Watch WENDY DIO Blow Out Candles For RONNIE JAMES DIO’s 80th Birthday

Ronnie James Dio would have turned 80 years old on July 10. To celebrate this historic day, the legendary Rainbow Bar & Grill on Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood hosted “At The Rainbow In The Dark”, a special event for Dio family, friends, and fans, this past Thursday, July 7 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. PDT. The event was open to the public with limited capacity.

“At The Rainbow In The Dark” was hosted by one of Dio‘s dear friends, SiriusXM host Eddie Trunk, who spent the evening in conversation with some of Dio‘s musical collaborators and friends, including his wife and manager Wendy Dio, Simon Wright (AC/DC, DIO),Scott Warren (DIO),Vinny Appice (BLACK SABBATH, DIO),Jeff Pilson (DOKKEN, DIO),Doug “Dug” Pinnick (KING’S X) and Sebastian Bach (SKID ROW). The complete conversations are featured in a special “Trunk Nation LA Invasion”, which originally aired on SiriusXM Volume (channel 106) on Friday, July 8, with replays over the weekend and available anytime on the SXM app.

“At The Rainbow In The Dark” also falls on the eve of Rhino‘s release of “Holy Diver: Super Deluxe Edition”, an expansive 40-track boxed set of Dio‘s classic debut that was made available the following day (July 8) in 4-CD and digital formats. Additionally, the iconic DIO music videos from the album (“Holy Diver”, “Rainbow In The Dark”, “Stand Up And Shout”) have all been newly remastered and upgraded to HD.

Among the greatest heavy metal singers of all time, Dio‘s career spanned five decades, touched millions of fans and pioneered his signature “devil’s horns,” one of the most popular hand gestures in the world. Dio also provided vocals, lyrics, and melodies for some of the most iconic rock albums of all time with BLACK SABBATH and RAINBOW, before establishing his own band DIO as a metal force with their 1983 debut “Holy Diver”.

The new “Holy Diver: Super Deluxe Edition” comes with two versions of the original album. The first is a new mix of the album made by Joe Barresi (TOOL, QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE, SLIPKNOT). He used the original analog tapes to remix all nine tracks on the album. The second is a newly remastered version of the original 1983 mix. The “Super Deluxe Edition” also features unreleased live performances and outtakes, along with a selection of rarities from the era.

In addition, Barresi‘s new mix of “Holy Diver” was released on July 8 as a 2-LP set on 180-gram vinyl. It includes the original nine tracks, plus the 1983 B-side version of “Evil Eyes” as a bonus track. Side four is decorated with an etching of the legendary demon Murry that graces the album’s iconic cover. The vinyl is kept in a gatefold sleeve that shows off newly commissioned artwork by longtime DIO artist Marc Sasso. The same artwork is also used for the 4-CD Super Deluxe Edition.

After departing BLACK SABBATH in early 1982, Dio began composing songs that would eventually appear on the album. After writing both “Holy Diver” and “Don’t Talk To Strangers”, Dio then assembled an amazing group of musicians, two familiar faces and one fresh recruit, with drummer Vinny Appice (Dio‘s BLACK SABBATH bandmate),bassist/keyboardist Jimmy Bain (Dio‘s RAINBOW bandmate) and guitarist Vivian Campbell joining him to record the “Holy Diver” album.

In the illustrated liner notes that accompany the “Super Deluxe Edition”, music journalist Mick Wall shares the album’s creation story, including the making of its crown jewel, “Rainbow In The Dark”.

“Holy Diver: Super Deluxe Edition” goes beyond the original album with a previously unreleased recording of the quartet performing live in 1983 at Selland Arena in Fresno, California during the “Holy Diver” tour. Wyn Davis mixed the concert recording, which spotlights live versions of songs from “Holy Diver” (“Stand Up And Shout” and “Rainbow In The Dark”),RAINBOW classics (“Man On The Silver Mountain” and “Starstruck”),and SABBATH staples (“Children Of The Sea” and “Heaven And Hell”).

The “Super Deluxe Edition” also revisits the “Holy Diver” recording sessions to uncover unreleased outtakes for several album cuts, including previously unheard takes of “Invisible”, “Straight Through The Heart” and a version of “Rainbow In The Dark” that boasts an alternative guitar solo. There’s also an early version of “Evil Eyes”, a song that would resurface on Dio‘s 1984 follow-up album, “The Last In Line”. A selection of rarities rounds out the new collection with mono and stereo 7″ single edits for “Rainbow In The Dark” and a version of “Evil Eyes” that was released in 1983 as the B-side to “Holy Diver”.

Ronnie James Dio passed away of stomach cancer on May 16, 2010 at the age of 67.

Dio was renowned throughout the world as one of the greatest and most influential vocalists in heavy metal history. The singer, who was recording and touring with BLACK SABBATH offshoot HEAVEN & HELL prior to his illness, was diagnosed with stomach 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.

Dio‘s autobiography, titled “Rainbow In The Dark: The Autobiography”, was released last July via Permuted Press.