Dio

Dio is an American heavy metal band formed in October 1982 around singer Ronnie James Dio. Originally, the band included Vivian Campbell on guitar, Jimmy Bain on bass and Vinny Appice on drums. He knew the latter two well, having worked with them in the past, one with Rainbow (the Live On Stage) and the other with Black Sabbath. As for Vivian Campbell, he was spotted by Jimmy Bain while he was opening for bands such as Thin Lizzy and Motorhead, then took part in auditions before being chosen by Ronnie Dio. Dio released their first album in May 1983: Holy Diver. Ronnie sings and plays keyboards on the album, but Claude Schnell, a defector from Rough Cutt, joined the band for the concerts. Ronnie James Dio died on 16 May 2010 of stomach cancer.