Grousing about the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's nominees for induction has become an annual tradition, but this year, several groups of long-suffering fans may be surprised to find themselves without an axe to grind: At long last, perennial "why aren't they in the Hall?" favorites Rush are on the ballot.
Through the years, I have touted a theory that all great hard rock can be traced back to legendary metal vocalist Ronnie James Dio. I called it my "Wheel of Dio." As a proud fan of RJD, I gave him all the credit, but in reality, the wheel centers around two bands: Black Sabbath and Deep Purple.
Since early 2011, there’s been plenty of talk about a star-studded Ronnie James Dio tribute album.
Well, it looks like 2012 will be the year it finally arrives. And the list of artists lined up to honor the late solo singer and onetime Black Sabbath and Rainbow frontman is quite impressive: Rob Halford (Judas Priest), Ian Gillan (Deep Purple), Lemmy Kilmister (Motorhead) and Dave Grohl (Nirvana and Foo Fighters), among others.
Deep Purple fans might want to set aside a small pile of greenbacks for Aug. 16.
On that day, Eagle Rock Entertainment will release four Deep Purple concert collections that were recorded in the early to mid 1970s.
