Dio’s birthday is July 10th, but the year is unknown – as he himself says, the age is not important, the only thing that matters is the music. Unfortunately, the press has always been curious and sceptical about Dio’s age, just like about his height.
Before forming his first band in 1957 – Ronnie And The Red Caps (they went under names The Vegas Kings and Ronnie & The Rumblers before choosing their final name) – Dio had played both trumpet and bass. His father bought him a trumpet when he was a child and Dio played it until he started to play bass later on. Ronnie himself credits his voice to that trumpet, he says that without the breath excercises with trumpet he wouldn’t have his voice.
An anderer Stelle:
Born: 10-Jul-1942
Birthplace: Portsmouth, NH
Und wieder woanders:
Ronnie James Dio, real name Ronald James Padavona, was born in Cortland, NY, on July 10th 1942. His parents are Italian immigrants; Ronnie is a first-generation American. The city of Cortland to this day continues to have a large percentage of Italian Americans. Ronnie once said that one of the more exciting things to do in rural Cortland while growing up was “cow tipping.” Ronnie’s first serious musical instrument was the trumpet, with which he became very proficient. During that time Ronnie played trumpet in the Cortland High Jazz Band. Later, he switched to playing bass guitar. Ronnie graduated from Cortland High in 1960. He was senior class president. In high school, he was very popular with classmates and faculty alike. Former classmates describe him as being a clean-cut type of guy, with very neat short hair and say that he sometimes wore a suit and tie to school. Apparently, his looks then were a complete opposite to his current heavy metal tough guy appearance.
Ich halte 1942 für am wahrscheinlichsten.
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Es gibt ein Ziel, aber keinen Weg; was wir Weg nennen, ist Zögern. (Kafka)