A Tribute Album Created to Raise Funds for the “Ronnie James Dio Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund”
100% of Monies Received by the Fund from the Purchase of
“Ronnie James Dio – This Is Your Life” Go Directly Towards Cancer Research
$132,000 Raised and Counting…
Ronnie James Dio is one of the most beloved figures in rock and metal history, known for fronting legendary groups such as Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Heaven & Hell, and of course, Dio. Sadly, in 2010, Dio lost his battle with stomach cancer. The indisputable fact that his towering voice and legacy live on is solidified again with this past Sunday’s “Best Metal Performance” Grammy win for his classic track “The Last In Line”, re-recorded in homage to the singer/songwriter by Billboard chart-topping group Tenacious D (featuring Jack Black and Kyle Gass).
The winning cover version of “The Last In Line” was not only recorded to honor one of the greatest and most recognizable voices in heavy metal and hard rock, but to assist in raising funds for a very important cause.
The Grammy award-winning track “The Last In Line” appears on the Ronnie James Dio’s This Is Your Life tribute album, a compilation recorded and released last year to raise funds for the Ronnie James Dio Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund (www.diocancerfund.org). This Is Your Life features an all-star group of Dio’s friends and fans performing 13 of their favorite Ronnie James Dio tracks. The Ronnie James Dio Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund is a non-profit 501(c)(3) charitable fund dedicated to supporting cancer-prevention research, raising awareness and educating the public about the vital importance of early detection and prevention, and was co-founded by Dio’s longtime manager and wife, Wendy Dio. 100% of the monies received from this album by the Ronnie James Dio Stand Up And Shout Cancer Fund goes directly into cancer research. So far from the sale of This Is Your Life, the Ronnie James Dio Stand Up And Shout Cancer Fund has raised $132,000 towards cancer research.
Wendy Dio, widow of Ronnie James Dio and President/Founder of the Ronnie James Dio Stand Up And Shout Cancer Fund states, “We are so excited to see one of Ronnie’s songs be awarded with a Grammy. As soon as Tenacious D were announced as winners, Jack Black called me in excitement to tell me that we won the award. My only regret is to not have Ronnie here in body to see this happen.”
“This Grammy is all about Ronnie James Dio,” add Jack Black and Kyle Gass of Tenacious D. “We are so proud to have known Ronnie and this is just another testament to his greatness.”
The Ronnie James Dio’s This Is Your Life tribute compilation debuted at #20 on the Billboard Top 200 charts. Produced by Wendy Dio, widow of Ronnie James Dio and Ronnie James Dio Stand Up And Shout Cancer Fund President/Co-Founder, This Is Your Life includes contributions by such metal heavyweights as Metallica, Scorpions, Anthrax, Glenn Hughes and Rob Halford, as well as appearances by many of the musicians who performed with Dio over the years. See below for a full tracklisting, chock full of renditions by today’s most stellar classic, heavy metal and hard rock artists.
This Is Your Life is available now via iTunes here, or physical via Amazon here.
*Celebrate Ronnie James Dio’s life at the “Ronnie James Dio 5th Anniversary Memorial Weekend” in Los Angeles, May 15-17, 2015*
The Ronnie James Dio Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund, founded in memory of the voice of Rainbow, Black Sabbath and Dio, is planning a weekend of activities in Los Angeles to commemorate the 5th anniversary of the singer’s untimely death from gastric cancer on May 16, 2010. The weekend will include a public Memorial Service, as well as a “BOWL FOR RONNIE” Celebrity Bowling tournament and the inaugural “RIDE FOR RONNIE” motorcycle ride and BBQ. Please visit http://www.diocancerfund.org/events/ for in-depth information on the weekend, and stay tuned for more details to be announced soon.
