James Hetfield’s all-time favourite vocalist
Although he is closely linked to the metal genre, James Hetfield has a more extensive record collection than expected. From punk to folk, the trash pioneer has welcomed the sounds from most genres in an attempt to expand his creativity.
With that being said, though, the area he knows better than most is obvious to us all. Hetfield grew up on the metal’s more rudimentary form in the 1970s and 1980s before fusing the influence of this era’s most essential acts with the visceral energy of punk and its distinctly anti-establishment ethos.
Being a lifelong fan of metal and having such a crucial role in its development has meant that Hetfield has been asked to comment on some of its most essential other players over the years. Displaying this inextricable link, even when not asked to discuss the genre specifically, it naturally comes up as an integral part of his story.
Fans of the Metallica frontman discovered this when he listed his favourite vocalists of all time for Rolling Stone. While it was a genre-spanning collection compiled by Hetfield, it says everything about his nature that the top ten was brimming with metal legends. Furthermore, his ultimate choice was somewhat surprising, even in light of his extensive musical taste.
This was Dio, Rainbow and two-time Black Sabbath frontman Ronnie James Dio. Hetfield believes no vocalist has ever topped the late star’s efforts, which is strange given the prominence of other more well-known metal leads. “[Dio’s] music is so much a part of what’s in Metallica’s DNA, the harder, edgier, blues-based hard rock from the Seventies,” Lars Ulrich explained to Rolling Stone in 2014.
Hetfield and his bandmates are so indebted to Dio – who passed away in 2010 – that they recorded the ‘Ronnie Rising Medley’ as part of the all-star 2014 tribute album, This Is Your Life. Comprised of four Rainbow songs, the nine-minute mashup resoundingly conveys Metallica’s love of the late metal icon. “We all have our mentors, and we need them, or at least I do. I need someone who I’m lookin’ up to, to either try and chase or learn from,” Hetfield explained of the cover.
Elsewhere, when speaking to Music Radar in 2016, Hetfield recalled the surprising tip Dio gave him when he asked him what his secret was to keep his voice healthy. “And he said, ‘Well, I just have a little glass of wine and go out and sing.’ What?! Yeah right! But I don’t think he was BS’ing me. He was just a natural singer, and he had a range that had power all the way through it. He just continues to challenge me, which is great,” the Metallica leader said.
Listen to Dio below.
