10 Incredible Rock Singers Who Were In TWO Great Bands
1. Ronnie James Dio - Rainbow/Black Sabbath/Dio
In terms of hard rock singers, Ronnie James Dio really belongs in a class by himself. The amazing vocal power that this small man possessed was what helped launch future generations of heavy metal and power metal vocalists around the globe. Across various acts, almost every one of Dio's contributions to music had something extraordinary to offer.
Originally starting out in the band Elf, Dio was quickly brought into Ritchie Blackmore's band Rainbow, where he combined hard rock with the aesthetic of the Middle Ages. Dio could have easily remained in Rainbow, but the tides were turning towards much darker territory.
After meeting with Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler, Dio turned into the new singer of Black Sabbath after Ozzy Osbourne's departure, where he gave the band a greater sonic bite on albums like Heaven and Hell.
Even when Ronnie's days in Sabbath came to a close, his offshoot namesake band always remained a collaborative effort, with monster musicians from Vinny Appice to Vivian Campbell contributing to his bombastic tunes of grandeur.
It takes more than your average singer to make groundbreaking music with three separate acts, but if you just take one listen to Dio's voice, you realize that his vocal prowess was much greater than a mere mortal.