By the time Ronnie James Dio joined Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow, he had already been recording for 17 years! His first single release was "Conquest/Lover" in 1958 as Ronnie and the Red Caps.
Many people are unaware of Ronnie James Dio's long... looooong career in music... much longer than just Rainbow-onward. It may come as a shock to many that are familiar with his metal career that he has dabbled in a number of rock/pop styles from the 50s-early 70s. I wonder if his career was an inspiration for "This is Spinal Tap", which shows Spinal Tap at different points in time performing psychadelic, Beatlesque pop and other "arcane" styles.
Ronnie's bands in his early years included Ronnie and the Redcaps, Ronnie and the Prophets, Electric Elves, The Elves and finally Elf... an early 70s boogie-rock outfit that released a few great records before being absorbed by Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow. Ronnie had many single releases during these years, ranging from doo-wop to Dean Martin-esque balladeering to hippie folk rock. It is truly stunning to hear the range of expression Dio exhibited back then.
Here is a link to a fantastic website devoted solely to Dio's early work through Elf. It features many mp3's of his early recordings. You can hear Ronnie on stuff like "I Left My Heart in San Francisco", "Great Balls of Fire" and "Stay With Me".
http://www.dimwhit.com/dio/index.html
Some of my favorite early Dio works include "Amber Velvet", "Wake Up Sunshine" and "Smile For Me Lady".
Ronnie and the Red Caps
Ronnie and the Prophets
The Elves
Many people are unaware of Ronnie James Dio's long... looooong career in music... much longer than just Rainbow-onward. It may come as a shock to many that are familiar with his metal career that he has dabbled in a number of rock/pop styles from the 50s-early 70s. I wonder if his career was an inspiration for "This is Spinal Tap", which shows Spinal Tap at different points in time performing psychadelic, Beatlesque pop and other "arcane" styles.
Ronnie's bands in his early years included Ronnie and the Redcaps, Ronnie and the Prophets, Electric Elves, The Elves and finally Elf... an early 70s boogie-rock outfit that released a few great records before being absorbed by Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow. Ronnie had many single releases during these years, ranging from doo-wop to Dean Martin-esque balladeering to hippie folk rock. It is truly stunning to hear the range of expression Dio exhibited back then.
Here is a link to a fantastic website devoted solely to Dio's early work through Elf. It features many mp3's of his early recordings. You can hear Ronnie on stuff like "I Left My Heart in San Francisco", "Great Balls of Fire" and "Stay With Me".
http://www.dimwhit.com/dio/index.html
Some of my favorite early Dio works include "Amber Velvet", "Wake Up Sunshine" and "Smile For Me Lady".
Ronnie and the Red Caps
Ronnie and the Prophets
The Elves
