COREY TAYLOR On RONNIE JAMES DIO: 'There Was A Great Blend Of Virtuosity And Soul That You Really Don't Get A Lot Of These Days'

Corey Taylor recently spoke to Jay Nanda of the San Antonio Metal Music Examiner about the SLIPKNOT/STONE SOUR frontman's involvement in "This Is Your Life", the tribute to album to legendary heavy metal singer Ronnie James Dio.

Asked why he chose to record a cover version of the DIO classic "Rainbow In The Dark", Taylor said: "That was just one of my favorites." He added: "It's hard to pick a favorite DIO track. Not only his solo stuff, but his stuff with [BLACK] SABBATH, RAINBOW. He's a legend for a reason. But 'Rainbow In The Dark' has always been one of my favorites. I can remember seeing the video when I was younger on MTV, coming home from school, and here was this new format for music. And out of the handful of videos, 'Rainbow In The Dark' was the first video that I saw from DIO, and I was like, 'Wow!' I just loved the track. That's always stuck with me over the years. I don't know if it's because it's a great blend of hard rock and heavy metal or just because it's a really well-written song. It's got a great hook on it. Ronnie's performance is sick. Vivian's [Campbell] solo is ridiculous. It's just a killer song top to bottom."

Regarding the recording process for his version of "Rainbow In The Dark", Taylor said: "Oh man, I've been singing along to this thing for years. Even after I hit puberty and I couldn't hit some of those notes anymore. [Laughs] It's just one of those things where you never know.

"I can remember miming in my basement, singing along to songs at my grandma's house. And that was one of those tunes, giving it all you've got.

"The only way that I know how to approach music is with everything. It's the whole reason that I do music.

"If I was going to go out and do it half-assed, I wouldn't be doing it. So being a fan of Ronnie, being a fan of that song, and knowing that there's a real legacy there as far as his performance, his music, there was no way I wasn't going to give it anything other than a thousand percent. Not only from the standpoint of it's an amazing song, but the respect of the music and the utmost respect that I have for Ronnie."

On the topic of how he got involved with the "This Is Your Life" tribute album in the first place, Taylor said: "It was kind of funny, man. I was working on some demos with my friend Jay Ruston, who is a producer and a mixer. He mixed [STONE SOUR's] 'House Of Gold And Bones' albums. He did 'Worship Music' with ANTHRAX. The guy's done a lot. We were at his house, and he was involved with the project. And he told me, 'Look, [Ronnie's wife and longtime manager] Wendy [Dio] has a short list of people that she would love to be involved, and you're on it.' I was like, 'Duh. Where? Sign me up.' It was really as easy as that. She reached out to me and my wife to see scheduling and availability, and I was like, 'You don't worry about that. I will take care of that. We will take care of that. Just give us the deadline, and we will have it in two weeks before that.'

"[Wendy] is just such a wonderful person. I've been able to meet her at several events before and after Ronnie's passing, and she is just a wonderfully sweet, awesome woman who is also very protective of her husband's legacy. Just the fact she would want me to be a part of this, I was really, really honored."

Asked what struck him the most about Ronnie James Dio as a vocalist and person, Taylor said: "It was an ease with which he approached it that belied what you were hearing and what you were seeing.

"I've heard stories from people who I've talked to since Ronnie passed that told me he really only had one warmup. He'd be smoking cigarettes right until he got on stage, and then he would just basically sing a note and be like, 'Alright, we're good to go.' It just makes you crazy as a vocalist: 'Really? Really?' I think that's one of the reasons his music is still so vibrant to this day. Everything up until the stuff that he released before he died, there was a power there. And there was a great blend of virtuosity and soul that you really don't get a lot of these days. You're either good at one or good at the other. But he had such a great blend of talent and vibe as far as what he was saying, how he was saying it, and how he did it live. That's a very rare, rare occurrence, and only the real legends have that."

"Rainbow In The Dark" studio version:

"Rainbow In The Dark" live performance: