Ronnie James Dio passed away earlier this week, regarded by many as one of the best vocalists to grace the Heavy Metal genre.
Having begun his interest in music through playing trumpet in his teens, he subsequently moved onto bass then lead vocal duties in Ronnie Dio and The Prophets, a role for which he would later become synonymous. From the ashes of The Prophets he formed the band Electric Elves in 1967 with guitarist Nick Pantas, later shortened to Elf before they toured with Deep Purple two years later whereupon legendary guitarist Ritchie Blackmore took notice of his vocal talents.
Upon Blackmore's departure from Deep Purple Ronnie was recruited along with other Elf members to join new venture Rainbow, their time in the band would be short but Dio was a member of for three albums before being fired in 1965 as artistic differences surfaced over the more commercial direction Blackmore was pushing the sound towards.
Going against fan and press opinion of the time Ronnie James Dio then performed the unlikely, replacing Ozzy Osbourne as the lead singer of Black Sabbath and forming a creative partnership that bore fruit with Heaven And Hell in 1980 - 30 years on regarded as a classic Heavy Metal album. He would only stay in the band for one more record though, Mob Rules preceded his exit in a dispute over the mixing of a the live album, Live Evil.
Setting up a new band under his own name, Dio released 11 albums, with 1983's Holy Diver generally considered their best work and a fitting summary of the man himself and the embodiment of his musical ambition.
Alongside the prolific Dio output, he would later rejoin Black Sabbath for 1991's Dehumanizer album and in 2006 they re-grouped for a third time under the moniker Heaven And Hell (to avoid disputes over the Sabbath name), releasing the new studio album The Devil You Know in 2009.
In November 2009 a statement was released confirming Ronnie had stomach cancer, however following a positive response to treatment the Heaven And Hell concert dates for Summer 2010 were announced.
Unfortunately the news came again and it was not so good, those dates were canceled at the beginning of this month and on Sunday May 16, Wendy Dioannounced that her husband Ronnie had passed, offering a message to his fans and paying tribute she said "Please know he loved you all and his music will live on forever. " Ozzy Osborne, whom Dio replaced in Sabbath and Lars Ulrich of Metallica have both also since payed tribute, Lars in an open letter citing Ronnie's musical abilities and humanity, "Ronnie, your voice impacted and empowered me, your music inspired and influenced me, and your kindness touched and moved me." In a separate statement Ozzy said, "Metal has truly lost one of its greatest voices. My heart goes out to his family and to his many fans. ... Love and respect."
Aswell as the legacy of his musical projects and his vocal style which set the template for many bands to follow, Ronnie James Dio is also credited with giving Metal and Rock fans the "horns" salute (Ronnie pictured demonstrating), now often seen at gigs and festivals of all genres but forever most associated with Ronnie's own. Some of his musical legacy is below, the BBC take an affectionate look at that cultural legacy here.
Arcade Fire have previewed their forthcoming 12-inch single online.
Called 'The Suburbs'/'Month Of May', the double A-side will be "in stores in the next couple weeks" according to the group. The band are now previewing a sample from both tracks on Arcadefire.com.
Arcade Fire's third album is expected to be released sometime this summer. They are set to headline the Reading And Leeds Festivals, which take place between August 27 and 29.
The Doors - that is to say, keyboardist Ray Manzarek and guitarist Robby Krieger - have picked Steelheart singer Miljenko Matijevic to be their new Jim Morrison for an upcoming US tour.
A lawsuit brought about by former band member drummer John Densmore has barred Manzarek and Krieger from legally using The Doors' name, resulting in the new outfit touring under monikers such as The Doors Of The 21st Century, D21C and Riders On The Storm. Now they're simply billing themselves as 'Manzarek-Krieger.'
Before recruiting Matijevic, the duo toured with Ian Astbury of The Cult and Brett Scallions of Fuel as fill-ins for the late Morrison.
Nonetheless, Manzarek and Krieger remain excited about hitting the road. "There's always a big audience out there to dig it," Manzarek tells Gibson.com. "You throw the energy out to the people and the people throw that energy back to you. You create that circle of power. I'm life or I'm some other substance."
Every few years it seems as though The Doors experience new waves of popularity, and in 2010 the phenomenon continues thanks to a recently released documentary, When You're Strange, directed by Tom DiCillo and narrated by Johnny Depp. The film mixes classic performances of some of the group's biggest hits as well as previously unseen archival footage. (see Source)
US dates for Manzarek-Krieger
27 May - Harrah's VooDoo Lounge - Maryland Heights, MO
28 May - Horseshoe Whiskey Roadhouse - Council Bluffs, IA
30 May - Pabst Theater - Milwaukee, WI
1 June - House of Blues - Cleveland, OH
2 June - Nokia Theatre - New York, NY
3 June - Wilbur Theatre - Boston, MA
5 June - Hilton - Atlantic City, NJ
6 June - Ridgefield Playhouse - Ridgefield, CT
7 June - The National - Richmond, VA
8 June - The Norva - Norfolk, VA
10 June - The Egg - Rensselaer, NY
11 June - Starland Ballroom - Sayreville, NJ
12 June - Mohegan Sun - Uncasville, CT
Muse have cancelled two shows and resheduled two others on their upcoming tour of North America.
The group have cancelled their previously announced shows in Kansas City on November 2 and St. Louis on November 3, so bassist Chris Wolstenholme can be at the birth of his fifth child.
Refunds for these dates are available, with the group assuring fans they "haven't forgotten them," adding that they "will make up these cancelled shows on a future tour".
Meanwhile, the band have rescheduled the Columbus date on November 5 to October 12, and the Cincinnati show from November 6 to October 11.
Tickets for the rescheduled dates are still valid for the shows, while refunds are available at point of purchase.
US post-punk legends SWANS are set to play a series of UK and Ireland gigs in October.
Speaking earlier this year, founding member Michael Gira stated the dates should not be seen as "a reunion". "One thing I want to point out right now: THIS IS NOT A REUNION, " he said "It's not some dumb-ass nostalgia act. It is not repeating the past. I certainly never thought this day would arrive, but it's inevitable, it's here, it's fate, so I'm succumbing to it."
SWANS play:
Cork, Cyprus Avenue (October 21)
Dublin, Button Factory (22)
Birmingham, Supersonic Festival (24)
Glasgow, Arches (25)
Brighton, Concorde 2 (27)
London, Koko Theatre (28)
Leeds, Uni Stylus (29)
Manchester Academy (30)
For more on Gira's decision to reboot SWANS, click here.
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