Rainbow in the Dark: The Autobiography
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- Author：Ronnie James Dio
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Summary
Instant National Bestseller
The long-awaited autobiography by one of heavy metal’s most revered icons， treasured vocalists， and front man for three legendary bands—Rainbow， Black Sabbath， and Dio。
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。
（Black and white photos throughout plus an 8-page 4-color photo insert。）
The long-awaited autobiography by one of heavy metal’s most revered icons， treasured vocalists， and front man for three legendary bands—Rainbow， Black Sabbath， and Dio。
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。
（Black and white photos throughout plus an 8-page 4-color photo insert。）
Reviews
Carl Grider
，
I enjoyed learning more about an all time favorite singer。 I hope that there are enough notes for a second book that covers after the late 80s。 Quick read that feels somewhat shallow on details but it was more info than I had read before so it was very enjoyable。
David Dewata
，
Banyak informasi di awal karir Dio namun setelah itu mulai datar。 Terutama karena berhenti di pertengahan 1980an…
Luna
，
This book was not written， as claimed， by Ronnie James Dio。 He only got up to 1976 before he died the rest was written by WEndy Dio and Mick Wall taking their information from interviews that he'd done。 And it only goes up to 1986。Frankly， I feel cheated。 This book was not written， as claimed， by Ronnie James Dio。 He only got up to 1976 before he died the rest was written by WEndy Dio and Mick Wall taking their information from interviews that he'd done。 And it only goes up to 1986。Frankly， I feel cheated。 。。。more
Anthony
，
This book wasn’t what I expected。 It spends far too much time and detail on the very early part of Ronnie’s music career。 I got 25-30% through the book and there had been no mention of any of his bands that I’m familiar with。 At that point， I stopped reading it out of boredom and lack of interest。 I’ve read a lot of great music biographies， but this one strays far from the typical trajectory that most of them take。 I’m disappointed， as I was looking forward to reading the book。
Iosiv Basarab
，
I liked it - it's only rock n' roll :） a nice memoir written with talent by one of the best heavy metal singers of all times I liked it - it's only rock n' roll :） a nice memoir written with talent by one of the best heavy metal singers of all times 。。。more
Millstone
，
I've been listening to RJD's vocals for a long time and it was very pleasant to get the approved version of his slow rise to fame and those controversies he and his team wanted to air。 I couldn't detect the point where the writing stopped being him， if it was， and became edited cut and paste work from interviews and others' recollection。 Good decision to finish at the natural point they chose， as well。 There's a point in the album/tour cycle that successful artists' lives move into where everybo I've been listening to RJD's vocals for a long time and it was very pleasant to get the approved version of his slow rise to fame and those controversies he and his team wanted to air。 I couldn't detect the point where the writing stopped being him， if it was， and became edited cut and paste work from interviews and others' recollection。 Good decision to finish at the natural point they chose， as well。 There's a point in the album/tour cycle that successful artists' lives move into where everybody but the superfans lose count， and they avoided that quite neatly。 。。。more
Brian Cohen
，
Loved it。 Sure， it would have been nice to hear more personal details （he did have a son， right？） or take the story further than the mid 80’s， but listening to Dio’s journey in music from the 50’s on was incredible。 His early groups and early tragedies， joining and exiting Rainbow and Black Sabbath， and of course Dio， were all fascinating。 Imagine young Ronnie Dio stealing cars or playing trumpet on stage。 SPOILER: He all but admits promises were made to Vivian Campbell that weren’t kept。
Adam Nowicki
，
This is the first autobiography I’ve read in quite a while。 It’s not usually my thing。 Typically， the only biographies and autobiographies I gravitate towards are musicians。 The Devin Townsend autobiography is fantastic if a bit stream of consciousness at times。 The Dream Theater biography is a great look into my favorite band。 At some point in the future， I’ll get to the Dreamer of Dune biography about Frank Herbert， which will be my first non-musician biography since I read the R。 L。 Stein aut This is the first autobiography I’ve read in quite a while。 It’s not usually my thing。 Typically， the only biographies and autobiographies I gravitate towards are musicians。 The Devin Townsend autobiography is fantastic if a bit stream of consciousness at times。 The Dream Theater biography is a great look into my favorite band。 At some point in the future， I’ll get to the Dreamer of Dune biography about Frank Herbert， which will be my first non-musician biography since I read the R。 L。 Stein autobiography in 4th grade。 Anyways， my sample size is pretty small。 I got into Ronnie James Dio when I was looking for some classic face shredding guitarists。 I found Rainbow and was hooked。 Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow and Rising are two of my favorite albums of all time。 After a bit of research， I discovered the storied Carter of Ronnie James Dio。 As a happy coincidence， I realized that years ago， after riding my bike to F。Y。E。 I impulse purchased the Black Sabbath: The Dio Years compilation album。 So I was off to the races。 A Rainbow in the Dark is such a fun read。 The problem with an autobiography is that it’s an inherently unreliable narrator， that cherry-picks stories， and has a vested interest in self-aggrandizement。 So I read this entire book with a grain of salt。 There is nothing I read in the early years of Dio’s life that rang up blatantly false。 Hearing stories about my Dad and uncle’s youths， and friends’ parents’ youth of the 60s and 70s， everything Dio writes is as believable as those stories。 True or not， self-aggrandizing or not， the content is believable。 Perhaps the best part of this autobiography is the conversational way it is written。 A Rainbow in the Dark reads as if Dio was just talking directly to you。 There are moments written that I could feel the beats， as if he had told the story before， got a laugh from some people， remembered it， and translated it to the page。 My only real counterpoint to this autobiography， as I said before， is the Devin Townsend autobiography。 That book was like being in the whirlpool of Devin’s mind， while this is like having a personal conversation with Dio。 About midway through the book， Wendy Dio has some interludes， which offer another side to some of the stories that are being told。 The Wendy interludes ring a bit false to me， they are a bit too aggrandizing of Dio， and there is a sense of handwaving away difficult situations that really could have been explored in more depth。 The interludes weren’t exactly detractors， because there was a real sense of warmth when it came to her feelings about Dio， I just wished they weren’t immediately juxtaposed against plastic comments about heated situations。 The Elf years are your typical rock and roll touring lifestyle stuff。 Blowing through money， ladies， alcohol， and pot （never hard drugs， as is repeatedly stressed throughout the entire book）。 The stories are funny， and thankfully don’t overstay their welcome。 The Elf stuff was interesting， but I had a bit of a disconnect， as I haven’t gone back and listened to it。 The meat of the book， for me， was the Rainbow years。 Reading about Dio and Ritchie Blackmore was awesome。 You could clearly see the cracks in the relationship from the beginning， which makes sense， as this is Dio’s recollection of events。 Again， the tour stories are engaging and funny， and the added element of Ritchie Blackmore adds some chaos to the mix。 It’s very clear that Dio saw himself as a bit junior varsity compared to Blackmore。The Black Sabbath years show a progression of Dio's self-worth， putting himself into a position of partnership， as opposed to the boss/employee relationship that became the Rainbow dynamic。 I have heard conflicting reports about Dio’s time in Black Sabbath， with members referring to Dio as very controlling。 If the truth is in the middle of two stories， my best guess is that the members of Black Sabbath who couldn’t be bothered with the managing and business aspects of the band just didn’t like the direction Dio was taking them when Dio took those managing and business aspects over。 The way I read it is that there was a void that Dio filled， and the other guys weren’t a fan of the way he filled it。 The final chapters cover Dio as a solo act， this time with him （and Wendy） firmly in control of the proceedings。 There is an obvious symmetry from the Rainbow days， with Dio taking the place of Ritchie。 Again， this autobiography is also a self-reflective exercise， and when Dio wrote this in the late 00s before he died， he recognized this symmetry。 The bummer is that this ends in 1986， at the height of Dio’s fame and prominence。 I wish it had gone a little further into the 90s and 00s when the music landscape changed， but he still had a loyal following。All in all， I enjoyed this book。 It was conversational， and not so mired in the details。 Had it been any longer， any more detailed， it would have seemed almost revisionist。 Dio was never the bad guy in any of the stories， just misunderstood， just like we all are in our own stories。 There are moments of self-reflection where he admits he could have handled a situation better， which results in a sense of earnestness that balances out the crazy tour stories， and the occasional band in-fighting。 If you are down to learn about Dio and don’t mind the slightly self-aggrandizing delivery， this is a solid read。 4/5。 。。。more
Brett Grossmann
，
Big fan。 I have read many rock tones。 This one was so overblown and full of BS。 Very very one sided golden view of Dios life。 Book even ends before he does。 Cmon。 Give us some dirt。 Peel back the curtain。 This book reads like a Wikipedia article written about and by someone。 Boring。 Read rob halfords book instead。
Koen
，
