Ronnie James DIo Tributes – honouring a hero or a cash-cow?

As you all are no doubt aware, earlier this year, Ronnie James Dio lost his battle with cancer and another metal great passed into the blessed realm.

RIP Ronnie James Dio

A bit of controversy in the metal community was sparked when Manowar announced the release of a special CD “Magic – a Tribute to Ronnie James Dio”, featuring bands on the Magic Circle Music label (Joey DeMaio’s record label) performing some of Ronnie’s classics. “Heavy metal has lost a great artist and a true gentleman,” said bassist Joey DeMaio. “I had the privilege of being his friend and, along with other friends and admirers, we wish to honor him.”

Seems a noble pursuit, perhaps? Not so, according to some. Just read the comments on the press release on Blabbermouth.

The snarky comments brought to light an interesting question. When is a tribute song / album a gesture of remembrance and honour, and when is it profiting from someone’s death? The situation is further compounded by David Feinstein’s statement that he had not granted permission for his song to be used on the tribute album.

In response to Manowar’s announcement and rumors of other tribute projects, Wendy Dio, Ronnie’s late wife and manager, had this to say:

Dear friends and fans of Ronnie, I have seen lately on BLABBERMOUTH.NET a lot of announcements of bands releasing ‘so-called’ Dio tribute CDs.

“Please do not be fooled by thinking they are doing this for the Ronnie James Dio Stand Up And Shout Cancer Fund; the money is going in their pockets and not to the Fund.

“I find this totally disgraceful and upsetting that they are trying to make money off of Ronnie’s death.”

Joey DeMaio returned to defend his tribute project, stating that he and Ronnie had been friends and the tribute was being done in memory of a friend and not for financial gain. Other people reported some misinformation coming from Niji Entertainment and the Stand Up and Shout fund – some fans brought merchandise believing it would be benefiting the fund, when in actual fact it was for profit.

The real issue is one of intent – did Manowar and the other Magic Circle Music bands intend to create a tribute to honour someone who they considered an idol and a friend? I know Dio and Joey DeMaio had dealing in the past and considered each other friends. Or did they think “Oh, look, Ronnie’s died. We can make a bucket off of this.”

Sometimes, the way Manowar word press releases and freely denounce other bands as “false metal”, lead people within the metal community to regard everything they do with an air of “Urgh. Here we go again.” I think if Iron Maiden had announced the same tribute album, it wouldn’t have been greeted with such derision, simply because of the way some people regard Manowar. (As interest, Nicko McBrain actually has done a tribute to Dio, which could arguably be part of a publicity stunt for his Rock n’ Ribs restaurant. Read the Comments. Interesting). Regardless what you think of them, I do believe they’re acting out of their own grief and desire to honour a fallen “comrade”, rather than any intention to “cash-in”. We are talking about a tribute album here – no one, charity or otherwise, is going to get rich off this concept, and Magic Circle Music would be paying royalties on the rights to use the songs, anyway. Give Manowar – even if you don’t personally like them – the benefit of the doubt.

Wendy Dio’s reaction might have been a bit premature, but she’s just lost a husband, and the whole experience must be beyond harrowing. I can see how seeing these tributes popping up, with no mention of profits going to charities her husband would have supported, would anger and frustrate her. I think some more thought could have gone into approaching this in a more respectful manner, but hindsight is a wonderful thing.

Dan Padavona, Ronnie James Dio’s son, had this to say on the situation, which sums up my thoughts pretty succintly:

“Joey DeMaio [MANOWAR bassist] contacted me a few weeks ago to discuss his tribute CD to my father. Joey sought my advice for where I felt the proceeds from his project should be sent. My first two choices were M.D. Anderson, which nearly saved my father against all odds, and Dana Farber’s The Jimmy Fund, to which I am a long-term donor. Today [Monday, June 21] I received CC’d copies of email correspondences between these two charities, and Joey’s company [Magic Circle Music]. He has obtained the paperwork for donating to both causes as I requested, and I have no doubt that he will follow through with his promise.

“I will leave it to Joey to release any specific information he feels comfortable in releasing.

“These posts will be the first and last I will be making to BLABBERMOUTH.NET.

“I am not directly involved with any ongoing tribute project. Nor will I comment further than to say ‘thank you’ to any musician who honors my father in the proper manner.

“I am gravely disappointed with the discourse which is taking place, and I can say with certainty that my father would not approve.

“I urge each and every one of you to end this argument, and allow the process to run its course. The controversy, unfounded accusations, and intolerance in this conflict does nothing to help us heal. Some of the hateful things written in these threads should never have seen the light of day, and I think you know that.

So, what lessons can we, as musicians and fans, take away from this experience:

If you’re going to get “rich” off someone’s death, creating a tribute album is NOT the way to do it.
When dealing with the memory of someone who has recently died, it’s best to run anything past the relatives of the deceased if you possibly can.
If someone is performing a tribute to someone you loved, remember their way of showing their respect might be different from the way you would show your respect, which in no way means they are disrespecting the memory of the deceased artist. Just grit your teeth and remind yourself that other people should be free to express their own feelings – and this is a good thing.
No person’s death should be marked with words and feelings of hate and anger. Especially not Ronnie James Dio.
When creating a tribute, choose songs by the actual artist.
If you are honest and open about your intentions and the love and respect you feel for the artist you are honouring, it will shine though.

Readers, any thoughts on the matter? Remember, keep it nice.