Wendy Dio, wife and longtime manager of Ronnie James Dio, has confirmed that there are “about three songs” from the legendary heavy metal singer that may eventually see the light of day.
Ronnie James Dio, best known for his work with BLACK SABBATH, RAINBOW and DIO, died of stomach cancer 11 years ago at the age of 67.
During a brand new interview with LiveSigning to promote Ronnie‘s just-released memoir, “Rainbow In The Dark: The Autobiography”, Wendy was asked if any unreleased Dio material may one day be made available to the public. She responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “Actually, there are about three songs that Ronnie was… Ronnie was working on a song with [former DIO and RAINBOW bassist] Jimmy Bain before Jimmy passed away. That was one. Craig [Goldy, former DIO guitarist] were working together on a song; they were working on some material and stuff, and it got pushed to the side. And I think the last thing Ronnie was working on was with [former DIO guitarist] Doug Aldrich, and they were working on a song.
“All things are in a vault,” she explained. “I have to go into the vault… We are taking the necessary steps — we are having it all itemized and categorized. And Wyn Davis, who was Ronnie‘s engineer, who loved Ronnie to death and Ronnie loved working with him. He’s the only person I really trust to do that. So he’s going there, going through the stuff, and he will listen to those songs and tell me if those are what Ronnie would approve. Because Ronnie was a perfectionist, so it has to be something that Ronnie would put out. We’re not gonna shove something out because it’s got Ronnie‘s name on it; that’s not what Ronnie would want, and I would never do that to Ronnie. But if the lyrics are there and Ronnie sang the parts, we can always have the band go in and play the music. But we have to make sure that it’s sung properly.”
Four years ago, Aldrich, who was a member of DIO for a short period between 2002 and 2006, revealed the existence of a previously unreleased Ronnie James Dio demo recording. The track in question was written during the sessions for DIO‘s “Magica II”, a sequel to 2000’s “Magica” that was left unfinished when Ronnie died in 2010. A “Magica II” track titled “Electra” made it on to 2012’s “The Very Best Of Dio Vol 2”, but Aldrich said more material may surface from the sessions.
Ronnie was renowned throughout the world as one of the greatest and most influential vocalists in heavy metal history. The singer was diagnosed with cancer in late 2009. He underwent chemotherapy and made what is now his final public appearance in April 2010 at the Revolver Golden Gods Awards in Los Angeles.
“Rainbow In The Dark: The Autobiography” was released on July 27 via Permuted Press. It was written with longtime friend of 30 years and esteemed music writer Mick Wall, who took up the mantle after Ronnie‘s passing.