I knew of Ronnie James Dio but I didn't know much about him。 I also don't care that much for the music he was involved in but that doesn't mean you can't enjoy an autobiography of course。And I enjoyed reading this one。 It's nothing spectacular but it's okay。 The thing is， Ronnie James Dio， seemed like a decent， level headed， guy。 There isn't too much drama in here。 Of course there were ups and downs but overall it seems like Dio lived a fairly tranquil life。The writing was fairly straight forwar I knew of Ronnie James Dio but I didn't know much about him。 I also don't care that much for the music he was involved in but that doesn't mean you can't enjoy an autobiography of course。And I enjoyed reading this one。 It's nothing spectacular but it's okay。 The thing is， Ronnie James Dio， seemed like a decent， level headed， guy。 There isn't too much drama in here。 Of course there were ups and downs but overall it seems like Dio lived a fairly tranquil life。The writing was fairly straight forward and， as often with autobiographies， the story did feel a bit cleaned up。 I was left thinking maybe not everything was laid out on the table。It must be said， the autobiography ends in the mid-eighties so there's definitely much more to tell。 If that last part of his life ever gets put on paper I'd definitely be interested in reading that， knowing the real struggles of Ronnie James Dio's life were still ahead。 。。。more
Zandt McCue
，
Opie and Anthony were Howard Stern for people that were too cool to listen to Howard Stern。 The Shock Jocks of course had the morning commute radio hours as is custom for whichever show leads the station。 This meant that I would miss the live show due to school and depending on what I did afterward only be able to catch the tail end of the replay if any at all。 This pursuit led me to discover the radio show that followed O&A， which was Ron and Fez。 These shows would also be replays by the time I Opie and Anthony were Howard Stern for people that were too cool to listen to Howard Stern。 The Shock Jocks of course had the morning commute radio hours as is custom for whichever show leads the station。 This meant that I would miss the live show due to school and depending on what I did afterward only be able to catch the tail end of the replay if any at all。 This pursuit led me to discover the radio show that followed O&A， which was Ron and Fez。 These shows would also be replays by the time I was able to hunker down and listen to them but I became a true fan。 I even frequented their message board religiously during this period。 Some people have shows they watch on TV every week， I had this radio show every day。 The four hours would carry me into the night。 It was on one of these nights that I fell asleep to Ron and Fez and was woken up by this heavy guitar riff。 All of a sudden: "Johnny was a dark child。 He was promised to us all。 But riders in the night can lift you out of sight when they call。" The show was Eddie Trunk。 The song， I would later learn， was "One Night In The City" by Dio。 I can proudly say that very shortly after this I bought almost the entire Dio collection from Tower Records。 I came across this book in a roundabout way。 For some reason， articles from Ultimate Guitar show up in my phone's newsfeed。 I don't play guitar。 I also don't care that much about music anymore。 What interested me on this particular day was an interview with Wendy Dio talking about Ronnie's autobiography。 I don't listen to a lot of music。 I very rarely put something on in the background。 I'm very comfortable with silence。 Despite all of that， I'm a sucker for biographies。 There are some great music autobiographies。 Scar Tissue by Anthony Kiedis。 It's so Easy and other Lies by Duff McKagan。Right away， I hated the cover。 It's terrible。 It reminds me of the scene in The Pick of Destiny when Dio is on a poster in Jack Black's bedroom and starts singing。 I would have commissioned artwork to be done by the guy who drew his albums。 Dio could appear alongside the demon who fans know as Murray。 What we were given is a student's photoshop project。 Cool if you are in third grade。 Dio reveals a lot about himself。 It's surprising when I realize how quickly this book goes。 Remember， Ronnie has been in three major bands。 He'd been around forever。 This was his entire life in book form。 The time flew by while reading this。 I suppose for Ronnie the time flew while experiencing it。 For as much as he does share with us readers， he leaves a lot out。 During times when he was experiencing band trouble， I began to wonder what isn't being said。 Later on in the book， Wendy starts interjecting Ronnie's stories with her versions of events that happened or thoughts on bad blood between bandmates。 She touches on things that Ronnie doesn't。 For as much as I like Ronnie， I don't jive with his wife。 There's kind of a cattiness that should have been left out of the book。 I wouldn't call Ronnie a perfect person。 The sanitized version he portrays himself as is slightly disappointing。 There's a very out-of-place moment when he mentions his first wife。 He's suddenly revealed to be married in between talking about a band。 Then his wife is never mentioned again。 This frees him up for his pursuit of Wendy。 We don't find out what happened to his first wife or any other details there。 Again， a hole in the life of Dio。 He was on the road for a huge amount of his life。 He could have shared many stories。 We get one or two hijinks and move on to the next big thing。 There's simply too much。 If I had the Dio book I wanted， it would probably be longer than Infinite Jest。 