Ronald James Padavona, known professionally as Ronnie James Dio, was an American heavy metal singer. He fronted and founded numerous bands throughout his career, including Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Dio, and Heaven & Hell.
Ronnie James Dio was born on July 10, 1942, in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, United States
Dio’s musical career began in 1957, when he and several Cortland, New York, musicians formed the band The Vegas Kings. The group’s lineup consisted of Dio on bass guitar, Billy DeWolfe on lead vocals, Nick Pantas on guitar, Tom Rogers on drums and Jack Musci on saxophone. The band changed its name to Ronnie and the Rumblers
Why did Ronnie James Dio change his name?
Ronnie James Dio was born Ronald James Padavona, he decided to use “Dio” which means “God” in Italian, on the 1961 release of Ronnie Dio and the Prophets’ second album. He later got the inspiration to adopt the name “Dio” as his stage name from mobster Giovanni Ignazio Dioguardi, who was known by the name of Johnny Dio.
