RJD=Metal God

Ronnie James Dio was a Metal God—arguably the first. Others had
walked the path before him, but I think it's a fair argument to say
that he was the first metal front man who fully captured the operatic
grandeur, bombast, and heaviosity that would become the norm to which
all other succeeding metal bands would aspire.

There were Rock Gods a-plenty from Clapton (is God), Page and Beck,
Bon, Plant and Gillan, but Dio brought The Metal. Without RJD, there would have been no Halford as Leather God, no Mein prancing around and egging the crowd on, no Danzig.


NO SPINAL TAP.

Whether the stories I've heard since the 80's of Dio and Appice
sneaking into the studio and boosting their levels on Live Evil are
true or apocryphal, it only added to his self-created legend. Perhaps
mostly because he was such an unlikely looking figure, it always
appeared to me that he had forced his slightly less than operatic
voice and stage hauteur to the silver mountain top by sheer will and
force of of desire. He can now rest there forever looking down at his
legacy with justifiable pride.

By most accounts a class guy to his fans; truly no one was more Metal
than Ronnie James Dio.

Thanks for Heaven and Hell, d00d.