I appreciate what we are given。 People are fascinating creatures。 To see Dio go from being forced to learn the trumpet to starting his first bands to getting big break after big break is inspiring。 It doesn't matter where you are from。 You can do it。A crazy occurrence during Ronnie's life is how often he was involved in car crashes。 It starts with Dio letting a friend of his drive his dad's car only for it to crash into a neighbor's house。 Later there is a car-meets-mule scenario。 The saddest part of the whole book comes from yet another accident that claimed the life of Ronnie's best friend and bandmate as well as severely injuring multiple other members of the band。 Ronnie included。 Who wasn't injured？ The drunk driver who hit them。 It would have been poetic in a sense for Ronnie to eventually die a car-related death。 He didn't。 Cancer got him。 But anyway。I'm persistently uncomfortable by the way biographies and autobiographies end。 It always seems abrupt。 No slow fade out。 Biographies usually have someone dying or moving on。 Autobiographies just cut out。 If I were to write my autobiography， I would end it with my death。 Then I would hang myself。 BUT WAIT you say。 That's absolutely crazy。 It is。 But I'm saying， that's the only real ending to an autobiography because otherwise there's more left to be written and I don't like leaving off in the middle of a story。 What is doubly surprising about Rainbow in the Dark is that we don't even get through all 10 Dio albums。 We leave off around album four。 There are two decades of material I'm missing here。 It's great to see relationships form between all of these epic people。 Ronnie reveals himself to be a regular person and not the god of heavy metal that most people consider him as。 Coming around after the fact， I wasn't privy to everything that went down with Ronnie replacing Ozzy in Black Sabbath or the reasons why Ritchie Blackmoore started Rainbow。 Plenty of people probably are aware of all of this。 It's kismet seeing how it all worked out。 I never had a chance to see Dio perform live outside of youtube。 This book is the closest I will ever get to the man whose voice woke me up and carried me through my teen years。 Devil horns for you brother！ 。。。more
Melissa Hedges- Rankin
，
Fun read。 As per the preface， the book ends in 1986 where RJD stopped writing。 （Even though he had a music career until his passing in 2010）。 With a straight forward writing style， and dashes of humor， the book goes back to Ronnie's childhood， and really brings to life his early days， family upbringing， as well as his early start playing in a band。 I was surprised to learn his first introduction to music was as a trumpet player。Things I liked in the book:- There are several pages with family an Fun read。 As per the preface， the book ends in 1986 where RJD stopped writing。 （Even though he had a music career until his passing in 2010）。 With a straight forward writing style， and dashes of humor， the book goes back to Ronnie's childhood， and really brings to life his early days， family upbringing， as well as his early start playing in a band。 I was surprised to learn his first introduction to music was as a trumpet player。Things I liked in the book:- There are several pages with family and childhood photos。 Personally， liked the photo of him playing the trumpet。 - Dio's experience where he credits his grandmother with showing him the "Horns" - which would later be a trademark with his concerts/fans- it cracked me up。- The viewpoints from wife Wendy Dio。Things I didn't like: that Ronnie's words and the book ended at 1986。I highly recommend this book to any and all RJD fans。 。。。more
Shannon
，
This was great！！ Didn't love the narrator at first but definitely enjoyed him not too far into the book。 Couldn't tell at all where the transition was from what he wrote before he died and what was written after。 My husband heard parts too and really enjoyed them， we both cracked up laughing at a lot of parts。 I will admit that I originally got Dio mixed up with King Diamond， and was a bit sad when I realized that the"cat song" as it has been dubbed in my house （Never Ending Hill） wouldn't be in This was great！！ Didn't love the narrator at first but definitely enjoyed him not too far into the book。 Couldn't tell at all where the transition was from what he wrote before he died and what was written after。 My husband heard parts too and really enjoyed them， we both cracked up laughing at a lot of parts。 I will admit that I originally got Dio mixed up with King Diamond， and was a bit sad when I realized that the"cat song" as it has been dubbed in my house （Never Ending Hill） wouldn't be included， but I did end up really loving the book。 。。。more
Michael
，
