3][4] One of the last songs he recorded was titled "Metal Will Never Die".^[5]

Ronnie James Dio was born Ronald James Padavona in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, the only child of Italian parents.^[6] They lived in Portsmouth until the family moved to Cortland, New York early in his life.

He initially played the trumpet and French horn^[7] and even recorded several singles with various rockabilly bands when he was a boy. When he was in high school, he joined a band called The Vegas Kings, in which he played the bass guitar. He eventually became the lead singer of this band, which changed its name to Ronnie & The Rumblers and finally to Ronnie And The Red Caps. Their first 7-inch single was released in 1958 on Reb Records under the name Ronnie & The Redcaps. Its A-side, 'Lover' still had Billy DeWolfe on vocals but Dio's voice can be heard clearly in the back. The B-side, 'Conquest' is an instrumental in the style of the Ventures, featuring Dio on trumpet.

Dio graduated from the Cortland City School in 1960, and was inducted to the Cortland City School Hall of Fame in 2004.^[8] He was also honored on November 15, 1988 by his hometown naming a street after him, Dio Way.^[9]

During a performance at the Darien Lake Performing Arts Center in Darien, NY (near Buffalo, NY) on September 19, 2007, Dio revealed that he had attended the University at Buffalo, majoring in pharmacy.^[10] He attended from 1960 to 1961 but did not graduate.^[6] He formed one of his early bands during his freshman year.^[11]

He was offered a scholarship to the Juilliard School of Music but did not pursue it due to his interest in rock music.^[12] Despite being known for his powerful singing voice, Dio claimed never to have taken any vocal training.^[13] He attributed his singing ability to the correct breathing techniques he learned when playing the French horn as a child.