Ronnie had the thankless task of taking over the lead vocals for the greatest metal band in history, Black Sabbath, after Ozzy got fired. Dio broke up with (and rejoined) Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler not once but twice, most recently as the black-as-pitch supergroup Heaven and Hell. Together with Sabbath (and his own band, Dio) Dio's music was my gateway drug to heavy metal, which I love with no apologies. If it weren't for Ronnie, I wouldn't have discovered Judas Priest, Motorhead, White Zombie, Slayer, and Megadeth... And without them I wouldn't know anything about Angel Witch or Dokken or Brocas Helm or Testament or Anvil or 3 Inches of Blood.
Thanks, Ronnie. Every time I throw the horns, I'm throwing them for you.
Poor Ronnie, I didn't even know he was sick...
ReplyDeleteWhenever I think of Ronnie, I always think of George Strombolopoulos rolling his eyes at Gene Simmons after Gene took credit for inventing "the horns" on The Hour. What a jackass.
Awesome tribute Kelly!
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