An intimate and definitive look at Rock legend Ronnie James Dio's life.

'Remarkable life story . . . this magical metal memoir is a must have for fans of the legend' Hot Press

The long-awaited autobiography by one of heavy metal's most revered icons, treasured vocalists, and front man for three legendary bands-Rainbow, Black Sabbath, and Dio.

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 stabilised his life, and the huge bet they placed together to launch the most successful endeavour of his career . . . his own band, Dio.

Written with longtime friend of thirty years and esteemed music writer, Mick Wall, who took up the mantle after Ronnie's death, 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.

Ronnie James Dio was a heavy metal icon and frontman of three of the best-selling, most influential and famous rock bands in history: Rainbow, Black Sabbath and his own multi-million selling band, Dio.

Rainbow in the Dark is a rollercoaster ride through the extraordinary highs and lows of Dio's life, and takes us from his early days as a street gang leader and Doo-wop singer in '60s Vegas through to his breakout success with Rainbow and Black Sabbath in the '70s and the stadiums of US metal in the '80s - ending in Dio's dressing room at Madison Square Garden, in June 1986, at the peak of his worldwide fame with Dio.

Tragically Dio passed away from cancer in 2010, but had already begun writing a memoir before his death. Edited by the world-renowned music biographer Mick Wall, with the involvement of Dio's wife of over 35 years and personal manager Wendy Dio, Rainbow in the Dark will honour and feature Dio's never-before-seen original manuscript, while drawing on the extraordinary collection of print and audio interviews with the man himself to produce a vivid, raw and faithful portrait of one of the world's greatest ever rock legends.