That’s why you get it in writing. I walked away from several opportunities like this because when it comes time to commit, the guy making the promises always develops amnesia.
I'm surprised at least some of the band members didnt have agents. Jimmy Bain had been around the business for a while, and Vinnie Appice should have had his brother screaming in his ear to get an agent or renegotiate the terms. It just boggles the mind that they had nothing in writing.
They probably did. They probably signed away their royalties believing that ronnie would renegotiate. You never hear anything from the other band members about this and they never filed a lawsuit.
Unfortunately, Dio had all the leverage because he was established. Sometimes, you have to play for almost nothing just to build a resume. Once you are established, you can make decent $
So true, who's says a vicious, forked tongue, philanderer CEO-CFO can't be a Woman? I wonder if we could make an entire 1 hr documentary on women who are the lead singers wives & psuedo or official-band managers?
@@muleblues71yes millions Def Leppard has bin an arena headlining band for like 40+ years , viv over 30 years in the band , hell they even jumped from arenas to stadiums , you think Def Leppard is playing for peanuts ? This summer it’s stadiums for Def Leppard playing with journey and Steve miller band
Sharon talked Ozzy into going so far as to actually re-record the bass and drums on both of his 'Randy' albums, which effectively eliminated any royalties in future album sales for the original artists! What a BITCH!!!!
I met Vivian when he was touring with the Riverdogs. He treated me like I was his long lost brother. He spent 30 minutes of his time hanging out with me, and I'll never forget his kindness. I believe him. There's a video on the web where Dio slams Vivian and talks trash about him. It saddens me, because Dio was such a talented guy. I hate hearing stories like these, because it hurts the experience of listening to the music.
I first met Ronnie and Vivian in Lakeland, Florida backstage in the dressing room. Not sure who I was shooting for, but I got some great shots, so I sent them to Kevin Kennedy with Jensen Communications who handle PR for Dio and who I got my pass from. Kevin showed my shots to Ronnie and Wendy, they asked Kevin (they loved my shots) why I was not in all the major mags (Circus, Creem, Hit Parader, Faces, etc.). Kevin then called me and asked. I laughed and said' Dude it is not like they run an ad say "Rock Photographer wanted..get paid to get laid and hangout with rockstars". He laughed and said "Chris, besides Dio I handle Manhattan Transfer, Ozzy Osbourne and the biggest band in the world at the moment Van Halen!. Here are the names and numbers of the editors and publishers of the biggest. You call them and say I said look at your work, and if they don't Chris I will cutoff all interviews with Van Halen!". Take a wild guess what happened...lol My work is world wide thanks to Ronnie and Wendy. Sucks what happened to Vivian, I have met and shot him many times through the yrs and he is a real nice guy. We have even as he would say "tossed a few pints together"
I'm just happy to see Vivian and Vinny still jamming together with Last in Line. I spoke with Vinny two weeks ago, and they're working on their fourth album.
@@theadjuster151 man, get out there and grab those LAST IN LINE releases, lol. They are already getting ready to put out a 4th? Hell, Im behind. I have the first two. Great to have Viv back with Vinny and Jimmy, unfortunately Jimmy passed and Phil from Ozzy ( Ultimate Sin) plays on the second one. Best thing to happen in the last 10 years, lol.
When the drummer and bass player take the guitarists side on this issue, that's the nail in the coffin for me. Always loved Dio as a singer and writer, but that dosen't mean he couldn't possibly be a greedy man with a greedy woman behind him. Looks like Vivian and Jake both got shafted by some sneaky witches.
Looked at who Ronnie worked with: Rainbow, Black Sabbath and the Heaven and Hell. Blackmore is notoriouisly difficult to work with, yet Dio made three studio albums andn a live album with Rainbow before leaving when Blackmore wanted to write love songs. Apparently Tony Iommi didn't have any problem with RJD being "greedy" since he took him back two more times after his original run with Sabbath and worked with Ronnie James until his death.
@@russellspear6188 Black Sabbath and Dio needed each other. They were all down on their luck every time they got together, and they certainly elevated each other every time. RJD said in 1992 he was ready to finish his career with Tony, Geezer and Vinnie. Of course they didn’t make it to 1993. 😂 But I would argue that they did some of their best work together. I certainly could have used a couple more albums … but I wouldn’t call any of those guys impressive business men.
It was the same thing with jake e lee ,the poured there heart and soul into it and the get the shaft.vivian did not quit he got fired just for bringing up what was promised
@@MikeWatson-qj8ew That's about as classy as it gets for you to allege that Ronnie James was lying when he lived until 2010 and you had 24 years between when Campbell and Dio parted ways to allege that, but chose to do it now when he can't defend himself. Campbell had 24 years to take Dio to court. After all, we have a judicial system made for things just like that. When you don't get paid what your contract states, you sue. Maybe Campbell didn't want to commit perjury, since that means jail and that would have gotten in the way of his lifestyle as a multi-millionaire thanks to RJD making him a star.
Firing Vivian Campbell was a huge mistake, while all those Dio guitarists were amazing, Vivian was the most influential and arguably the best player. But it's not just his ability on the guitar, it's what he played that made Dio so iconic.
Yup, he was the one who made their style sonically, like Rhodes with Ozzy. No good deed or great artistry in the recording industry goes unpunished it seems
Vivian's playing is what sets the Early Dio albums apart. I still remember hearing Stand Up And Shout for the first time and being blown away. It's sad that Vivian took Dio at his word and didn't get in writing. Glad to seem him doing well and getting paid in Def Leppard.
The Wendy quotes sound suspicious… I’m sure that there’s truth on both sides and the love of money is the root of all evil. I lean towards Vivian’s account as being a bit closer to the truth and the others seem to confirm it!
I can fully understand the band not being paid what they were worth early on, but they should not have waited until the 3rd album to renegotiate. They should have tried to renegotiate after the 1st album when it was obvious that the band would be a successful, long term act, and changing the lineup would hurt that success. The guys in the band really did have the upper hand, they just didn't realize it at the time.
Yep that first album should have been enough to show that the Dio project was definitely gonna be a big success they all should have been paid for there contribution for making it that way Wendy made money off their talents and she didn't really appreciate 100 dollars a week is robbery if they only were forever getting the dangling carrot in front of them that's why it fell apart just like a rainbow in the dark
Could have been more than it was shot themselves in the foot having Wendy involved with the choices for the band of men ones with the talent needed to succeed she was most replaceable person of them all nobody's listening to her playing or singing any music
@@williamsherman1089 there's no evidence to prove this though. Dio is the one who made promises, then broke them, then fired ones he made said promises to in order to avoid being faced with his own scumbaggery, he's to blame unless proven otherwise
I remember Dio gave a concert in Düsseldorf 1986 and I was looking forward to seeing Vivian Campbell live. But when the concert started there was Goldy who I didn't know. I was extremely disappointed and was annoyed the whole concert. At that time there was no internet to find out about this band change in a timely manner. I believe Vivian's version of the story. Sharon and Wendy are cut from the same bad cloth.
I remember they were booked to play Belfast in 1985 but cancelled because they weren't sure what the reaction would be after Vivian being fired....It took Dio to 2005 to play Belfast again and that was in a tiny club.
Vivisn was one of the absolute best players of the 80s..Those albums are mindblowing.. I remember buying a ticket for the Sacred Heart tour at the Philadelphia Spectrum and when Craig Goldy walked on stage.. I was so depressed..I couldnt enjoy the show.. I thought I was going to see one of my heroes play.. Ronnie is also the best..hands down..nobody touches him..but the guy has a hair trigger temper.. I know a guy who saw him in a restaurant in Los Angeles in the eighties and said he was berating the waiter relentlessly..Calling him stupid and worthless.. Those are vicious words..
Did you come down in the last shower? What makes you think that if something's in writing it makes it secure? I wish you luck in this world, my friend!
@@joeldukes303 There's a lady they say who feeds the darkness It eats right from her hand With a crying shout, she'll search you out And freeze you where you stand
Worst carrer move of his life. That lineup was magical. He should have been honest about it. The costs of production at that level were astronomical. If I remember correctly it was around 12 semi trailers full of stage gear. I saw Dio right after Viv left. It was never the same. Dio was in way over his big head. From everything I've ever heard, Ronnie could be very difficult. I'd have left too.
I think Ronnie being "hard to work with" was actually a good thing in retrospect, he always wanted to make music he could stand behind, and that he and his fans could be proud of in the future. I think it's paid off. Even Ronnie's least favorite albums are great because he had musical integrity.
