10 Hard Rock Bands Who Had TWO Great Singers
3. Ozzy Osbourne/Ronnie James Dio - Black Sabbath
For many metal fans, Ozzy Osbourne is the reason that Black Sabbath became as big as they did. The undeniable energy of Osbourne's live performances along with his eerie voice meshed perfectly with Tony Iommi's guitars to form songs that became the basis for heavy metal.
As the years went on though, Osbourne's drug abuse became more of a liability to the band's performances, and often brought a halt to the creative process when recording. After Osbourne announced his departure, many were convinced that Sabbath were DOA if they were to continue on. However, Sabbath was never Ozzy's outfit.
Coming from the power metal band Rainbow, Ronnie James Dio was brought in and gave the entire group a shot in the arm. Dio's voice extended far beyond Osbourne's bluesy growl, employing a certain amount of vibrato and power that gave each Sabbath tune just the right amount of punch.
No longer having to be confined to Osbourne's blues tendencies, the band turned themselves into a straight ahead heavy metal outfit, with songs that felt like watching mini musical vignettes play out before your eyes. Osbourne may have been the Prince of Darkness, but the arrival of Dio as Sabbath's new voice was a match made in...well, Hell.