Ronnie James Dio had a significant reaction when David Coverdale replaced him in the early 2000s, according to Doug Aldrich, who mentioned it in a recent appearance on VRP Rocks. The guitarist responded as the interviewer questioned how his discussion with Dio on leaving his band went: “This is bad. I was essentially ejected from his home. Get the f*ck out of here, and don’t come back, he yelled. That’s basically what he said. He gave me a direct eye contact. We were only meant to be writing, but I started playing a guitar solo on something. We were making music and other things. He continued by describing the occasion when he informed Dio of the news: He said, “I just want you to put a guitar solo on this thing,” while he was staring at his computer. I was thus doing that. Great, he says, before adding, “Oh, good news. ” We have tour dates coming up either later this year or in the upcoming year, he said as he turned around. And I had already agreed to another leg with David Coverdale.
Doug continued by recalling the late singer’s response: It was unfortunate timing, but I told Ronnie, ‘Listen, I’ve committed to David, so that’s what’s going to happen,’ and that’s when he essentially replied, ‘F*ck you. Get the f*ck out, please. When Craig Goldy left Dio in 2002, Doug took over as the band’s new guitarist. Later, in 2003, Aldrich joined Whitesnake at Coverdale’s invitation. In January of that year, he embarked on a US tour as a co-headliner alongside Whitesnake and Scorpions. Aldrich compared Coverdale and Dio to Mitch Lafon in 2021, saying: “They differ greatly. They are all unique in their own right. I frequently remark that David is the greatest heavy blues-rock singer and Ronnie is the greatest heavy metal singer in my opinion. They’re all terrific guys with their own tones. David Coverdale’s tone is still extremely fatty and enormous. Likewise, Ronnie was extremely strong. The entire interview is available to view here.
