The Surprising Early 1960s Doo Wop Music Career of Heavy Metal Icon Ronnie James Dio
by Lori Dorn from Laughing Squid on (#2WWNM)
The late, great Ronnie James Dio is known for his powerful voice, his pioneering sound, his slight stature and his iconic use of an old Italian hand gesture to indicate the devil's horns of heavy metal (also handy memory tool for major/minor pairs on guitar per Suke Cerulo.) What is lesser known about the musician, however, is his early career as a headlining Doo Wop singer in bands such as Ronnie and the Redcaps ("An Angel Is Missing") and Ronnie Dio and the Prophets ("Follow Me"). Great stuff.