Four stars instead of five because it leaves you hanging。 The book opens & closes with Dio's headline performance at Madison Square Garden in 1986， which was a lifelong dream for RJD。 （He had played MSG before， but this was the first time headlining with his own band。）I know Wendy Dio has touched on the fact that Ronnie left behind a copious amount of notes， of which her & Mick Wall compiled to finish the book - but I don't remember if in discussing the autobiography she stated there would be mo Four stars instead of five because it leaves you hanging。 The book opens & closes with Dio's headline performance at Madison Square Garden in 1986， which was a lifelong dream for RJD。 （He had played MSG before， but this was the first time headlining with his own band。）I know Wendy Dio has touched on the fact that Ronnie left behind a copious amount of notes， of which her & Mick Wall compiled to finish the book - but I don't remember if in discussing the autobiography she stated there would be more forthcoming。 Ronnie performed about another 25 years after Rainbow in the Dark closes， and that included two more stints in Black Sabbath: Once in the early '90s and then right before his death in 2010 under the moniker of Heaven and Hell。 Hopefully Wendy & Mick Wall will organize the rest of Ronnie's notes to tell the remainder of his story， and maybe include a look at his tremendous legacy in an epilogue。 。。。more
John Driscoll
，
While I'm thrilled to be able to read Ronnie James Dio's autobiography even 11 years after his death， it very much reads as the first part of a story that will sadly never have a part 2。 Also， due to （understandable and necessary） circumstances， not all of the words are Ronnie's and for that reason it's hard to be sure that no words have been put in his mouth。To explain a bit further: the book opens with a preface by Ronnie's window Wendy， who explains the circumstances of the book。 It seems tha While I'm thrilled to be able to read Ronnie James Dio's autobiography even 11 years after his death， it very much reads as the first part of a story that will sadly never have a part 2。 Also， due to （understandable and necessary） circumstances， not all of the words are Ronnie's and for that reason it's hard to be sure that no words have been put in his mouth。To explain a bit further: the book opens with a preface by Ronnie's window Wendy， who explains the circumstances of the book。 It seems that Dio started writing the book somewhere in the 2000s， before his cancer diagnosis， and regarded it as the first part of a longer story。 It was apparently always his intention for the book to cover his early years and then conclude with his band headlining Madison Square Garden， which is the case。 Because his cancer slowed the writing pace， the book had to be finished by Wendy and by their friend and writer Mick Wall。 This was done in a couple ways: filling in some gaps by taking Ronnie's words from other sources such as interviews， as well as a bunch of comments by Wendy scattered throughout the book （which are clearly marked as her words rather than his）。 Apparently part of the reason for the delay in the book's completion is the time it took to sort through and organize the massive archive of material from years' worth of interviews， notes， and so on， which is perfectly understandable。Because the book only goes up through the mid-1980s， it's necessarily front-loaded with details of Ronnie's early life。 It was never going to cover topics such as his reunions with Black Sabbath， how he dealt with metal's fall from mainstream popularity during the 90s， or his struggle with cancer。 But it's even more front-loaded than I expected。 The first half of the book takes place entirely before the formation of Rainbow， the band that first brought Dio to prominence。 A lot of time is spent with his early career stories， most of which was new to me and therefore quite interesting。 Unfortunately， the downside is that everything to do with Rainbow， Black Sabbath， and his own band Dio is crammed into less than 120 pages。I came into this book most excited to read about Ronnie's time in Rainbow and Black Sabbath， but unfortunately those get short-changed a bit。 I'm sure it's partly because of his cancer， and I'd bet Wendy and Mick had to construct a large part of this section themselves through notes， interviews， and their own memories of events。 However， the shorter length isn't my only problem with this section - it also feels in some places more like an airing of grievances than a real telling of events。 For example， much is made of Ritchie Blackmore's "my way or the highway" approach to Rainbow， constantly firing members and so on。 Dio also takes a few digs at Ozzy Osbourne's singing ability in the section about Black Sabbath， and also makes it clear he blamed the other guys in Sabbath （particularly Tony Iommi） for their split， not himself。 And then when it comes to Vivian Campbell's departure from Dio， both Ronnie and Wendy basically say "yeah we told him we were going to pay him more after a couple albums， but he was paid well and Ronnie was the band so Vivian was lucky to be here so too bad，" although at least Ronnie heavily praises Campbell's playing at the same time。 You have to expect a certain amount of this stuff in rock star biographies， but it's still not pleasant reading， and it really makes it clear that Dio himself was every bit as headstrong and stubborn as Blackmore or Iommi when it came to their bands。I can't say how much of this is new information and how much was already known through interviews and such， since I've never been the type to really seek out and read those interviews。 I will say though that the one thing that's made crystal clear is that Ronnie's musical passion and desire to succeed on his own terms was the driving force of his life and echoed through every moment of the book。 It's a worthwhile read for any fan。 。。。more
