Dio: Dreamers Never Die, the first-ever career-spanning documentary on the life and times of legendary metal icon Ronnie James Dio, will have its television premiere on Showtime on December 1. It will also be available to stream via the Showtime app.
Executive-produced by Dio’s widow and longtime manager Wendy Dio and fully authorized by the artist’s estate, Dio: Dreamers Never Die delves deep into the singer’s incredible rise from a ’50s doo-wop crooner to his early rock days in Elf and Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow, to replacing Ozzy Osbourne in Black Sabbath, and finally cementing his rock star status with his own band, Dio.
The film incorporates never-before-seen footage and personal photos, as well as offering intimate scenes with his closest peers, family, and friends, among them Wendy, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, Glenn Hughes, Vinny Appice, Lita Ford, Rob Halford, Sebastian Bach, Eddie Trunk and Jack Black, as they bring viewers inside the life of one of rock and roll’s true heroes and one of the most beloved figures in rock.
Asked in a recent interview with Anne Erickson of Audio Ink Radio about her previous comment that her mission in life now is to carry on Ronnie’s legacy, Wendy said: “I just think that Ronnie was always overlooked during the time that he was alive. And after his passing, I just felt that his music was something that he wrote for the fans, he performed for the fans. He loved his fans and that should continue on and carry on. That’s one of the reasons why we did the documentary, was so that people could understand him, understand his life and where he came from and the trials and tribulations he had. He wasn’t an overnight success. He paid his dues, for sure. And also to get his message out there. Ronnie’s message was always, like, follow your heart, follow your dreams [and] don’t give up.”
Wendy also talked about her first reaction to seeing Dio: Dreamers Never Die, saying: “When they put the film together and we had a private screening for me, it was my first chance to see all the little bits put together, and it was very bittersweet. I broke down and cried. And it was just exactly how I wanted Ronnie to be portrayed. They had done such a magnificent job. And that was just really, really — after all the hard work we all put into it, it was, like, ‘Woah.’ I think the fans are absolutely gonna love it.”
Ronnie James Dio, who died of gastric cancer in 2010, reigns as one of the most influential rock artists of all time and one of the greatest vocalists ever. With an illustrious recording career spanning from the 1950’s through to the 2000s, the documentary follows his trajectory from sideman into singer, songwriter and frontman of not one, but three of rock’s internationally renowned, multi-platinum-selling arena attractions: Rainbow, Black Sabbath and Dio. Famous for popularizing the ‘devil horns’ hand gesture that is now synonymous with hard rock and heavy metal music, Dio was known for not wavering in his pursuit of his rock and roll dreams and continues to influence a new generation of music artists. His fans the world over remember him not only for his massive talent, but for his kindness, resulting in millions of dollars raised for cancer research in his memory.
Listen to the best of Dio on Apple Music and Spotify.