When Lemmy Kilmister proclaimed Ronnie James Dio to be “one of the great vocalists”
There are many things that Lemmy Kilmister was: a great leading man, a highly charged performer, a sincere embodiment of what it meant to be rock and roll and about a thousand other facets of musical brilliance. However, it would be a stretch to think f him as one of the great vocalists of the rock era. Of course, his whiskey-soaked growl was perfectly placed within Motörhead and their furious brand of fast-paced rock. But outside of the band’s confines, Lemmy’s vocal talents were best left to spinning yarns.
However, that doesn’t mean he didn’t share his thoughts on those singers who truly inspired him, who soundtracked his formative years or, like in the case of Ronnie James Dio, who Lemmy thought of as “one of the great vocalists” of his generation. The Rainbow and Black Sabbath singer certainly has his detractors, but the mouth of Motörhead was clearly a fan.
The late Ronnie James Dio is one of his generation’s premier heavy metal singers. He was a pivotal part of Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow after being picked up following performing as the opener for Blackmore’s Deep Purple. He then went on to have star turns in Black Sabbath, replacing Ozzy Osbourne, and form his own group, Dio. There can be no doubt that Dio is one of the greatest vocalists of his time, and Lemmy agrees.
Speaking a few years after Dio’s death and ahead of Motörhead’s contribution to the 2013 compilation album Ronnie James Dio – This Is Your Life, Lemmy opened up to Artisan News: “Well, Ronnie was a great friend of ours. We all loved Ronnie. Ronnie was funny, had a great sense of humour, and English sense of humour, very black, very dark. I like Ronnie a lot; it’s a shame he’s gone. We did a couple of tours with them (Dio) (didn’t had the chance to play) at the same time on stage.”
Motörhead and Dio toured together during the ’00s, and Lemmy and Ronnie James were best of friends sharing both tours and the odd, hilarious TV interview too. Their love was clear, as this Dio quote would attest to: “But Lemmy is one of my heroes! I must tell you! He’s one of the funniest people on earth! He’s very bright! I love to be around him! He’s just one of the funniest guys I know. And I mean, look at what he’s done!” However, it wasn’t the drinking power or the humour that Lemmy appreciated most about Dio, it was the tunes.
“But we did a couple of tours with him,” the singer continued. It’s clear that Lemmy was a giant fan of the diminutive vocalist. Dio possessed a power that a man twice his size couldn’t. “(He was) an incredible vocalist, wasn’t he?”, continued Lemmy. “Especially when you see the geezer, I mean, he was only a tiny little guy, but his voice was seven feet tall. He is brilliant. One of the great vocalists.”
Dio sadly passed away in 2010 from stomach cancer, after which Lemmy released a statement which read: “I’m truly upset. Especially since he seemed to be rallying at the Golden Gods show. Bon voyage, Ronnie. Rest In Peace. I’m devastated.”
