“One of the ultimate classic songs”: The track Ronnie James Dio is proud to have been part of
Modern crowds might have a tough time imagining how difficult a task Ronnie James Dio had when he stepped into Ozzy Osbourne’s mammoth shoes. Osbourne had set the blueprint for heavy metal vocals with Black Sabbath and left a pretty large shadow in his wake. A modern-day equivalent would be trying to emulate the work of Amy Taylor and Amyl and the Sniffers. Like them, Sabbath’s identity was so inextricably linked to Osbourne that its renewal in the hands of another artist felt impossible.
But Dio was up to the task. Not only could he play between the lines set out by Osbourne and Co, but he also brought his own sense of individuality to the role, elevating the vocals into something otherworldly. As Jack Black eloquently described it, “Dio was the master. He was the Pavarotti of heavy metal vocalists. [He had] soaring melodies and a lion’s roar to match”.
For Dio, such skill was built on a sharp understanding of rock and roll’s foundations. In fact, he was within touching distance of the genesis of the riff that became the bible for all future worshippers of the genre. Let me ask you this: if your child came to you with a desperate ambition to become the next rock god, what song would you tell them to learn first—and on what instrument?
Of course, the answer is ‘Smoke On The Water’ by Deep Purple. Born from the fingertips of his future Rainbow bandmate Ritchie Blackmore, Dio makes no bones about his appreciation for the song and its importance in understanding the true foundations of rock and roll.
“One of the greatest songs of all time,” he told Blabbermouth. “Of course, I played with Ritchie Blackmore for a long time, and all the guys in Purple have been my good friends for 35 years now. That record was produced by the bass player, Roger Glover, and the drummer, Ian Paice. Ritchie wrote a riff that we can all play — so simple, but it is a magnificent riff. I just think it’s one of the ultimate classic songs of all time, and when I hear it, I hark back to that time in my life — it’s important to me.”
Together, Blackmore and Dio explored a more expansive landscape of rock. References to dragons, wizards, and other obscure 16th-century imagery perhaps didn’t suit the genius simplicity of ‘Smoke On The Water’. But in reality, the overwhelming strength of Dio’s vocal capabilities would have overshadowed the now iconic guitar part.
But it wasn’t just his guitar playing that earned Blackmore respect from Dio. With the burden of replacing one of rock’s greatest frontmen weighing heavy, Blackmore offered Dio a fresh creative slate upon which he could project his own sense of artistic identity.
“He gave me my great opportunity,” he said. “Without him, it would have taken me a little bit longer to get where I am today. I’m not going to give him all the credit because I’m good at what I do, but he gave me my chance, and I learned so much from him.”
