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For Vivian Campbell, joining Dio wasn’t just another gig it was a crash course in rock ‘n’ roll royalty. In a recent heartfelt interview, the Irish guitarist looked back on his time in the iconic heavy metal band, shedding light on how the towering influence of guitar legends Ritchie Blackmore and Tony Iommi shaped both Ronnie James Dio’s leadership style and the band’s creative energy.
“It was literally Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow,” Campbell said with a chuckle, referring to the tight grip Ronnie had on the band. “Ronnie learned from working with Ritchie. He watched how Ritchie ran Rainbow, and he brought a lot of that to Dio. There was no question who was steering the ship.”
Campbell, who joined Dio as a young, hungry guitarist, remembers being struck by the sheer force of Ronnie’s presence not just as a singer, but as a leader shaped by years of experience with some of the most iconic names in rock. Before forming Dio, Ronnie had fronted Rainbow with Blackmore and later took over vocal duties in Black Sabbath alongside Tony Iommi. That pedigree carried weight and expectations.
“Ronnie wasn’t just winging it,” Campbell explained. “He had been in the trenches with the best of the best. He’d seen how disciplined and demanding those bands were. That definitely rubbed off on him.”
Despite the massive success of Dio albums like Holy Diver and The Last in Line are still hailed as metal classics Campbell admits the band didn’t always feel like an equal partnership. “It wasn’t a band in the democratic sense,” he said honestly. “Ronnie made most of the big decisions, creatively and otherwise. At the time, that was tough to deal with, especially for someone like me, who wanted to contribute more.”
Still, Campbell isn’t bitter. With age and experience, he’s come to understand why things were the way they were. “Ronnie had this incredible vision,” he said. “When you’ve stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Blackmore and Iommi, you don’t just ‘start a band’ you build something with purpose. That sense of control, that level of focus it came from those years learning from the greats.”
The guitarist also reflected on the challenges of being a young musician in such a high-stakes environment. “I was barely in my 20s,” he said. “And suddenly I was touring the world with one of the most iconic voices in rock. It was exciting, but also intense. You had to deliver every night. There was no room for mediocrity.”
Looking back now, Campbell views his Dio years as both a learning curve and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. “It shaped me, no doubt,” he said. “Even if we didn’t always see eye to eye, I have immense respect for Ronnie. He took what he learned from the likes of Blackmore and Iommi and used it to build something legendary. I got to be a part of that and I’ll always be proud of it.”