Sherry Thomas
，
I loved this book！ My full review will be in The Aquarian Weekly soon。 If you’re a fan， you should definitely add this to your reading list。
Andrew
，
Interesting to hear his journey through the music business。 Dio had a long journey through playing small clubs until he found his way to stardom。 Also a very candid discussion on his interactions with other musicians。
Douglas Wood
，
Rest in Magic。
Daniele Purrone
，
“… according to Wendy”A weird autobiography with no mention of his son Dan， where Wendy is described as they were still together （she had been with another man since the nineties）， and where a large part is dedicated to the blasting of the Last In Line guys for wanting more money。 While some parts definitely come from Ronnie， I see this book as “Ronnie James Dio according to Wendy Dio”。
Nich Weidman
，
Very entertaining read， but a very unreliable narrator。 Started by Dio himself and finished by his wife and a good friend from his notes and interviews， the book casts him in a light of being the good guy in every situation。 Nothing was ever his fault， but it is phrased so earnestly that you want to believe it。 Even as a life-long listener of his music and fan of his work， I was still able to learn a lot of fun new things about him。 Starting and finishing with his headlining show at Madison Squa Very entertaining read， but a very unreliable narrator。 Started by Dio himself and finished by his wife and a good friend from his notes and interviews， the book casts him in a light of being the good guy in every situation。 Nothing was ever his fault， but it is phrased so earnestly that you want to believe it。 Even as a life-long listener of his music and fan of his work， I was still able to learn a lot of fun new things about him。 Starting and finishing with his headlining show at Madison Square Garden in 1986， the book leaves a lot of his later life untouched。 That being said， it is framed in a way that makes it the perfect spot to sum up his career。A worthwhile read for any hard rock fan。 。。。more
Scott
，
Very enjoyable
Michele
，
I bought a physical copy of the book， but ended up listening to the audiobook version when I found it through my local library's digital catalog。Ronnie 。 。 。 I have loved him since his days in Rainbow and literally bawled like a baby the day he passed away; and I still mark his birthday and the anniversary of his death every year。 Ronnie Dio's music was （and still is） a big part of my life。 I was lucky enough to briefly meet him twice after shows -- a very personable man who took the time to int I bought a physical copy of the book， but ended up listening to the audiobook version when I found it through my local library's digital catalog。Ronnie 。 。 。 I have loved him since his days in Rainbow and literally bawled like a baby the day he passed away; and I still mark his birthday and the anniversary of his death every year。 Ronnie Dio's music was （and still is） a big part of my life。 I was lucky enough to briefly meet him twice after shows -- a very personable man who took the time to interact with fans， personally thanking each one for coming out to the show。While I already knew quite a bit about Ronnie Dio's personal history， but I did glean a few new tidbits here and there， such as Elf opening for the all-female rock band Fanny in 1971。 （Fanny is probably one of the most under-rated bands in rock history。 Its criminal。）Surprisingly， the book seem to be a bit more kind to Ritchie Blackmore then I was expecting， and surprisingly harsher on Vivian Campbell。 I would have liked for the book to have continued on -- delving into more of Dio's catalog of albums and personnel changes。 It just seemed to end so abruptly， even though Ronnie explained why he ended it where he did。Ronnie had such creative vision and influenced so many other musicians and vocalists。 Personally， I consider him to be the father of modern power metal， with "Last In Line" being the first true power metal album。 Ask any number of power metal bands about their influences， and nine times out of ten they will list Ronnie James Dio。Ronne was another great one， gone too soon。 。。。more
Michael
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It’s hard to rate an autobiography that is so unfinished。 It only goes up to 1985-86。 If you want to learn a lot about RJD’s career， this is a good source， if you want to learn about who he was， this is woefully incomplete。 For example， there is not one reference to his first marriage or his son。 Then again， if that omission was intentional it probably tells us what we need to know about who he was。 Overall it was an entertaining read though。
*TUDOR^QUEEN* （on hiatus）
