(Gibson) One year ago this past week, Ronnie James Dio passed away after a lengthy battle with cancer. Drummer Vinnie Appice had played with Dio, off and on, since the early 1980s, when Appice replaced Bill Ward in Black Sabbath. Most recently, Appice and Dio toured and recorded together with Heaven & Hell, a reformation of the early '80s Sabs. Appice spoke with Noisecreep recently about his early days with the band and his memories of the legendary metal singer."Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Ronnie Dio – you're talking about three legends right there," Appice said. "Even though I played with them on and off since 1980, there was still something special about looking over and seeing them on stage with me. I felt lucky to have played with them."
Appice recalled his first meeting with the band: "I got a call from Paul Clark, Black Sabbath's tour manager, telling me that they were looking for a new drummer. I was in Los Angeles at the time, so I went over to the Sunset Marquis and met with him. We were in the middle of our conversation when Tony Iommi came into the room. We hit it off immediately and started joking around with each other. He then told me to meet him the next day at S.I.R. Studios to jam with him and the rest of the Sabbath guys.
"I remember walking in and seeing Geezer and Ronnie and feeling really intimidated. I was still pretty young at that point, and knowing that these guys I was about to play with already had done huge things definitely made me a bit nervous. But I didn't let it get in the way of what I was supposed to do, so I hopped on the drums and we kicked ass together. We clicked and they asked me to join shortly after that." more on this story
