Born in the wake of his split with Black Sabbath, Ronnie James Dio formed his namesake band in 1982 with drummer Vinny Appice, who had also left Black Sabbath. Along with bassist Jimmy Bain, the grand wizard of metal blazed a seminal trail that set the template for power metal for years to come.
For all Dio's fantastic and mythical themes, the singer took his position as one of heavy metal's premier vocalists seriously. He was the consummate businessman. Although several lineup changes occurred, Dio was consistently comprised of highly skilled musicians.
Jake E. Lee, Vivian Campbell and Doug Aldrich had tenures in the band. As did bassists Jeff Pilson and Rudy Sarzo.
Dio's last studio release was 2004's Master of the Moon. Sadly, Dio would never complete a successor to this album. A reunion with Black Sabbath in 2007 interrupted the vocalist's focus on Dio. Ronnie James died from complications with stomach cancer on May 16, 2010, thus bringing the reign of power metal titans Dio to an end.
Below is a photo collection of the various members of Dio throughout the years and their notable contributions to the band.
