‘Sabbath: The Dio Years’ Photo Book Coming In September

Coming in early-September is the new photo book, titled Sabbath: The Dio Years. Blabbermouth reported the upcoming 440-page coffee table book is being issued by Rufus Publications, and chronicles Ronnie James Dio's time fronting Black Sabbath through its incarnation as Heaven & Hell. The book has been produced with the full co-operation of his widow, Wendy Dio, and Sabbath bandmates Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler.

Ronnie James Dio died on May 16th, 2010 from stomach cancer at age 67.

Sabbath: The Dio Years will be fleshed out “with a wealth of unseen pictures and memorabilia and with a linking text from rock journalist Howard Johnson, who interviewed Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler to discuss this era.”

Geezer Butler was quoted as saying, “I first met Ronnie at our rehearsal house in Beverly Hills. He arrived in this massive brown Cadillac that looked too big for him to drive. He seemed pleasant enough, but when he started singing, I was blown away — so much power in such a diminutive stature. He quickly got to work on some of the ideas we had and turned them into songs for what would become the Heaven And Hell album.”

Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash told us a while back that the late, great Ronnie James Dio was a voice that immediately captivated and inspired him: “He's just somebody I was influenced by. I played all the Rainbow stuff, I played the Dio stuff, the Sabbath stuff when I was in, y'know, high school. I don't think that it's really set in what a, y'know, huge figure in rock n' roll we lost, y'know. Really major. Probably one of the most influential heavy metal singers of all time.”