When 40-year-old Ronnie James Dio stormed out of Black Sabbath in 1982, finally defeated by the rampant drug abuse of guitarist Tony Iommi and bassist Geezer Butler, the world’s greatest heavy metal singer had an ace up his billowing wizard’s sleeve.
Ronnie had recently begun working on a new song, originally with Sabbath in mind, but by the time he finished it he wasn’t in Sabbath any more. Instead he recorded it with his new band – defiantly named Dio. Using his own name was a statement of personal and professional intent. Ronnie had co-created Rainbow with Ritchie Blackmore but remained essentially an employee in the band, as underlined when Blackmore fired him. He’d single-handedly resurrected Sabbath, gifting them the monumental Heaven And Hell album, but again came last in the pecking order when the shit went down.
