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Rainbow In The Dark: The Autobiography
Speaking of Ronnie James Dio, his semi-auto biography will come out on July 27, 2021, via Permuted Press. This is a book RJD started working on before his death, in collaboration with Mick Wall, who finished it after Ronnie’s passing.
The promotional blurb reads:
Prior to his tragic death in 2010, Ronnie James Dio had been writing his autobiography, looking back on the remarkable life that led him from his hometown in upstate New York to the biggest stages in the world, including the arena that represented the pinnacle of success to him—Madison Square Garden, where this book begins and ends.
As Ronnie contemplates the achievement of a dream, he reflects on the key aspects that coalesced into this moment—the close gang of friends that gave him his start in music, playing parties, bars, frats, and clubs; the sudden transition that moved him to the microphone and changed his life forever; the luck that led to the birth of Rainbow and a productive but difficult collaboration with Ritchie Blackmore; the chance meeting that made him the second singer of Black Sabbath, taking them to new levels of success; the surprisingly tender story behind the birth of the Devil Horns, the lasting symbol of heavy metal; his marriage to Wendy, which stabilized his life, and the huge bet they placed together to launch the most successful endeavor of his career…his own band, Dio.
Everything is described in great detail and in the frankest terms, from his fallout with Blackmore, to the drugs that derailed the resurrection of Black Sabbath, to the personality clashes that frayed each band.
Written with longtime friend of thirty years and esteemed music writer, Mick Wall, who took up the mantle after Ronnie’s passing, Rainbow In The Dark is a frank, startling, often hilarious, sometimes sad testament to dedication and ambition, filled with moving coming-of-age tales, glorious stories of excess, and candid recollections of what really happened backstage at the hotel, in the studio, and back home behind closed doors far away from the road.
What: Ronnie James Dio autobiography
Title: Rainbow In The Dark: The Autobiography
Authors: Ronnie James Dio, Mick Wall, Wendy Dio
Format: hardcover, 352 pages
When: July 27, 2021
Where: Permuted Press
ISBN: 978-1642939743
Thanks to Blabbermouth for the info.
Unauthorized copying, while sometimes necessary, is never as good as the real thing
This should be a good read.Mick Wall is a good Rock writer.
February 17th, 2021 at 22:19Hopefully,it will be published on time,unlike,say,Fire In The Sky. Just how long will that book take to appear ?? It honestly seems like a couple of years since I pre-ordered and paid for it.
Ironic that the book is named after a song that RJD himself had mentioned on occasion as being one of his least favourite ditties!. (Or am I mistaken, Uwe?)
🕵🏻♂️🔬🔍👀😁
The tune itself was apparently based on the previous Vivian Campbell composition ‘Lady Marion’, for his pre Dio band called ‘Sweet Savage’. This is it:
https://youtu.be/AB3ColK5e60
Here’s a another link to some more info for those who are interested.
https://www.loudersound.com/features/dios-rainbow-in-the-dark-the-story-behind-the-song
BTW, there’s something eerily familiar about the front cover of that book… It somehow reminds me of Batman… hmmmm… 🦇 🌈🌌
February 18th, 2021 at 15:24Yeah, Herr Richmore, I read that too, that he considered it a throwaway track not really belonging on Holy Diver. Jimmy Bain had a hand in writing it as well, the (somewhat silly – like a cross between Rondo Veneziano and ABBA) keyboard line was his idea at rehearsals and it sounds like something that might have cropped up before on a Wild Horses album which were essentially failed pop rock (we all know how Brits can’t do AOR proper, just like Yanks can’t do PROG proper!).
BTW: The Sweet Savage track sounds better to my ears. I only heard it now.
Does anyone remember those Millenium Concerto gigs with Ronnie as a guest where Jon had to play the keyboard part when Dio did his thing? The way Jon kept a bemused straight face while doing it was priceless.
February 20th, 2021 at 13:48I agree with Uwe (I will have to stop doing that) as to the progressive rock comment, with one exception,
February 20th, 2021 at 22:18(there we go, he he). Kansas & their 70’s albums & live performances nailed it, to my ears. When being told about them in 1990 I was skeptical indeed. However, then very surprised and with repeated listening I went out & purchased those albums & stand by them to this day. Of course they went AOR in the 80’s
(who didn’t) & finally common sense prevailed in the 90’s & normal service was returned to it’s correct standing. The friend of mine who owned those records was also into the band Styx, however whilst very good musicians & with all good intentions, the songwriting wasn’t up there for me. One out of two isn’t too bad I suppose. Cheers.
I knew someone would come up with Kansas – didn’t they have a guitarist once who is now with that other band that plays Smoke on the Water? -, they were indeed a noteworthy exception. And Styx had a PROG influence, no doubt. There were also the YES wannabes of Starcastle whose excellent Fountains of Light is a guilty pleasure of mine.
