Nearly 11 years after his untimely death, the official autobiography of late rock singer Ronnie James Dio will finally see the light of day later this year.
Announced on Wednesday via publisher Permuted Press, the forthcoming book to be appropriately titled Rainbow In The Dark (after the singer’s 1983 solo hit) will arrive on July 27th, 2020. Dio began work on the book prior to his death from stomach cancer back on May 16th, 2010, and it was ultimately finished by his longtime friend and celebrated music writer Mick Wall.
Permuted Press also attached a description of the autobiography which reads,
Prior to his tragic death in 2010, Ronnie James Dio had been writing his autobiography, looking back on the remarkable life that led him from his hometown in upstate New York to the biggest stages in the world, including the arena that represented the pinnacle of success to him—Madison Square Garden, where this book begins and ends.
As Ronnie contemplates the achievement of a dream, he reflects on the key aspects that coalesced into this moment—the close gang of friends that gave him his start in music, playing parties, bars, frats, and clubs; the sudden transition that moved him to the microphone and changed his life forever; the luck that led to the birth of Rainbow and a productive but difficult collaboration with Ritchie Blackmore; the chance meeting that made him the second singer of Black Sabbath, taking them to new levels of success; the surprisingly tender story behind the birth of the Devil Horns, the lasting symbol of heavy metal; his marriage to Wendy, which stabilized his life, and the huge bet they placed together to launch the most successful endeavor of his career…his own band, Dio.
Everything is described in great detail and in the frankest terms, from his fallout with Blackmore, to the drugs that derailed the resurrection of Black Sabbath, to the personality clashes that frayed each band.
Written with longtime friend of thirty years and esteemed music writer, Mick Wall, who took up the mantle after Ronnie’s passing, Rainbow in the Dark is a frank, startling, often hilarious, sometimes sad testament to dedication and ambition, filled with moving coming-of-age tales, glorious stories of excess, and candid recollections of what really happened backstage at the hotel, in the studio, and back home behind closed doors far away from the road.
Rainbow In The Dark also features a preface from Dio’s wife and manager Wendy Dio, and is available for pre-order here.
This announcement comes after the news broke last year that an officially-sanctioned documentary on the late metal singer was in the works. Produced by BMG alongside Wendy Dio, filmmakers were reportedly granted unfettered access to the family’s collection of archival material and never-before-seen content. There is no release date yet for the untitled Dio documentary.
[H/T Brooklyn Vegan]
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