The grand wizard of classic rock., a poet of hope for the downtrodden, the single most important vocal technician in the history of heavy metal - all of these accolades have been garlanded upon the royal roar known as Ronnie James Dio.

Born in New Hampshire, USA in 1946 Ronnie first achieved recognition singing with his own group Elf. He was spotted by Deep Purple's Roger Glover and lan Paice in 1972 and Elf then supported the British band on several US tours. Ronnie later sang on Roger's lamed solo project 'The Butterfly Ball' in 1974 and then joined Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow. With his pioneering classical metal work in Rainbow, as well as his vocal pyrotechnics on two Black Sabbath monoliths (Heaven and Hell and Mob Rules), Ronnie used word and rhythm to seduce his way into the center ring during metal's thriving heyday.

His first solo offering, Holy Diver, was a brilliant display of melody and might that married Ronnie's immense vocal, lyrical, and compositional acumen with the talents of a band chosen with almost Machiavellian insight.

Holy Diver quickly established the singer's hypnotizing skill for delivering messages that pierced the wild heart of the metal generation. Due to a wellspring of strength built from childhood struggles, Ronnie learned to soar with words, writing anthems to overcoming, pagans to personal power, and overtures to outcasts, all with a verve that stressed independence in the face of dark forces.

By the release of record #2, The Last in Line, Dio was firing on all cylinders, packing stadiums with a visual and aural symphony: a pyramid stage set complete with a three-headed cobra and fighting sphinxes, and songs that spoke to an all too prevalent middle American reality. Good versus evil was Dio's unrelenting theme, and the band's muscle bound devil mascot, amusingly known as Murray, seemed to be winning. Next up for Ronnie was his reunion with Black Sabbath for '92's Dehumanizer. It wasn't long before old animosities reared their homed heads, and creative blocks resulted in a hyped but belabored album that's nevertheless rife with the singer's then-recent predilection for large, wallowing riflery.

Ronnie's offerings 'Magica' and 'Killing The Dragon' are classic Dio. Following a hugely successful tour of Europe, USA and Japan, Ronnie also teamed up with his old mates from Deep Purple to perform songs from the 'Butterfly Ball' and his new masterpieces, in conjunction with a 79 piece orchestra ...... it was an unforgettable experience!!!

So there you have it, years of Dio domination, much of it a commercial smash, all of it thoughtful and painstakingly creative. Ronnie reminded us that an album is forever - that each one is a document carved in time, to be studied and by generations of listeners. Dio is indeed a vital artist, still making records with new collaborators and new enjoyed sounds

The Dio canon is now regarded as above and beyond trend, one of the few hallowed metal collections composing the very definition of "classic rock," May the man preach, pontificate, and power-chord for many years to come.

Released in October 2000 from Rhino Records, "The Very Beast of Dio" with 16 tracks of RJD's greatest hits!