Dio › Similar Artists

Heaven & Hell - 100% match to Dio

Elf - 94% match to Dio

This US heavy rock unit was formed in 1967 by vocalist Ronnie James Dio (Ronald Padavona, 10 July 1940, Portsmouth, New Hampshire, USA) with cousin Dave Feinstein on guitar, plus Gary Driscoll (drums), Doug Thaler (keyboards) and Nick Pantas (guitar). They worked under the name Electric Elves until 1970 when the entire band was involved in a car crash, in which Pantas died a Read more

Black Sabbath - 80% match to Dio

Group members Terry ‘Geezer’ Butler (17 July 1949, Birmingham, England; bass), Tony Iommi (b. Anthony Frank Iommi, 19 February 1948, Aston, Birmingham, England; guitar), Bill Ward (b. William Ward, 5 May 1948, Aston, Birmingham, England; drums) and Ozzy Osbourne (b. John Michael Osbourne, 3 December 1948, Aston, Birmingham, England; vocals) were originally known as Read more

Rainbow - 79% match to Dio

In May 1975, guitarist Ritchie Blackmore (Richard Hugh Blackmore, 14 April 1945, Weston-Super-Mare, Somerset, England) left Deep Purple, forming Rainbow the following year. His earlier involvement with American band Elf led to his recruitment of the latter’s Ronnie James Dio (b. Ronald Padavona, 10 July 1940, New Hampshire, USA; vocals), Mickey Lee Soule, (keyboards), C Read more

Judas Priest - 70% match to Dio

This enduring heavy metal outfit was formed in Birmingham, England, in 1969, by K.K. Downing (Kenneth Downing, 27 October 1951, West Bromwich, Warwickshire, England; guitar) and close friend, Ian Hill (b. 20 January 1951, England; bass). As another hopeful, struggling young rock band, they played their first gig in Essington in 1971 with a line-up completed by Alan Atkins (b Read more

Ozzy Osbourne - 59% match to Dio

John Michael Osbourne, 3 December 1948, Aston, Birmingham, England. In January 1979 this highly individual and by now infamous vocalist and songwriter left Black Sabbath, a band whose image and original musical direction he had helped to shape. His own band was set up with Lee Kerslake, formerly of Uriah Heep, on drums, Rainbow’s Bob Daisley (bass) and Randy Rhoads (b. Read more

Accept - 51% match to Dio

This German heavy rock quintet originally comprised Udo Dirkschneider (vocals), Gerhard Wahl (guitar) and Wolf Hoffman (10 December 1959, Mainz, Germany; guitar), Frank Friedrich (drums) and Peter Baltes (bass). Formed in 1976 in their home town of Solingen, Jorg Fischer replaced Wahl in 1978. The band’s power metal sound was characterized by Dirkschneider’s guttur Read more

Saxon - 46% match to Dio

Formed in the north of England in 1976, Saxon were originally known as Son Of A Bitch and spent their early days paying dues in clubs and small venues up and down the UK, with Peter ‘Biff’ Byford (5 January 1951, Barnsley, England; vocals), Graham Oliver (b. 6 July 1952, Mexborough, England; guitar), Paul Quinn (guitar), Steve Dawson (b. Steven Dawson, 1951, Englan Read more

Deep Purple - 45% match to Dio

Deep Purple evolved in 1968 following sessions to form a band around former Searchers drummer Chris Curtis (Christopher Crummey, 26 August 1941, Oldham, Lancashire, England). Jon Lord (b. 9 June 1941, Leicester, Leicestershire, England; keyboards) and Nick Simper (b. 3 November 1945, Norwood Green, Southall, Middlesex, England; bass), veterans, respectively, of the Artwoods Read more

Whitesnake - 41% match to Dio

This UK-based heavy rock band has been led throughout its career by David Coverdale (22 September 1951, Saltburn-By-The Sea, North Yorkshire, England). The lead vocalist with Deep Purple since 1973, Coverdale left that unit in 1976 and recorded two solo albums, Whitesnake and Northwinds. Shortly afterwards, he formed a touring band from musicians who had played on those reco Read more

Iron Maiden - 39% match to Dio

Formed in London, England, in 1975, Iron Maiden was from the start the brainchild of Steve Harris (Stephen Percy Harris, 12 March 1957, Leytonstone, London, England; bass), formerly a member of pub rockers Smiler. Named after a medieval torture device, the music was suitably heavy and hard on the senses. The heavy metal scene of the late 70s was widely regarded as stagnant, Read more

Manowar - 39% match to Dio

This traditionalist heavy metal quartet from the USA (whose motto is ‘Death To False Metal’) was formed in 1981 by bass player Joey DeMaio (Auburn, New York, USA, a former Black Sabbath roadie) and ex-Shakin’ Street and Dictators guitarist Ross ‘The Boss’ Funicello (b. Ross Friedman, New York City, New York, USA). Recruiting vocalist Eric Adams and d Read more

Alice Cooper - 38% match to Dio

Vincent Damon Furnier, 4 February 1948, Detroit, Michigan, USA. The Alice Cooper Band became widely known as the ‘masters of shock rock’ during the early 70s, enjoying notable commercial and critical success. Lead singer Furnier adopted the Alice Cooper name as his own in the mid-70s, launching a successful solo career that has stretched into the new millennium.

Bruce Dickinson - 38% match to Dio

Paul Bruce Dickinson, 7 August 1958, Worksop, Nottinghamshire, England. Dickinson left the heavy metal band Samson to join pioneering contemporaries Iron Maiden, replacing Paul Di’Anno in 1981. By the following year Dickinson had fully established himself within the line-up through his performances on the road and on 1982’s UK number 1 album, The Number Of The Beas Read more

Grave Digger - 36% match to Dio