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Three StarsThis is the first time I read a book via audio book。 Based on my experience， I definitely prefer reading on my kindle。 I found more opportunities for my mind to wander and less impulse to rewind when I possibly missed some words。 I can be a slow reader， and if I've got other pressing things on my mind I can actually read but not comprehend what I've just read。 But I've always wanted to try out an audio book， so this was a worthwhile experience getting it out of my system。I was a huge Three StarsThis is the first time I read a book via audio book。 Based on my experience， I definitely prefer reading on my kindle。 I found more opportunities for my mind to wander and less impulse to rewind when I possibly missed some words。 I can be a slow reader， and if I've got other pressing things on my mind I can actually read but not comprehend what I've just read。 But I've always wanted to try out an audio book， so this was a worthwhile experience getting it out of my system。I was a huge fan of heavy metal during the eighties， especially "hair bands"。 This wasn't quite a hair band， but I used to see their videos on MTV's "Headbangers Ball" which I would faithfully watch on the weekends， as well as subscribe to various hard rock/metal magazines such as RIP， Hit Parader and others。 Even if I didn't particularly have a passion for a certain group， I would still read the articles about other bands just out of curiosity。 I did like one particular video of Dio's called "Rainbow in the Dark" that I saw on the Headbanger's Ball。 I also heard about Ronnie James Dio recently while watching a great Ritchie Blackmore documentary。 Blackmore talked about Ronnie being the lead singer of his solo band "Rainbow" which he created after leaving "Deep Purple"。 Ritchie made a snarky comment about one of the reasons they parted ways- that Ronnie became more distracted with his wife Wendy than being focused on Rainbow's music。 Ronnie James Dio died in 2010， but he had been writing his autobiography。 He died before finishing it， so wife/manager Wendy helped complete it- along with seasoned rock biographer Mick Wall （I just recently finished a biography of Led Zeppelin that he authored， and it was excellent）。 The narrator of the audio book did a great job， and it just felt like Ronnie was talking to you the way it was written。 When it got to the part of his life where he met his future wife Wendy， it occasionally traded off segments where she took up the story， but the male narrator still read it- making his voice higher to reflect that she was talking。。。and it worked。 I have to admit I was a little bored in the beginning with the lead up to him taking off as a known musical act。 He started out playing a brass instrument and only much later out of necessity took on the singing role， of which he was surprisingly gifted at。 Ronnie was of Italian descent， and his real name was Ronald James Padavona。 He adopted the last name Dio from a mobster that he encountered while touring in an earlier band。Ronnie's band eventually took the name "Elf"， an obvious nod to his short stature。 They wound up being noticed by the metal band Deep Purple and eventually became a supporting act on their tour。 As mentioned previously， founding member and lead guitarist of Deep Purple Ritchie Blackmore asked him to be lead singer of Rainbow in 1975， when he left Purple for the first time。 Then when Dio's tenure in Rainbow came to an end， he was asked to replace original Black Sabbath singer Ozzy Osbourne。 This spawned a very successful album for Sabbath called "Heaven and Hell"。 When things in Black Sabbath soured， Dio created his own band called "Dio"， financed entirely by himself and his now wife Wendy。 Wendy also assumed manager duties。Dio finally found the ultimate satisfaction with this home grown band。 They had success right out of the gate with their debut album "Holy Diver"。 As with all bands， there was the occasional drama with personnel， particularly with the exit of guitarist Vivian Campbell who now is a member of iconic 80s band Def Leppard。 One thing Dio is famous for bringing into metal music culture is the hand gesture of horns， which derived from a classic Italian gesture his grandmother used。 Ultimately， I felt just a bit let down because I had hoped the book would cover Ronnie's illness and death， since his wife was also a part of this book。 There was nothing about it。 I would have been very engaged in that aspect of his life's challenges on a human interest level。 Other than that and the slight disappointment with the audio book format， I was generally pleased with the book。 Dio was an intelligent man who loved to read in his spare time， and he did a good job writing this bio。 Thank you to Niji Entertainment Group， Inc。/Tantor Audio who provided an advance reader copy via NetGalley。 。。。more
Brian Chenault
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I'd give this 3。5 stars。 I had no idea Ronnie was around， paying dues， long before Rainbow。 It was neat to learn about the long road he had to the top。 The book stops around 1986， right after the Sacred Heart tour， but given the givens and the fact that there won't be a part two， it's a solid ending。 I'd give this 3。5 stars。 I had no idea Ronnie was around， paying dues， long before Rainbow。 It was neat to learn about the long road he had to the top。 The book stops around 1986， right after the Sacred Heart tour， but given the givens and the fact that there won't be a part two， it's a solid ending。 。。。more
Tom