@@lasjok3r97 Certainly not questioning the direction he chose, or the material. But at that time there was a shift in hard rock, where hair metal was becoming increasingly popular. Keyboards were being used by VH and others, to great effect. Ronnie even admitted they swayed too far in that direction, and had to "regroup" so to speak,(pun intended). And get back to fundamental oldschool methods. I'm a Craig Goldy fan, but let's face it. Viv had the hard-core vibe, and that's just not Craig's thing. Dio was a genius basically. But just a man. Life is a peculiar thing, and we're here to at least try'n get along. I think a decision had been made by Wendy and Ronnie, long before the eventual departure of Viv, and then Jimmy. They were broke, period. Why Ronnie couldn't just admit he failed? We'll never know? Alls I CAN tell you, is that Sacred Heart tour was incredible! One of the biggest stage productions of all time at that point! Rumor was, only Iron Maiden's Power Slave stage filled more trailers. Dio went all in, and it didn't pay off. That's certainly nothing to be ashamed of.
@andrewbecker3700 Lock Up The Wolves is great for that reason, being a return to form (although I still love dream evil) But I think grunge threw everything out of whack for everyone haha. So it was the perfect time to go back to basics. I love 90s Dio, especially Dehumanizer with Sabbath, but Magica was the album that was the true "return to form" while also pushing forward with a novel sound.
@@lasjok3r97 Heaven and Hell were doing some Dehuminizer tracks right up till the end. "I" is probably my favorite track. Just punishing riffs by iommi. Another favorite of mine is "Lonely Is The Word" off the first album. Crushing lines with the bluesiest solos ever. "It's got to be, the saddest sound I've ever heard" so the lyrics say. Epic!
I really think DIO had it in his mind that this was really how the music business worked (rotten as it was/is). It happened to him in Rainbow and then Black Sabbath (at least, I don't think they paid him enough money). You work for nothing in a band, you get name recognition in return and then you make big bucks as a solo act while screwing over your band mates.
I think there may be something to this. Don't know exactly what kind of deal e had with Blackmore or Iommi/Butler but DIO was the first time he was the boss. I think I've always heard bottom line advice - keep your writing credits/publishing. Vivian can at least credit Dio for bringing him into the big leagues. He doesn't get the Def Leppard gig without the Dio gig
And the biggest difference is that Dio didn't cry about it like Vivian, he knows what he signed up for and it was his turn to make some money, also never believe a person when they don't say shit until the other person dies, total fucken coward
I think Ronnie was a man without balls in this story. His wife wanted the money to herself and Ronnie included and she knew Ronnie was a yes man and so the band got screwed. It's like Ozzy and Sharon, same shit. All decisions on Dio where not made by Ronnie but his wife....
Wendy was another bad decision if you ask me. There were so many great women out there who would have happily had Ronnie if only he had given one of them the time of day. Instead he picks the one who shits all over him and treats him like a clown. Artists love to sabotage themselves whether in business or personal life.
LOL so... her argument about Ferrari is basically like "if he only earned a few bucks, why wasn't he begging on the streets?" I just think Vivian and Jake should record a cover album. Vivian playing songs from Jake's Ozzy era, and Jake from Vivian's Dio era. And the name of the album should be "The Mammon Witches"
Bands are small business ventures. They were paid $X to play a show. From that everything else was paid. Those Hotel rooms that got wrecked from boredom would be paid out of band expenses. After tour a lot of musicians were shocked to find little to no money or debt. That's Rock and Roll.
The money is in copyright revenue. That's why musicians whinge when they're broke. Admittedly, most are ripped off by management. However, some are incredibly stupid. EXample Members of The Smashing Pumpkins. A producer warned Jamesv( lead guitar) and Darcy ( bass) about getting their names on each sing they contributed too. James wrote some killer riffs for the Mellancollie album. James and Darcy were broke by 1999 and Billy Corgan had a few millions in his bank account. The Kurt Cobain estate is worth tens of millions as that Nevermind album has sold close to 100 million copies worldwide!
This is an example of the gray area of a band member being a "hired gun" but actually is integral to product itself on every level. In reality after Holy Diver's success established the group every single one of those guys should have been sitting down with Dio and negotiating a contract where they had more of a stake in the band and more income. If they were making 400 each and Dio was making 50k per show that's obviously a massive inequity even if Dio was paying out the expenses for the group. Obviously Dio had control of everything and Wendy and himself did not want the band to have any power or equal footing in the project because that would mean they would have to give up some profit and control and they were never going to do that. All these dudes stayed faithful to Dio for several records and tours and deserved better. All I know is Vivian's solo on "Rainbow In The Dark" is one of the greatest in metal history and Dio's sound was Vivian Campbell on so many levels...and it appears as though Wendy never has acknowledged that.
sad but true, and should be a lesson to never contribute anything more than a day laborer would to a farm, when you're a tour musician for a band or project you have no stake in
How does a guy write an album of killer guitar leads and get no publishing? I realize he was 18, but he should be getting paid for the second million of album sales. Get a lawyer and get it in writing. At least he landed on his feet, but we all lost 20 years of Viv playing real lead. smh
Wendy talks about buses, hotels and shows but if it wasnt for Vivian…there wouldnt of been any show at all. I personally love Dio but what is fair is fair. The most important thing a man may have is his word. If you dont have it and let ur woman do what she wants…then dont be making deals if you dont have any word. Worst part is after last in line there wasnt an album worth remembering. Craig Goldie was the perfect fit….but the Campbell groove was lost which to me was a pillar of such a great band.
Vivian was a big part of DIO's success. No one really knows what happens behind closed doors. Anytime a band starts together. EVERYTHING should be split equally after expenses. DIO may have been the star but your taken a risk on these musicians to make you a bigger star. AND these musicians did just that !
Show business doesn't work that way. The biggest draw gets paid the most. Vivian Campbell as the only name on the marquee would never have filled a 12,000 seat arena. Ever. Ronnie was the draw; it was his name on the marquee, he was the guy putting people in the seats in the arenas. What he did is gave an unknown Campbell exposure, making him a star in the process as well as a 22 year old with a Ferrari. That exposure in Dio made it possible for Campbell to play in Whitesnake and Def Leppard and become a multi-millionaire.
@@russellspear6188you both are right but you both are missing the most important part. What really matters is what is agreed upon. If you agree to a salary and are paid that's that. Same if you agree to royalties then that's what you should get. That's what matters the most.
Ronnie was wrong, or rather, they made him fight with his best guitarist, together they were incredible. I can't ignore the fact that Viv also had a problem in Whitesnake... Viv surely has a pretty difficult character.
I don't know, as big fan I was saddened to hear that David Coverdale was extremely difficult to work with and a total douche. I'd give him the benefit of doubt in that one.
Ronnie is just another solo artist who doesn’t understand that it’s the sound of the band that makes the music work. Just cause it says Dio at the top of the record doesn’t mean you can put just anyone in there regardless of how talented they are, and expect people to love it. Viv was the sound of that band. I’ll never forget watching MTV I think it was head bangers ball like two in the morning knowing who Dio was but never really seeing his picture and of course before the Internet. So somehow I just didn’t realize who it was probably was just a brain cell or two loose that night. I remember I was half asleep watching something really quiet on another channel and I flipped to headbangers ball and there’s just this dwarfish dude with frizzy hair on a roof shaking his fist at the sky attracting lightning to himself I’m like what the hell is this? I thought it was battle of the bands it was kind of just hokey. It is the video for Rainbow In The Dark. I’m laughing hysterically and then all of a sudden BAM! I don’t know if he kicked the door in or did something like that but all of a sudden there’s Viv in your face playing the sickest solo and this is still one of the best heavy metal guitar solos of all time. It really blew me away still does. But you could probably pick just about any solo on that album as your favorite solo and I wouldn’t disagree with you. But at the end of the day, Dio kind of gets the last laugh because all that sh*t is water under the bridge. Dio did give Viv his big break and now that it’s so far in the past and Viv is a success. So Viv does owe a debt to Dio. I mean sure Wendy could write him a check, but he doesn’t need one anymore. And at the end of the day he’ll be remembered for Holy Diver. And rightly so as it is one of the 10 best heavy metal albums of all time
It was a common practice. Jake, a good example. the band would write the music,record the tracks, be promised 50% publishing... Then told put up or shut up. Mrs D, probably learnt the management technique from Mrs oz 🤔. But that was the way, back in the day. In a world where brilliant musicians where like (quote) 'pebbles on feckin beach' 🤔
@@ThemFuzzyMonsters But he never did. I have great respect for people who break the cycle and don't treat others like crap because they were treated badly. As a guitarist I will of course claim that we simply have good hearts but I've heard of exceptions so I won't insist on that.
I think Wendy is right and I trust her words. They couldn't split the profits equally between the musicians, because all the costs are on Dio and Wendy (organizing concerts, recording, promotion, etc.). And that's a huge expenses! Equal shares in the distribution of income actually lead to the fact that everyone would get equal influence and Dio would cease to be the main one. And the very next day Dio would start singing popular commercial crap instead of his own songs. For Dio, money wasn't the main thing, that's obvious. He wanted to convey what he wanted to convey in his songs. I don't think Campbell was offended. I think he had everything he needed, and a man can never have enough, especially if he buys a Ferrari. In the end, he just didn't realize how lucky he was to be a part of Dio. That's why Campbell's clinging to words, but Wendy's right in essence. The tail shouldn't rule the horse.
Cozy Powell said in an interview he was not fond of Ronnie Dio . It’s easy to believe Vivian his guitar work proves it.. Great work Kar , Keep Rocking !! ✌️
Damn $100 back on the day! You could eat and pay your bills. Vivian has a point but when you become a leader like Dio did, it was natural that he would get the biggest lion share. Oh well
I would like to hear more details about Jake E Lee's time rehearsing with the Dio band. I prefer Jake over Vivian as a player and that could have been an epic band if it worked out. I think Jake said something about Dio thinking his rhythm playing was too busy and wasn't leaving the open space he wanted for his vocals. Someone needs to dig into this and get more details.
Vivian had to be getting his songwriting royalties too, and while his writing share isn’t has big as one would think, it is not what they were unhappy about. They were promised that upon success, possibly by the time RJD’s deal was up for renegotiation, they would go from employees to partners. That meant a % off the advance, % of merchandise, concert fees, … everything. That’s why Sambora left BonJovi; why the Blizzard of Ozz collapsed upon launch, why Whitesnake can’t hold a line-up, or (reversely) why Don Dokken hates the other Dokken guys.
It turned out it mattered a great deal who the guitar player was because after the first two albums, what happened to the sales they went from playing Arenas to plant theaters and opening up for people… it’s a shame Ronnie let that happen because he’s a awesome singer
Ronnie treated the band as though they were expendable and paid the price in sales and popularity. Sacred Heart was his last big tour, but the album only went gold. Dream Evil did not do as well as previous efforts and Lock Up the Wolves sold so poorly, they had to mostly play auditoriums and fairgrounds on that tour.
@@angusorvid8840well actually he did get back on the horse , he went and did sabbath again , but now named heaven & hell and started playing nice size venues again
Yes true. Drummer Vinny Appice said that there were rehearsals with Lee and Dio and recordings of those rehearsals still exist. Lee claims to have written the main riff to "Don't Talk To Strangers" which would later appear on the Holy Diver album.
@@karsguitarchannel6088 I've seen vid of Jake saying that Ronnie had it already when he played with them and that he didn't understand where the story he wrote it, came from.
Yep and George Lynch originally had the Ozzy gig before Jake, he was all set to go to England. I think it worked out for the best, at the time Jake was the man for that gig imo
I met Dio's wife at Miramar in the early 80s. She was the mgr for Rough Cut who played the base's E-club. She was a weird chick. All this time I thought rock stars were wealthy. Ha! It's the record company owners that are.
Im blown away after reading some of these comments. Saying that Dio's only good albums are the 3 with Vivian Campbell is just asinine. His 3 albums with Rainbow are LEGENDARY. Especially Rainbow Rising. His time with Black Sabbath is unparalleled. Heaven And Hell is easily one of the greatest albums in heavy metal history. Mob Rules and Dehumanizer aren't far behind. Dream Evil is amazing. The songs are all awesome. Lock Up The Wolves is actually one of the better heavy metal albums to come out of 1990. Strange Highways was heavy AF and every song on there is a banger. Magica, Killing The Dragon, and Master of the Moon are all trademark RJD classics. Dio was still firing on all cylinders well into his 60s. Yes, he had a decline in record/ticket sales for a decade or so, but heavy metal was an underdog throughout most of the 1990s. Metal had gone "out of style" and grunge/alternative was in. Funny how people conveniently forget to mention that important fact. Heavy metal album and concert ticket sales in general were down across the board in the 1990s. I had the pleasure of seeing Dio play live on The Master Of The Moon tour in 2004. It was an The Odean in Cleveland, which is a decent size concert hall. Anthrax opened, and Dio was the headliner. The concert was packed. So all of these assclowns saying that Ronnie ONLY played small dive bars and county fairs after 1986 are full of horseshit.
Just shows that some people don't give the other albums a listening chance. Great example were the later Dio albums in the 90's which were more heavier and darker as the world became more darker.
9:00 This sounds like the band Ghost's story. The lawsuit, the "hired guns". If you don't know it. I recommend checking it out. Very similar. HOWEVER, I stand with Tobias of Ghost and most likely Ronnie because, if you enter a band and don't have a contract, it's your own fault. The same thing happened with Ghost. Simon Söderberg and some "band" members sued Tobias Forge, lead singer, songwriter on all the albums up to that point except for a few songs WAS the band. In the studio, Tobias was writing everything and using a sessions band to record the album then taking his friends from Sweden out to play the concerts. There's a ton of info on this so I don't want to go too deep. I've been a musician and toured. GET A CONTRACT!
I worked FOR Viv on his first few dozen shows wDL, RJD and his MAN-of-a-wife took advantage of everyone they could. Vivian is the nicest guy in the business.
Always pay attention to the specifics: Ronnie got writing credits with Rainbow and Sabbath. Maybe Wendy never looked at the records and didn't spend any of the money? Sure . . .
It was Wendy, not Ronnie. Ronnie was the most generous guy i’ve ever met. During the move from his house he paid me 400 bucks to move a keyboard to Chris Squires place.
Sad story. I remember when that first album came out. Right when i started really playing guitar a lot as a kid. I thought it was genius and Vivian was like a God to me.
"Ronnie had been in black sabbath and paid his dues" So, there you have it. They expected Viv to "pay his dues". They obviously didn't pay him what he earned - and you NEVER take a songwriter off the songwriting credits, unless you are a Iiar.
That Holy Diver album was definitely driven by Vivian, his gunslinger style and a killer sound, saw him twice against the barricade right in front of Viv, he was amazing as was the band, one of the best guitarists in heavy rock that I've ever seen...on fire.
The fact Viv thought they were getting equal publishing, etc , is what made him leave when he found out he couldn’t. I am sure he was making more than 100 / week . The 800 / week sounds more like it . But that wasn’t equal , so he decided to move on … Good move . He made a name for himself , and used it to get paid with Def Leppard
I absolutely agree, Vivian Campbell made those albums special, the guitar on Dios first two albums were the sound of Dio, Dio would have never made it without Vivian as his guitarist, just look Dio collapsed after replacing Campbell, i remember no one wanted to go see Dio after Vivian was fired
Dio would've never made it without Vivian as his guitarist?! 😂 Ronnie was already a huge name in metal by 1983. Are you forgetting that he successfully fronted both Rainbow and Black Sabbath? Also, Dream Evil, Strange Highways, and Killing The Dragon are nearly as good as his first 3 albums with Campbell.
Even if things didn't go according to plan, Viv needed to remember something: Dio was in Rainbow and Sabbath and he was VERY LUCKY to contribute to R.J.D.'s body of work. If anything, everybody should have had a "sit down" with Ronnie "Two Horns" Padavona and his consigliere and gotten the "Third Album Contract" in writing.
It just shows you how much the record labels were making on the back end. They made TENS of MILLIONS while the bands made squat. That's why the record industry is no longer what it was, and that's a good thing.
Paying dues, does not justify being p***y whooped, & not being loyal to the band that is behind you. Vivian Campbell obviously played a major role in why the first & second records were so good. He ended up having the last laugh anyway, getting the Def Leppard gig & actually being involved in a band that is still, HUGE.
Very interesting commentary. I can understand most of it until the last part where Dio didn't like where Vivian ended up in 87? Maybe I have to rewind. Why would Dio be unhappy with Vivian in 87?
I thought along those lines as well. But he still should have been making more money in the end. The numbers that were put out as to how much he made weren't reflective of his contribution to the band. Have a good day
Vivian had to also get his songwriting royalties and his performance rights, and the first two Dio albums went Platinum, so it could have been OK money. That would have been crumbs next to what RJD was getting.
Wendy was & is a piece of shit for robbing the band & a criminal for letting Ronnie die of stomach cancer. Something that could have been treated...now she has the money & Ronnie is gone
@@ThemFuzzyMonsters If he had been entitled to them, he would have had a slam dunk lawsuit. My guess is they signed away their rights in exchange for the salary they got. This what almost all actors do.
And this , who wouldn’t have stuck around even if they were only hired hands ? They made a Name for themselves on those two albums , and now the pay is good!
..... R&R is a street-level business & Ronnie did learn from the best in the business (Ozzie, Blackmore... promise, delay, obfuscate, lie, repeat) & R&R was very, very good to him.
One more example of how this crazy business works...JOE ELLIOT of all people feeling sorry for Viv, while Joe did NOT even want Pete Willis present for their induction...I guess it is extra hard to take that they did not start making money until Hysteria....But everyone's favourite album's are the ones Willis wrote music for?
Buckethead left GNR for the same reason. He said that he left because he was tired of doing “the starving artist routine”. He was more talented than all the other guys combined.
To be fair, Vivians family are wealthy he was able to buy a Ferrari but not from Ronnies payments. Also, Dios popularity dropped not just because of Vivian, but because fans weren't crazy about Sacred Heart. Nobody cared about Craig back then unfortunately
It was Dio's house put up so they could record Holy Diver and tour. Instead of listening to Vivian interview, Craig. Strange how these big-name dudes (other than Vivian) worked for peanuts. Bullshit. They all had huge houses. Vivian parents were rich. Dio spent boat loads on the tour stage,equipment, food, hotel transportion, etc .If a venue wouldn't hold the stage, then they'd cancel the show. Strange how Vinny played with Dio multiple times. Dio, Sabbath, Heaven and Hell.
Management doesn't always understand or factor in chemistry. The loss of Vivian Cambell was the loss of the bands core chemistry. Was Wendy pushing for that to save a few bucks? who knows, but if so Dio would have had to had gone along with it. Bad Decision! Paying people what their worth and selling more albums and making more money keeps everyone happier including the fans.
Some good albums after viv left, but let’s be honest , nothing dio made after viv left is close to holy diver or last in line , not even close , massive mistake to get rid of Vivian
Agree on no other Dio record matched Holy Diver or The Last in Line. Many are better than Sacred Heart, however. Dio also stated that Viv asked for more money for Sacred Heart, but had no new ideas to bring to the table for writing that album. While I kind of agree that it was a mistake to get rid of Viv, the other side of the coin is that nothing Viv did after Holy Diver/The Last in Line is memorable either.
Now I was at the very first DIO show with the concert born in Antioch July 1983 from that point on I became a glorified fan of Ronnie and the band. That time I became a singer in an original band I looked up to Ronnie as a mentor and he was very kind to me for the next 25 years. My day job I was a union official and an in-house labor lawyer I also work for the Musicians Union edition to the other Union which Ronnie had been a member of since 1967. I was key and pushing Ronnie but Claude on stage I gave him so much s*** about it hiding him on stage and that was the first sign that I saw that I didn't like about Dio's business practices. Over the years when Ronnie saw that I was growing up and became a professional he would ask me for advice on certain things, he didn't trust Wendy he was in love with her but he was also scared to death of her. There's so many issues that I could talk about but one holy diver was a Warner Brothers record and that deal was signatory to the American Federation of musicians pension fund. I would bring up from time to time things about the Musicians Union and even directed Wendy to collect Ronnie's pension from the upstate AFM local that Ronnie was a member of. She seemed pretty nervous when I brought up the issue of the patron and I said since everybody was on a Warner Bros record pension credit should have been paid in for the whole band. It was a mistake to fire Vivian and it was all about greed. All of the sidemen who have been in DIO are owed MILLIONS OF DOLLARS by the record labels, Wendy and Niji. Pension is huge because it would give the sidemen money in the in their lives right now. There's so many other things that just piss me off I've been critical of Wendy for a long time but really Ronnie has to take some blame. I love many things about Ronnie but this is not one of them as a union guy I would push him to treat his band better and he would talk openly with about it with me promises were made to make the partners and they should have been made partners from day one. Wendy's excuses about all this overhead is b******* because that's part of doing business and the fact is this video says one tour made $8 million no the sacred heart tour made 80 million dollars. And it's public knowledge that Roadies and salmon were paid more per week than the guys in the va
That’s why you get it in writing. I walked away from several opportunities like this because when it comes time to commit, the guy making the promises always develops amnesia.
I'm surprised at least some of the band members didnt have agents. Jimmy Bain had been around the business for a while, and Vinnie Appice should have had his brother screaming in his ear to get an agent or renegotiate the terms. It just boggles the mind that they had nothing in writing.
You'd think that "bigger" names would do stuff like King Diamond does...if Andy adds the word, "boo" he automatically gets a writing credit...
Nothing personal, but all agreements get confirmed in writing. Friend, family, wife, kids...doesn't matter😆
They probably did. They probably signed away their royalties believing that ronnie would renegotiate. You never hear anything from the other band members about this and they never filed a lawsuit.
Unfortunately, Dio had all the leverage because he was established. Sometimes, you have to play for almost nothing just to build a resume. Once you are established, you can make decent $
I love ronnie one of the best singers ever,but I'm with vivian 100% those albums would've never been the same without him
Where did cambel go after dio? Did he even make it big??
Nope 😢@@texas7123
@@texas7123 LoL
@@texas7123def leopard
I believe Vivian. In the end, Viv made millions w/ Def Leppard. Wendy is Sharon Jr . That is NOT a compliment.
So true, who's says a vicious, forked tongue, philanderer CEO-CFO can't be a Woman?
I wonder if we could make an entire 1 hr documentary on women who are the lead singers wives & psuedo or official-band managers?
Millions? 😂
@@muleblues71yes millions Def Leppard has bin an arena headlining band for like 40+ years , viv over 30 years in the band , hell they even jumped from arenas to stadiums , you think Def Leppard is playing for peanuts ? This summer it’s stadiums for Def Leppard playing with journey and Steve miller band
@@alexvigil29damn, Vivian has been with Def Leppard for more than 30 years?
Time flies like a motherfucker.
Haha. Being compared to Sharon is never a compliment. Hahaha.
I believe Wendy has Sharon Osbourne syndrome and that she did the same thing
🌟
I’m tired of hearing about these women getting most of the blame. They’re grown men!!!!
it was exactly what i thought about that , they want songriter /guitar player for nothing and have all the money ....
Ain't that the troof?!!
Sharon talked Ozzy into going so far as to actually re-record the bass and drums on both of his 'Randy' albums, which effectively eliminated any royalties in future album sales for the original artists!
What a BITCH!!!!
The less that you give, you're a taker.
The world is full of kings & queens - who blind your eyes and steal your dreams.
🤘🏻😂 That was great bro! Like Dio sings in the song!
Wow what a great statement really just smacks it right upside the head
And when you walk in golden halls you get to keep the gold that falls
@@blaineb4432 🤘🏻
Vivian Campbell's guitar work Defined that distinctive DIO sound!!
Me dejo impresionado ese guitarrista en un concierto tocando para UFO.
Great guitar player. He doesn't really get to shine in Def Leppard.
I met Vivian when he was touring with the Riverdogs. He treated me like I was his long lost brother. He spent 30 minutes of his time hanging out with me, and I'll never forget his kindness. I believe him. There's a video on the web where Dio slams Vivian and talks trash about him. It saddens me, because Dio was such a talented guy. I hate hearing stories like these, because it hurts the experience of listening to the music.
?...but that was Dio's rebuttal to the s#¡t Vivian was talking about him.
@@PaulPaid Like I said, I chatted with him for 30 minutes, including about Dio. I don't remember Vivian saying anything negative about him.
@@jimrussellmusic It's no secret. It's on video.
@@PaulPaid I'm sure it is. Even if half of this story is true, he had every reason to be pissed off.
It really does seem most of these types of people are just complete narcissistic asshats.
I first met Ronnie and Vivian in Lakeland, Florida backstage in the dressing room. Not sure who I was shooting for, but I got some great shots, so I sent them to Kevin Kennedy with Jensen Communications who handle PR for Dio and who I got my pass from. Kevin showed my shots to Ronnie and Wendy, they asked Kevin (they loved my shots) why I was not in all the major mags (Circus, Creem, Hit Parader, Faces, etc.). Kevin then called me and asked. I laughed and said' Dude it is not like they run an ad say "Rock Photographer wanted..get paid to get laid and hangout with rockstars". He laughed and said "Chris, besides Dio I handle Manhattan Transfer, Ozzy Osbourne and the biggest band in the world at the moment Van Halen!. Here are the names and numbers of the editors and publishers of the biggest. You call them and say I said look at your work, and if they don't Chris I will cutoff all interviews with Van Halen!". Take a wild guess what happened...lol My work is world wide thanks to Ronnie and Wendy. Sucks what happened to Vivian, I have met and shot him many times through the yrs and he is a real nice guy. We have even as he would say "tossed a few pints together"
Awesome!
I'm just happy to see Vivian and Vinny still jamming together with Last in Line. I spoke with Vinny two weeks ago, and they're working on their fourth album.
For real?? Why haven't I heard?? C'mon man I wanna hear Vivian again! What's the band name, I wanna check it out. Please respond bro 🙏🤘🤘🤘
@@theadjuster151 Last in Line
No scheduled shows for a while as Vivian is currently on tour with Def Leppard.
@@theadjuster151 man, get out there and grab those LAST IN LINE releases, lol.
They are already getting ready to put out a 4th? Hell, Im behind. I have the first two.
Great to have Viv back with Vinny and Jimmy, unfortunately Jimmy passed and Phil from Ozzy ( Ultimate Sin) plays on the second one.
Best thing to happen in the last 10 years, lol.
When the drummer and bass player take the guitarists side on this issue, that's the nail in the coffin for me.
Always loved Dio as a singer and writer, but that dosen't mean he couldn't possibly be a greedy man with a greedy woman behind him.
Looks like Vivian and Jake both got shafted by some sneaky witches.
Looked at who Ronnie worked with: Rainbow, Black Sabbath and the Heaven and Hell. Blackmore is notoriouisly difficult to work with, yet Dio made three studio albums andn a live album with Rainbow before leaving when Blackmore wanted to write love songs. Apparently Tony Iommi didn't have any problem with RJD being "greedy" since he took him back two more times after his original run with Sabbath and worked with Ronnie James until his death.
yet they kept playing with him throughout his career
@@russellspear6188
Black Sabbath and Dio needed each other. They were all down on their luck every time they got together, and they certainly elevated each other every time. RJD said in 1992 he was ready to finish his career with Tony, Geezer and Vinnie.
Of course they didn’t make it to 1993. 😂
But I would argue that they did some of their best work together. I certainly could have used a couple more albums … but I wouldn’t call any of those guys impressive business men.
It was the same thing with jake e lee ,the poured there heart and soul into it and the get the shaft.vivian did not quit he got fired just for bringing up what was promised
@@MikeWatson-qj8ew That's about as classy as it gets for you to allege that Ronnie James was lying when he lived until 2010 and you had 24 years between when Campbell and Dio parted ways to allege that, but chose to do it now when he can't defend himself. Campbell had 24 years to take Dio to court. After all, we have a judicial system made for things just like that. When you don't get paid what your contract states, you sue. Maybe Campbell didn't want to commit perjury, since that means jail and that would have gotten in the way of his lifestyle as a multi-millionaire thanks to RJD making him a star.
Firing Vivian Campbell was a huge mistake, while all those Dio guitarists were amazing, Vivian was the most influential and arguably the best player. But it's not just his ability on the guitar, it's what he played that made Dio so iconic.
Yes, but Vivian stopped performing, which makes sense since he wasn't getting paid and that made Viv refuse to write and perform normally.
Yup, he was the one who made their style sonically, like Rhodes with Ozzy. No good deed or great artistry in the recording industry goes unpunished it seems
@@earlpipe9713 Yeah as someone trying to go for it in the music business these videos are... not encouraging.
Vivian's playing is what sets the Early Dio albums apart. I still remember hearing Stand Up And Shout for the first time and being blown away. It's sad that Vivian took Dio at his word and didn't get in writing. Glad to seem him doing well and getting paid in Def Leppard.
The Wendy quotes sound suspicious… I’m sure that there’s truth on both sides and the love of money is the root of all evil. I lean towards Vivian’s account as being a bit closer to the truth and the others seem to confirm it!
I can fully understand the band not being paid what they were worth early on, but they should not have waited until the 3rd album to renegotiate. They should have tried to renegotiate after the 1st album when it was obvious that the band would be a successful, long term act, and changing the lineup would hurt that success. The guys in the band really did have the upper hand, they just didn't realize it at the time.
Sounds to me like Ronnie made his promises with good intent then his wife got in his ear
Yep that first album should have been enough to show that the Dio project was definitely gonna be a big success they all should have been paid for there contribution for making it that way Wendy made money off their talents and she didn't really appreciate 100 dollars a week is robbery if they only were forever getting the dangling carrot in front of them that's why it fell apart just like a rainbow in the dark
Could have been more than it was shot themselves in the foot having Wendy involved with the choices for the band of men ones with the talent needed to succeed she was most replaceable person of them all nobody's listening to her playing or singing any music
@@williamsherman1089 there's no evidence to prove this though. Dio is the one who made promises, then broke them, then fired ones he made said promises to in order to avoid being faced with his own scumbaggery, he's to blame unless proven otherwise
I remember Dio gave a concert in Düsseldorf 1986 and I was looking forward to seeing Vivian Campbell live. But when the concert started there was Goldy who I didn't know. I was extremely disappointed and was annoyed the whole concert. At that time there was no internet to find out about this band change in a timely manner. I believe Vivian's version of the story. Sharon and Wendy are cut from the same bad cloth.
Goldy is very good, but he's no Vivian Campbell...💚🎸
I remember they were booked to play Belfast in 1985 but cancelled because they weren't sure what the reaction would be after Vivian being fired....It took Dio to 2005 to play Belfast again and that was in a tiny club.
@markbrock4427 It's a shame what they did to Vivian. He was a fenominon when Dio hit the seen. Still one of my favs to this day! 💚🎸
you can't put it all on Dio's wife. If anything Dio would be the one who should receive an "all" portion of the blame if anyone does
Vivisn was one of the absolute best players of the 80s..Those albums are mindblowing.. I remember buying a ticket for the Sacred Heart tour at the Philadelphia Spectrum and when Craig Goldy walked on stage.. I was so depressed..I couldnt enjoy the show.. I thought I was going to see one of my heroes play.. Ronnie is also the best..hands down..nobody touches him..but the guy has a hair trigger temper.. I know a guy who saw him in a restaurant in Los Angeles in the eighties and said he was berating the waiter relentlessly..Calling him stupid and worthless.. Those are vicious words..
Always get it in writing.
Did you come down in the last shower? What makes you think that if something's in writing it makes it secure? I wish you luck in this world, my friend!
@@michaelstephen819 lol
@@michaelstephen819 wow... lol
Something tells me that Wendy made sure they weren't estranged prior to his death.
She probably used his failing health as an excuse to get back in his life "because she cares".
We’re off to the witch, we may never never ever come home
@@joeldukes303 There's a lady they say who feeds the darkness
It eats right from her hand
With a crying shout, she'll search you out
And freeze you where you stand
@@joeldukes303 At least we know who Ronnie was singing about. Very sweet to sing about your wife!
@ evil > easy (your mom)
Tell her my buddies and I said “hi” btw.
Worst carrer move of his life. That lineup was magical. He should have been honest about it. The costs of production at that level were astronomical. If I remember correctly it was around 12 semi trailers full of stage gear. I saw Dio right after Viv left. It was never the same. Dio was in way over his big head. From everything I've ever heard, Ronnie could be very difficult. I'd have left too.
I think Ronnie being "hard to work with" was actually a good thing in retrospect, he always wanted to make music he could stand behind, and that he and his fans could be proud of in the future. I think it's paid off. Even Ronnie's least favorite albums are great because he had musical integrity.
@@lasjok3r97 Certainly not questioning the direction he chose, or the material. But at that time there was a shift in hard rock, where hair metal was becoming increasingly popular. Keyboards were being used by VH and others, to great effect. Ronnie even admitted they swayed too far in that direction, and had to "regroup" so to speak,(pun intended). And get back to fundamental oldschool methods. I'm a Craig Goldy fan, but let's face it. Viv had the hard-core vibe, and that's just not Craig's thing.
Dio was a genius basically. But just a man. Life is a peculiar thing, and we're here to at least try'n get along. I think a decision had been made by Wendy and Ronnie, long before the eventual departure of Viv, and then Jimmy. They were broke, period. Why Ronnie couldn't just admit he failed? We'll never know? Alls I CAN tell you, is that Sacred Heart tour was incredible! One of the biggest stage productions of all time at that point! Rumor was, only Iron Maiden's Power Slave stage filled more trailers. Dio went all in, and it didn't pay off. That's certainly nothing to be ashamed of.
@@andrewbecker3700 I definitely hear what you're saying. I almost entirely agree. Especially on being a Goldy fan and Dio being a genius!!
@andrewbecker3700 Lock Up The Wolves is great for that reason, being a return to form (although I still love dream evil)
But I think grunge threw everything out of whack for everyone haha. So it was the perfect time to go back to basics. I love 90s Dio, especially Dehumanizer with Sabbath, but Magica was the album that was the true "return to form" while also pushing forward with a novel sound.
@@lasjok3r97 Heaven and Hell were doing some Dehuminizer tracks right up till the end. "I" is probably my favorite track. Just punishing riffs by iommi. Another favorite of mine is "Lonely Is The Word" off the first album. Crushing lines with the bluesiest solos ever. "It's got to be, the saddest sound I've ever heard" so the lyrics say. Epic!
H0LY DIVER IS FIRE!! THAT GUITAR W0RK! SHEEESH!!!
ALL of vivians solos and guitar work are legendary
Wendy is like Sharon Osbourne… controls everything!
witchy woman
People may say I'm flaky, but I was never going to be used by these takers. Now my time on the guitar has passed, and I'm okay with that.
Same here brother!!
That's right! ✊🫵
I really think DIO had it in his mind that this was really how the music business worked (rotten as it was/is). It happened to him in Rainbow and then Black Sabbath (at least, I don't think they paid him enough money). You work for nothing in a band, you get name recognition in return and then you make big bucks as a solo act while screwing over your band mates.
I think there may be something to this. Don't know exactly what kind of deal e had with Blackmore or Iommi/Butler but DIO was the first time he was the boss. I think I've always heard bottom line advice - keep your writing credits/publishing. Vivian can at least credit Dio for bringing him into the big leagues. He doesn't get the Def Leppard gig without the Dio gig
And the biggest difference is that Dio didn't cry about it like Vivian, he knows what he signed up for and it was his turn to make some money, also never believe a person when they don't say shit until the other person dies, total fucken coward
Like that dude from Filter, he pays his band crumbs. He intentionally finds young, naive players and when they want more he replaces them
I think Ronnie was a man without balls in this story. His wife wanted the money to herself and Ronnie included and she knew Ronnie was a yes man and so the band got screwed. It's like Ozzy and Sharon, same shit. All decisions on Dio where not made by Ronnie but his wife....
When Dio recorded Lock up the Wolves, Rowan Robertson was 17...You KNOW he didn't get paid right.
Wendy was another bad decision if you ask me. There were so many great women out there who would have happily had Ronnie if only he had given one of them the time of day. Instead he picks the one who shits all over him and treats him like a clown. Artists love to sabotage themselves whether in business or personal life.
And she cheated on Ronnie with Paul sciortino from rough cutt
LOL so... her argument about Ferrari is basically like "if he only earned a few bucks, why wasn't he begging on the streets?"
I just think Vivian and Jake should record a cover album. Vivian playing songs from Jake's Ozzy era, and Jake from Vivian's Dio era. And the name of the album should be "The Mammon Witches"
Brilliant 👍
Vivian also made a reasonable amount from endorsements and guitar clinics to offset the limited income from playing in Dio.
Thats fxxkin brilliant
Awesome! Lmfao! Awesome!!!
That's a great idea
Vivian in those years was an Olympic style guitarist..
Bands are small business ventures. They were paid $X to play a show. From that everything else was paid. Those Hotel rooms that got wrecked from boredom would be paid out of band expenses. After tour a lot of musicians were shocked to find little to no money or debt. That's Rock and Roll.
The money is in copyright revenue. That's why musicians whinge when they're broke. Admittedly, most are ripped off by management.
However, some are incredibly stupid.
EXample
Members of The Smashing Pumpkins. A producer warned Jamesv( lead guitar) and Darcy ( bass) about getting their names on each sing they contributed too. James wrote some killer riffs for the Mellancollie album.
James and Darcy were broke by 1999 and Billy Corgan had a few millions in his bank account. The Kurt Cobain estate is worth tens of millions as that Nevermind album has sold close to 100 million copies worldwide!
This is an example of the gray area of a band member being a "hired gun" but actually is integral to product itself on every level. In reality after Holy Diver's success established the group every single one of those guys should have been sitting down with Dio and negotiating a contract where they had more of a stake in the band and more income. If they were making 400 each and Dio was making 50k per show that's obviously a massive inequity even if Dio was paying out the expenses for the group. Obviously Dio had control of everything and Wendy and himself did not want the band to have any power or equal footing in the project because that would mean they would have to give up some profit and control and they were never going to do that. All these dudes stayed faithful to Dio for several records and tours and deserved better. All I know is Vivian's solo on "Rainbow In The Dark" is one of the greatest in metal history and Dio's sound was Vivian Campbell on so many levels...and it appears as though Wendy never has acknowledged that.
sad but true, and should be a lesson to never contribute anything more than a day laborer would to a farm, when you're a tour musician for a band or project you have no stake in
How does a guy write an album of killer guitar leads and get no publishing? I realize he was 18, but he should be getting paid for the second million of album sales. Get a lawyer and get it in writing. At least he landed on his feet, but we all lost 20 years of Viv playing real lead. smh
Wow, awesome stuff! Great upload, thnx Kar
Many thanks Callahan, great pleasure!!
Wendy talks about buses, hotels and shows but if it wasnt for Vivian…there wouldnt of been any show at all.
I personally love Dio but what is fair is fair.
The most important thing a man may have is his word. If you dont have it and let ur woman do what she wants…then dont be making deals if you dont have any word.
Worst part is after last in line there wasnt an album worth remembering. Craig Goldie was the perfect fit….but the Campbell groove was lost which to me was a pillar of such a great band.
Never have your woman have control in your band it never ends good
Vivian was a big part of DIO's success. No one really knows what happens behind closed doors. Anytime a band starts together. EVERYTHING should be split equally after expenses. DIO may have been the star but your taken a risk on these musicians to make you a bigger star. AND these musicians did just that !
Show business doesn't work that way. The biggest draw gets paid the most. Vivian Campbell as the only name on the marquee would never have filled a 12,000 seat arena. Ever. Ronnie was the draw; it was his name on the marquee, he was the guy putting people in the seats in the arenas. What he did is gave an unknown Campbell exposure, making him a star in the process as well as a 22 year old with a Ferrari. That exposure in Dio made it possible for Campbell to play in Whitesnake and Def Leppard and become a multi-millionaire.
@@russellspear6188 Very True.
@@russellspear6188you both are right but you both are missing the most important part.
What really matters is what is agreed upon.
If you agree to a salary and are paid that's that. Same if you agree to royalties then that's what you should get.
That's what matters the most.
@@russellspear6188 Seems like White Snake and Def divided the lions share fairly well then...
@@russellspear6188 So why did he lie when he promised to pay them?
Ronnie was wrong, or rather, they made him fight with his best guitarist, together they were incredible. I can't ignore the fact that Viv also had a problem in Whitesnake... Viv surely has a pretty difficult character.
I don't know, as big fan I was saddened to hear that David Coverdale was extremely difficult to work with and a total douche. I'd give him the benefit of doubt in that one.
When the other band members take Vivian's side it's hard to ignore but still....it's SO hard to believe Ronnie would do that.
Ronnie is just another solo artist who doesn’t understand that it’s the sound of the band that makes the music work. Just cause it says Dio at the top of the record doesn’t mean you can put just anyone in there regardless of how talented they are, and expect people to love it. Viv was the sound of that band.
I’ll never forget watching MTV I think it was head bangers ball like two in the morning knowing who Dio was but never really seeing his picture and of course before the Internet. So somehow I just didn’t realize who it was probably was just a brain cell or two loose that night.
I remember I was half asleep watching something really quiet on another channel and I flipped to headbangers ball and there’s just this dwarfish dude with frizzy hair on a roof shaking his fist at the sky attracting lightning to himself I’m like what the hell is this? I thought it was battle of the bands it was kind of just hokey. It is the video for Rainbow In The Dark.
I’m laughing hysterically and then all of a sudden BAM! I don’t know if he kicked the door in or did something like that but all of a sudden there’s Viv in your face playing the sickest solo and this is still one of the best heavy metal guitar solos of all time. It really blew me away still does. But you could probably pick just about any solo on that album as your favorite solo and I wouldn’t disagree with you.
But at the end of the day, Dio kind of gets the last laugh because all that sh*t is water under the bridge. Dio did give Viv his big break and now that it’s so far in the past and Viv is a success. So Viv does owe a debt to Dio.
I mean sure Wendy could write him a check, but he doesn’t need one anymore. And at the end of the day he’ll be remembered for Holy Diver. And rightly so as it is one of the 10 best heavy metal albums of all time
Dio and Ozzy were scam artists that used their musicians
Hi Karre!!We always learn things on your channel!!Excellent story , I did not know all this ! This is mad !!! Happy Sunday evening !
Many thanks Christophe, glad to see you!! Have an awesome Sunday evening, you too
It was a common practice. Jake, a good example. the band would write the music,record the tracks, be promised 50% publishing... Then told put up or shut up. Mrs D, probably learnt the management technique from Mrs oz 🤔. But that was the way, back in the day. In a world where brilliant musicians where like (quote) 'pebbles on feckin beach' 🤔
Jake reported that Ozzy once told him it was his turn to get screwed over, that he’d get his turn at screwing people over later in his career. 🙄
@@ThemFuzzyMonsters But he never did. I have great respect for people who break the cycle and don't treat others like crap because they were treated badly. As a guitarist I will of course claim that we simply have good hearts but I've heard of exceptions so I won't insist on that.
#1. Ronnie got delt like this in Rainbow.
#2 Vivian's parents were rich and probably helped him buy the Ferrari.
#3 ur a mouth breather
Did the guy work for free? Only in entitlement right wing Christian land do people NOT pay
#1 - not surprising, the music industry has always been a pyramid scheme
I think Wendy is right and I trust her words. They couldn't split the profits equally between the musicians, because all the costs are on Dio and Wendy (organizing concerts, recording, promotion, etc.). And that's a huge expenses! Equal shares in the distribution of income actually lead to the fact that everyone would get equal influence and Dio would cease to be the main one. And the very next day Dio would start singing popular commercial crap instead of his own songs. For Dio, money wasn't the main thing, that's obvious. He wanted to convey what he wanted to convey in his songs.
I don't think Campbell was offended. I think he had everything he needed, and a man can never have enough, especially if he buys a Ferrari. In the end, he just didn't realize how lucky he was to be a part of Dio.
That's why Campbell's clinging to words, but Wendy's right in essence. The tail shouldn't rule the horse.
People remember events differently. People remember events how they want to remember them.
Cozy Powell said in an interview he was not fond of Ronnie Dio . It’s easy to believe Vivian his guitar work proves it.. Great work Kar , Keep Rocking !! ✌️
Many thanks Scott!! Rock on
Dio post/Vivian Campbell is really weak to be very honest. Not a one song that even comes close.
Lol all these losers shitting on Dio’s legacy. Y’all are lame😂
Dio noted as being one of the nicest guys in metal! He did have issues with Vivian, yea there’s two sides to every story
Damn $100 back on the day! You could eat and pay your bills. Vivian has a point but when you become a leader like Dio did, it was natural that he would get the biggest lion share. Oh well
I would like to hear more details about Jake E Lee's time rehearsing with the Dio band. I prefer Jake over Vivian as a player and that could have been an epic band if it worked out. I think Jake said something about Dio thinking his rhythm playing was too busy and wasn't leaving the open space he wanted for his vocals. Someone needs to dig into this and get more details.
Vivian had to be getting his songwriting royalties too, and while his writing share isn’t has big as one would think, it is not what they were unhappy about. They were promised that upon success, possibly by the time RJD’s deal was up for renegotiation, they would go from employees to partners. That meant a % off the advance, % of merchandise, concert fees, … everything.
That’s why Sambora left BonJovi; why the Blizzard of Ozz collapsed upon launch, why Whitesnake can’t hold a line-up, or (reversely) why Don Dokken hates the other Dokken guys.
LMAO Sambora is a drunk.
It turned out it mattered a great deal who the guitar player was because after the first two albums, what happened to the sales they went from playing Arenas to plant theaters and opening up for people… it’s a shame Ronnie let that happen because he’s a awesome singer
Ronnie treated the band as though they were expendable and paid the price in sales and popularity. Sacred Heart was his last big tour, but the album only went gold. Dream Evil did not do as well as previous efforts and Lock Up the Wolves sold so poorly, they had to mostly play auditoriums and fairgrounds on that tour.
and after dehumanizer he was playing bars
@@mikeb2611 His career took the biggest nosedive I've ever seen. I never got back on the horse.
@@angusorvid8840well actually he did get back on the horse , he went and did sabbath again , but now named heaven & hell and started playing nice size venues again
@@angusorvid8840 I was a big fan ujntil the very end
@@mikeb2611 Maybe he shouldn't have thrown a hissy fit and left the band over one show at Ozzfest.
Wait, Jake E. Lee was the original guitarist in Dio? Is this true?
Yes true. Drummer Vinny Appice said that there were rehearsals with Lee and Dio and recordings of those rehearsals still exist. Lee claims to have written the main riff to "Don't Talk To Strangers" which would later appear on the Holy Diver album.
Jake was in Ratt, left to join Dio and then went to Ozzy
@@karsguitarchannel6088 I've seen vid of Jake saying that Ronnie had it already when he played with them and that he didn't understand where the story he wrote it, came from.
Yep and George Lynch originally had the Ozzy gig before Jake, he was all set to go to England. I think it worked out for the best, at the time Jake was the man for that gig imo
Jake played in a lot of bands but he stuck with Ozzy the longest
Great stuff, thanks Kar!
Thank you very much Jimmy, great pleasure!
I met Dio's wife at Miramar in the early 80s. She was the mgr for Rough Cut who played the base's E-club. She was a weird chick. All this time I thought rock stars were wealthy. Ha! It's the record company owners that are.
How was she weird?
100 a week was the standard pay then for a hired gun. That's what randy rhoads was making.
The story I heard is that Randy was paid 100 bucks a day whether he played or not.
No it wasn't. Standard was about $500 a week at that time
Thx for shedding light on the industry. It's not what people think.
Many thanks!
Im blown away after reading some of these comments. Saying that Dio's only good albums are the 3 with Vivian Campbell is just asinine. His 3 albums with Rainbow are LEGENDARY. Especially Rainbow Rising. His time with Black Sabbath is unparalleled. Heaven And Hell is easily one of the greatest albums in heavy metal history. Mob Rules and Dehumanizer aren't far behind. Dream Evil is amazing. The songs are all awesome. Lock Up The Wolves is actually one of the better heavy metal albums to come out of 1990. Strange Highways was heavy AF and every song on there is a banger. Magica, Killing The Dragon, and Master of the Moon are all trademark RJD classics. Dio was still firing on all cylinders well into his 60s. Yes, he had a decline in record/ticket sales for a decade or so, but heavy metal was an underdog throughout most of the 1990s. Metal had gone "out of style" and grunge/alternative was in. Funny how people conveniently forget to mention that important fact. Heavy metal album and concert ticket sales in general were down across the board in the 1990s. I had the pleasure of seeing Dio play live on The Master Of The Moon tour in 2004. It was an The Odean in Cleveland, which is a decent size concert hall. Anthrax opened, and Dio was the headliner. The concert was packed. So all of these assclowns saying that Ronnie ONLY played small dive bars and county fairs after 1986 are full of horseshit.
Just shows that some people don't give the other albums a listening chance. Great example were the later Dio albums in the 90's which were more heavier and darker as the world became more darker.
Its a shame Jimmy and Vinny didn't back Vivian up at the time.They were gone after the next album.
9:00 This sounds like the band Ghost's story. The lawsuit, the "hired guns". If you don't know it. I recommend checking it out. Very similar. HOWEVER, I stand with Tobias of Ghost and most likely Ronnie because, if you enter a band and don't have a contract, it's your own fault. The same thing happened with Ghost. Simon Söderberg and some "band" members sued Tobias Forge, lead singer, songwriter on all the albums up to that point except for a few songs WAS the band. In the studio, Tobias was writing everything and using a sessions band to record the album then taking his friends from Sweden out to play the concerts. There's a ton of info on this so I don't want to go too deep. I've been a musician and toured. GET A CONTRACT!
Sad to hear about all the inner struggles but I still love DIO. He was one of kind. 🤘
I worked FOR Viv on his first few dozen shows wDL, RJD and his MAN-of-a-wife took advantage of everyone they could. Vivian is the nicest guy in the business.
Always pay attention to the specifics: Ronnie got writing credits with Rainbow and Sabbath. Maybe Wendy never looked at the records and didn't spend any of the money? Sure . . .
It was Wendy, not Ronnie. Ronnie was the most generous guy i’ve ever met. During the move from his house he paid me 400 bucks to move a keyboard to Chris Squires place.
Last sentence says it all!
Sad story. I remember when that first album came out. Right when i started really playing guitar a lot as a kid.
I thought it was genius and Vivian was like a God to me.
Werent these guys also getting paid by.whom they endorsed in addition to gear?
Ronnie said when they would show up to do new music Vivian would have nothing. He didn’t write anything on their off time.
"Ronnie had been in black sabbath and paid his dues" So, there you have it. They expected Viv to "pay his dues". They obviously didn't pay him what he earned - and you NEVER take a songwriter off the songwriting credits, unless you are a Iiar.
He sucked in Black sabbath
My first concert was in Anchorage Alaska. Last in line tour Dio with Dokken opening up.
Holy Diver was Vivian Campbell to me.That lead was the part i always waited for.
Agreed
That Holy Diver album was definitely driven by Vivian, his gunslinger style and a killer sound, saw him twice against the barricade right in front of Viv, he was amazing as was the band, one of the best guitarists in heavy rock that I've ever seen...on fire.
Wasn't Vivian in Whitesnake? They had some big hits.
very enjoyable, great work!!
Thanks a lot, great pleasure to hear this!
@@karsguitarchannel6088 i'll be honesty M8, I was rivited .. I thought you were some other dude, looking forward to watching more of your expos!!
Get to see them live in early 1980 many times. Love Dio Vivian are guitar god on stage. Sad thing bookend down behind the scenes
The fact Viv thought they were getting equal publishing, etc , is what made him leave when he found out he couldn’t. I am sure he was making more than 100 / week . The 800 / week sounds more like it . But that wasn’t equal , so he decided to move on … Good move . He made a name for himself , and used it to get paid with Def Leppard
LOL , no wonder ozzy looks at dio that way in that photo of them together . Perhaps dio just liked keeping his band hungry ....literally.
Never join a band, where a member’s family member is the manager.
"I got a garden variety Ferrari"... ha ha, ok.
i read many many years ago he was paid $22K per year ....Ronnie was talking shit about Viv when I met him in 1994
The smart thing to do was to take the salary...plus the publishing rights to the songs he helped write...
I NEVER BOUGHT ANOTHER ALBUM AFTER SACRED HEART
Never heard of sacred heart was it a band Dio was in After Dio?
I only bought Holy Diver and The last in line.
I didn't really like anything that they put out after those two.
@@rocknroll7400 Sacred Heart was Dio's third album and the last one with Vivian.
Sacred Heart was the last good Dio album. Can't stand Craig Goldy.
Same
Ah, the classic 3 Album Monte game. Dio played his band members like rubes on their first day in the big city.
I absolutely agree, Vivian Campbell made those albums special, the guitar on Dios first two albums were the sound of Dio, Dio would have never made it without Vivian as his guitarist, just look Dio collapsed after replacing Campbell, i remember no one wanted to go see Dio after Vivian was fired
Dio would've never made it without Vivian as his guitarist?! 😂 Ronnie was already a huge name in metal by 1983. Are you forgetting that he successfully fronted both Rainbow and Black Sabbath? Also, Dream Evil, Strange Highways, and Killing The Dragon are nearly as good as his first 3 albums with Campbell.
Wendy put him last in line.
Even if things didn't go according to plan, Viv needed to remember something: Dio was in Rainbow and Sabbath and he was VERY LUCKY to contribute to R.J.D.'s body of work. If anything, everybody should have had a "sit down" with Ronnie "Two Horns" Padavona and his consigliere and gotten the "Third Album Contract" in writing.
It just shows you how much the record labels were making on the back end. They made TENS of MILLIONS while the bands made squat. That's why the record industry is no longer what it was, and that's a good thing.
Vivian Cambell was the only reason I even listened to Dio he sang the same crap over and over every one of Vivs leads were extraordinary
According to Wendy Viv was making $1750 a week by the time Sacred Heart was done. In 1985 , that was a lot of money. Who knows ?
Paying dues, does not justify being p***y whooped, & not being loyal to the band that is behind you. Vivian Campbell obviously played a major role in why the first & second records were so good. He ended up having the last laugh anyway, getting the Def Leppard gig & actually being involved in a band that is still, HUGE.
I'm with you all the way brother
The music business has always been full of rip-offs.
At $100 a week and $30.000 car. How many weeks is that?
Vivan Campbell was the Last In Line to get paid.
He was "Caught in the Middle"
@@MichaelWH It's a Mystery.
While driving a Ferrari
@@seanabbottband He saved for it a hundred dollars at a time 🙂
And likes to speed at night 🌃
Very interesting commentary. I can understand most of it until the last part where Dio didn't like where Vivian ended up in 87? Maybe I have to rewind. Why would Dio be unhappy with Vivian in 87?
No doubt, when Vivian left it hurt us guitar players. We love him. We love Ronnie, and always will.
Dio never saw any Rainbow money until after his death.
Vivians explanation of how he could afford a Ferrari is similar to a toddler explaining where the last cookie went.
I thought along those lines as well.
But he still should have been making more money in the end.
The numbers that were put out as to how much he made weren't reflective of his contribution to the band.
Have a good day
I thought that too, if you have to pinch pennies and need a car a Ferrari doesn't come to mind
Vivian had to also get his songwriting royalties and his performance rights, and the first two Dio albums went Platinum, so it could have been OK money. That would have been crumbs next to what RJD was getting.
Wendy was & is a piece of shit for robbing the band & a criminal for letting Ronnie die of stomach cancer. Something that could have been treated...now she has the money & Ronnie is gone
@@ThemFuzzyMonsters If he had been entitled to them, he would have had a slam dunk lawsuit. My guess is they signed away their rights in exchange for the salary they got. This what almost all actors do.
And this , who wouldn’t have stuck around even if they were only hired hands ? They made a Name for themselves on those two albums , and now the pay is good!
..... R&R is a street-level business & Ronnie did learn from the best in the business (Ozzie, Blackmore... promise, delay, obfuscate, lie, repeat) & R&R was very, very good to him.
One more example of how this crazy business works...JOE ELLIOT of all people feeling sorry for Viv, while Joe did NOT even want Pete Willis present for their induction...I guess it is extra hard to take that they did not start making money until Hysteria....But everyone's favourite album's are the ones Willis wrote music for?
Buckethead left GNR for the same reason. He said that he left because he was tired of doing “the starving artist routine”. He was more talented than all the other guys combined.
To be fair, Vivians family are wealthy he was able to buy a Ferrari but not from Ronnies payments. Also, Dios popularity dropped not just because of Vivian, but because fans weren't crazy about Sacred Heart. Nobody cared about Craig back then unfortunately
It was Dio's house put up so they could record Holy Diver and tour. Instead of listening to Vivian interview, Craig. Strange how these big-name dudes (other than Vivian) worked for peanuts. Bullshit. They all had huge houses. Vivian parents were rich. Dio spent boat loads on the tour stage,equipment, food, hotel transportion, etc .If a venue wouldn't hold the stage, then they'd cancel the show. Strange how Vinny played with Dio multiple times. Dio, Sabbath, Heaven and Hell.
Management doesn't always understand or factor in chemistry. The loss of Vivian Cambell was the loss of the bands core chemistry. Was Wendy pushing for that to save a few bucks? who knows, but if so Dio would have had to had gone along with it. Bad Decision! Paying people what their worth and selling more albums and making more money keeps everyone happier including the fans.
Some good albums after viv left, but let’s be honest , nothing dio made after viv left is close to holy diver or last in line , not even close , massive mistake to get rid of Vivian
Agree on no other Dio record matched Holy Diver or The Last in Line. Many are better than Sacred Heart, however. Dio also stated that Viv asked for more money for Sacred Heart, but had no new ideas to bring to the table for writing that album. While I kind of agree that it was a mistake to get rid of Viv, the other side of the coin is that nothing Viv did after Holy Diver/The Last in Line is memorable either.
It's sad that this happened to such a great guitarist!!
Now I was at the very first DIO show with the concert born in Antioch July 1983 from that point on I became a glorified fan of Ronnie and the band.
That time I became a singer in an original band I looked up to Ronnie as a mentor and he was very kind to me for the next 25 years.
My day job I was a union official and an in-house labor lawyer I also work for the Musicians Union edition to the other Union which Ronnie had been a member of since 1967.
I was key and pushing Ronnie but Claude on stage I gave him so much s*** about it hiding him on stage and that was the first sign that I saw that I didn't like about Dio's business practices.
Over the years when Ronnie saw that I was growing up and became a professional he would ask me for advice on certain things, he didn't trust Wendy he was in love with her but he was also scared to death of her.
There's so many issues that I could talk about but one holy diver was a Warner Brothers record and that deal was signatory to the American Federation of musicians pension fund.
I would bring up from time to time things about the Musicians Union and even directed Wendy to collect Ronnie's pension from the upstate AFM local that Ronnie was a member of.
She seemed pretty nervous when I brought up the issue of the patron and I said since everybody was on a Warner Bros record pension credit should have been paid in for the whole band.
It was a mistake to fire Vivian and it was all about greed. All of the sidemen who have been in DIO are owed MILLIONS OF DOLLARS by the record labels, Wendy and Niji.
Pension is huge because it would give the sidemen money in the in their lives right now.
There's so many other things that just piss me off I've been critical of Wendy for a long time but really Ronnie has to take some blame.
I love many things about Ronnie but this is not one of them as a union guy I would push him to treat his band better and he would talk openly with about it with me promises were made to make the partners and they should have been made partners from day one.
Wendy's excuses about all this overhead is b******* because that's part of doing business and the fact is this video says one tour made $8 million no the sacred heart tour made 80 million dollars.
And it's public knowledge that Roadies and salmon were paid more per week than the guys in the va
Dio is hanging out with Murray these days and it's very painful.
Vivian bought the cheapest model. And he saved what little he had. Remember these cars cost less back then.