Ronnie James Dio, known the world over as one of the greatest metal frontman in history, would have been 71 today. The singer died on May 16, 2010 after a long battle with stomach cancer.

Over his career, Dio would front many bands including Rainbow, Black Sabbath in the 80's, Heaven & Hell (the Dio fronted Sabbath under a new name in the 2000's), and even a band with his namesake.

Born on July 10, 1947 in Portsmouth, New Hampshire the singer was raised on opera and influenced by tenor Mario Lanza. Strangely enough, Dio never received proper vocal training. The most musical "training" he had was playing trumpet at age five.

His career would being in 1957 in Cortland, NY with a band called The Vegas Kings. In 1975 Rainbow, featuring Ritchie Blackmore of Deep Purple and Dio, released their self-titled debut album. Dio would join Black Sabbath in 1979 to replay the fired Ozzy Osbourne and then formed Dio in 1982.

Dio sold over 47 million albums in total with all the bands he has been apart of and has left an everlasting legacy and impression on the metal world.

Happy Birthday Ronnie James Dio! Rock on!

 

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