There were AOR exceptions to the rule too. Mick Jones was no Yank and Foreigner co-invented the AOR template.
And of course the PROG output from Canada was always comparatively high (Rush, Max Webster, hey, let’s not forget Symphonic Slam!).
February 21st, 2021 at 02:23Perhaps a more appropriate title for Dio’s biography might have been “We Rock”. 🤩
@4 & 5… Hit me with your rhythm Styx,
February 21st, 2021 at 14:22das ist gut! C’est fantastique!
Hit me! Hit me! Hit me!
(But only with wet celery, as I’m starting to feel the effects of age now you know!) 😁
Ian Dury was great – what a loss.
February 21st, 2021 at 19:56Foreigner, Ian McDonald was also British, ex Crimson member from their almighty debut album. Regarding Morse era Kansas, that 2nd album In The Spirit of Things has some great songs as does the first album Power, however a totally different Kansas in many ways. Bob Ezrin produced the 2nd record from memory, an attempt to guide the band even more into the AOR style. Cheers
February 21st, 2021 at 20:05Allo Allo & good Moaning Sir Blackwood @ 6 – As long as you have the egg whisk & the flying helmet with the wet celery. Priceless comedy. Ah, the British, French & Germans, where would we be without them. Probably still at Rene’s cafe. Bless him. Cheers.
February 22nd, 2021 at 22:26@9 Squire MacGregor, well done old chap, you spotted my ever so slightly salacious sitcom entendre!.
Now, for extra points, can you name the DP album title visualised in this one?:
February 25th, 2021 at 09:07https://youtu.be/eHxTiMU0aLk
Good luck! 🧐 😉
New Dio live LP’S are out, that include Holy Diver complete & Killing the Dragon tour.
February 25th, 2021 at 13:21Talking of Dio, that ‘Slapback’ track an unreleased Heaven & Hell demo has been streaming for a few days now. Taken from the late Geoff Nicholls tapes with him allegedly playing the bass. Glad the track never made the album. Dio’s vocals remind me of some of the poorer LLR&R album tracks & also his solo material. Average indeed! Cheers.
March 10th, 2021 at 23:54@MacGregor… Damn! I really enjoyed ‘Slapback’, it’s a bizarro. It felt like the inbetween song that it is… Stuck between a Rainbow & a hard place. That it exists at all is a minor miracle. Everything has to start somewhere, & you often have to try on a few hats before you find the one that fits, but it’s fun finding out!.
March 11th, 2021 at 18:27Check this out:
https://youtu.be/V8yqxRrFFOg
Sir Blackwood – thanks ever so much for that, really interesting to see & hear someone demonstrate the similarities in Iommi’s work. For decades I have heard very close similarities in his riffs, especially as time went on & so much so that we realise that a different vocalist singing different melodies, makes a similar riff sound different, if you know what I mean. Well different songs do that don’t they? I have had guitar playing friends over the years show the closeness of ‘different’ Iommi riffs to me. Many guitarist say he is boring & repetitive etc. Each to their own. I wonder what Uwe thinks of this, he is more knowledgeable in musical theory than I will ever be. Interesting indeed. Cheers.
March 12th, 2021 at 04:27Well, no surprises that Tony Iommi is apparently not happy with that ‘unauthorised release’ of a demo. He has often said there is nothing in the vaults regarding outtakes & demo’s etc, that is worth releasing from Sabbath’s past. I was also suss on the bass being played by Geoff Nichols, although he did play guitar as well as keyboards on other recordings, as we know. Dio played bass & a few other instruments back in the day. The drama continues. Cheers.
March 12th, 2021 at 22:19@MacGregor, that being the case…. What’s that song I used to like?: VAVOOM!.
Dio sang bass, Iommi played guitar… Huh?
Skip to about 2:20 for your worst nightmare!. 🎻🪕🎤😇🤣😈
Suits you, Sir!:
https://youtu.be/3LstT7OhlYE
Drops microphone… walks offstage as the crowd gives thunderous applause. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
March 13th, 2021 at 03:30My copy arrived from that river in Brazil this lunchtime.
July 27th, 2021 at 13:25Not had time to read it yet as I really ought to be working.
The British cover is more muted:
https://www.littlebrown.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/hbg-title-9781472135179-7.jpg?fit=430%2C675
The book is very readable
According to the preface, written by Wendy, most of the words of this volume are Ronnie’s, with Mick merely editing. It reads really well, pages turn, and it is hard to put down.
This volume ends on the high of Dio headlining the Madison Square Gardens.
There may be a second volume, which Ronnie left notes for but was unable to complete.
There is a lot more left to cover. I will certainly buy the second volume.
July 27th, 2021 at 21:53