Vinny Appice On The First And Last Song He Ever Played With Ronnie James Dio
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA-AUGUST 10: Vinny Appice performs on stage with Heaven and Hell during their Heaven and Hell 2007 tour at Rod Laver Arena on August 10, 2007 in Melbourne, Australia. Heaven and Hell is a musical collaboration featuring Black Sabbath members Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler along with former members Ronnie James Dio and Vinny Appice. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)
Drumming legend Vinny Appice recently joined me on my Talkin’ Rock Podcast. We talked about various things, but something that stood out as really special to me was a story he told me about the first and last song he played with the great Ronnie James Dio.
“The first song I ever played with Ronnie was ‘Neon Knights,'” he said. He went onto explain that he’d heard it on the radio, and when the band, Black Sabbath, asked him what song he wanted to play during his first rehearsal, he said that one. “I knew it was fast, and there weren’t many stops in it,” he said. He didn’t really know the song, but with its fast tempo, he thought he could get through it. Fast-forward to 2009, which was their last tour with Ronnie, and at a show in Atlantic City, Vinny explained that the last song he ever played with the legendary front man was, in fact, “Neon Knights.” Wow!
Meltdown started on the mighty WRIF on the evening of Halloween, 1995. Technically, his first on-air shift was the morning of November 1st. Moving to the Motor City from Buffalo, N.Y., he has built a career and family. Over his almost three-decade stint at RIFF, he's had the privilege to work with some of the biggest personalities in Detroit radio history. He boasts of being just the second-afternoon drive jock in the station's illustrious 53-year history.
Along with his love for rock music and attending concerts, he's also an avid Harley-Davidson enthusiast and hockey player. He plays year-round and manages to squeeze in a few charity games throughout the year. Meltdown writes about the Detroit Red Wings, rock music, and Detroit concert venues.