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Right。 I’ve been waiting a long time for this one。 Nearly ten years， to be precise。 Why so long， you ask？ Apparently， Wendy Dio has taken quite a while coming to terms with the death of her former husband and co-author。 Still， it’s been well worth the wait。The consummate skills of Mick Wall have been employed to bring this biography to life。 He is long-time friend of the Dios and author of acclaimed rock biographies such as ‘When Gods walked the Earth，’ and ‘Two Riders Were Approaching，’ （Led Ze Right。 I’ve been waiting a long time for this one。 Nearly ten years， to be precise。 Why so long， you ask？ Apparently， Wendy Dio has taken quite a while coming to terms with the death of her former husband and co-author。 Still， it’s been well worth the wait。The consummate skills of Mick Wall have been employed to bring this biography to life。 He is long-time friend of the Dios and author of acclaimed rock biographies such as ‘When Gods walked the Earth，’ and ‘Two Riders Were Approaching，’ （Led Zeppelin and Jimi Hendrix respectively。） As such， the prose is more straightforward and less surreal compared with the Led Zep bio， for example。 The result is an impeccable narrative and Mr Wall brings Ronald Padavona’s story to life with great warmth and skill。 The rough edges of RJD’s character are not glossed over， but are seen in the context of the singer’s relentless drive and ambition。 He demanded much of himself， and of those around him。As a longstanding devotee of Dio （ever since the late seventies，） the prospect of getting the authorised inside story to his remarkable career was long anticipated。 I devoured the book in a couple of days and hardly stopped for breath。 To be clear， this volume represents the first part of his life-story， up to his appearance at Madison Square Gardens during the mid-eighties – the pinnacle of his career， as he describes it。 Will there be a part two？ I certainly hope so。I was pleased to see holes filled in RJD’s history that are not presented （to my knowledge） in any interview I’ve listened to or read before。 So， you get a unique insight into his early years， and how he came to possess such a remarkable voice。 This was， no doubt， partly due to genetics， but also learning how to breathe properly through four years perfecting his technique on the trumpet。 The result was a lion’s roar of a voice that stood the test of time right up to the date of an untimely death in his late sixties。Additional perspectives are gained from his side of the story regarding break-ups with Ritchie Blackmore， Tony Iommi and Vivian Campbell。 What’s more， the reader gets the lowdown on that famed séance at the Chateau d’Herouville， where Rainbow recorded Long Live Rock n’ Roll， and allegedly witnessed the appearance of Baal。There are other novel descriptions of Dio’s song writing and lyrical approach， re-inforcing my notion that his words can be interpreted in many different ways。 Throughout it all， Dio’s voice， stage presence， attitude to life， philosophy and generous personality are revealed。Dio hardly mentions his first wife。 It would seem he was primarily married to the music – no surprise there！ However， the relationship with his wife/manager， Wendy Dio， is laid out in great detail。 There are segments written by Wendy herself， that add to， rather than detract from the story。 As for pictures， ，some new ones are included from the Dio estate， along with others Dio fans will have seen elsewhere。It doesn’t explicitly state that proceeds from the book go towards Dio’s Stand Up and Shout Cancer fund， but I wouldn’t be surprised if the charity benefits。 It’s already raised over $2 million in the last ten years。Rainbow in the Dark is not so much a rags-to-riches biography as a small beginnings-to- colossal musical achievements epic。 Should you buy it？ Absolutely。 No Dio fan will be disappointed by this book。 The Lion that is Dio will roar forever， so ride the tiger and enjoy！ 。。。more
Henrik Hyyppä
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First half deals with Ronnie James' childhood and early years of his career， which was interesting and mostly unheard stuff。 Second half starts from Blackmore's Rainbow and continues chronologically until Sacred Heart album and massive show at MSG。 That is， the book ends about 1987 and I would not consider it as a biography。 It's like compilation album without a few essential tracks。 First half deals with Ronnie James' childhood and early years of his career， which was interesting and mostly unheard stuff。 Second half starts from Blackmore's Rainbow and continues chronologically until Sacred Heart album and massive show at MSG。 That is， the book ends about 1987 and I would not consider it as a biography。 It's like compilation album without a few essential tracks。 。。。more
Bobby Daugherty
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Good book by Dio。 Most of the information here has already been said in interviews but overall it is a good book。 I would of been interested in what some of his favorite books are as he was an avid reader and it probably influenced his music。
Colin Campbell
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I adored this book。 I’ve loved Dio’s music since a teenager and been a huge fan ever since。 This biography charts his beginnings until 1986 and headlining Maddison Square Garden。 Written in a easy to read and engaging manner I literally could not put the book down。 Fantastic book。 Here’s hoping we get the rest of the story…
Glenn Pillsbury
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