Matt’s True Rock ‘N’ Roll Tales: Ronnie James Dio

In the ten years I've worked in radio, I've met countless great bands. However, there are a very select few that could truly be considered legends. The story I'm about to tell you is about one of those legends: The late, great Ronnie James Dio. It's time for another one of Matt's True Rock 'N' Roll Tales.

After hearing "Holy Diver" for the first time, I knew I wanted to meet Ronnie James Dio. After seeing Dio for the first time, I knew I had to meet him. He was the elf of the metal world: This very small, trollish guy with a huge voice.

Unfortunately, I never had the chance to see Dio's band but I did get to see him perform with Heaven and Hell, which was what they called Black Sabbath when Ronnie was at the helm. The band consisted of Dio, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Vinny Appice. They had taken the band out on the road and they were set to play Cobo Arena in Detroit, which is where I had the chance to see them. Machine Head and Megadeth were both on the tour, as well, which was awesome.

The meet-n-greet with Heaven and Hell happened after the show, which meant once everything was over...we had to wait. All of the people that were a part of the meet-n-greet were herded into a small backstage area and asked to hold tight. Once Dio, Iommi, and Geezer were ready, we'd be shuffled back. It wasn't very long until we were asked to follow their manager back to where they were.

As we walked back, we were informed that only two people would meet the band at a time and my cousin and I were first. We turned a corner and there they were...Ronnie, Tony, and Geezer...just standing there. Not only were they standing there...but Dio was drinking wine FROM A CHALICE. Picture that in your head...Ronnie James Dio, drinking from a chalice. There isn't anything more rock than that.

We walked up and introduced ourselves. Being the nerd that I am, I had Iommi and Geezer sign my copies of Paranoid, Black Sabbath, and Sabbath Bloody Sabbath. Score! After that, we asked if we could snag a photo with the guys. First, I took a group photo with all three, which was awesome...but not awesome enough. So, I asked Dio if he and I could take a photo separately. As we were standing there ready to take the shot, I asked Dio if we could throw up "horns". For those that are unaware, Ronnie James Dio is often credited with creating the devil horns sign that you see every single artist, rock or not, throw up in photos. In my head, I couldn't think of anything more metal than throwing up "horns" with Ronnie James Dio. Luckily for me, Dio obliged by saying "Of course we can" and tossed up the horns. I got my photo and the meet-n-greet was complete. As we left the backstage area, I was on cloud nine. That was easily one of the best rock 'n' roll moments of my life.

I have a lot of photos with rock stars but I don't know if any of them compare to the photo below. Dio was one of the most respected names in metal and will go down as one of the greatest rock voices of all time...And I feel honored that I had the chance to throw up "horns" with him.