Guitarist Doug Aldrich, known for his association with bands like BURNING RAIN, THE DEAD DAISIES, and ex-WHITESNAKE, has recently shared a memorable incident from his days in Ronnie James Dio‘s band.
During a chat on VRP Rocks, Aldrich recalled a time when Ronnie kicked him out of his house as a response to losing him for David Coverdale back in the early 2000s.
When asked about his discussion with Dio regarding his departure from the band, Aldrich responded: “Not good. He basically kicked me out of his house. He said, ‘Get the f*ck out of here and don’t come back.’ Basically, that’s what he said. He looked me right in the eye. I was doing a guitar solo on something, and we were just supposed to be writing. We were you working on some music and stuff.”
He further elaborated on the instance when he had to break the news to Dio, saying: “He was looking at his computer, and he goes, ‘I just want you to put a guitar solo on this thing.’ So I was doing that. He’s like, ‘Great,’ and he goes, ‘Oh, good news.’ He turned around and he goes, ‘We got tour dates coming up next year or later this year.’ And I had already committed with David [Coverdale] for another leg.”
“So it was bad timing, but I said, ‘Listen, Ronnie, I’ve committed to David, so that’s what’s going to happen, and that’s when he basically just said, ‘F*ck you. Get the f*ck out.’”
Ronnie James Dio, best known for his work with BLACK SABBATH, RAINBOW and DIO, died of stomach cancer in May 2010 at the age of 67.
