Happy Birthday: Ronnie James Dio

Were he still walking among us, today would’ve been Ronnie James Dio’s 72nd birthday, and there’s no question that it’s depressing to recall that, alas, he succumbed to stomach cancer on May 16, 2010, but with the release earlier this year of the all-star tribute album, This Is Your Life: Ronnie James Dio, it’s clear that the legendary heavy metal rocker is a far cry from being forgotten.

To celebrate Dio’s birthday, we’ve put together a playlist featuring some of the highlights from the first decade of his solo career, starting with 1983’s Holy Diver and running through 1993’s Strange Highways. Oh, sure, we could’ve included tracks by Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, and Heaven & Hell, but…well, it’s Dio’s day, you know? If you’d like to listen to a slightly more expansive playlist that covers other aspects of his career, you can find one