CRAIG GOLDY Says DIO DISCIPLES Are Planning To Record Original Material

Greg Prato of Songfacts recently conducted an interview with former DIO and current DIO DISCIPLES guitarist Craig Goldy. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

Songfacts: How has it been touring with DIO DISCIPLES so far?

Craig Goldy: It's good. For those who love Ronnie [James Dio] and miss him, which all of us do, that's the hard part. And then the easy part is seeing people enjoy the music again, because the main key was to keep Ronnie's memory alive. So the people that go with us, like Tim "Ripper" Owens [JUDAS PRIEST, ICED EARTH, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN] and Oni Logan [LYNCH MOB], and at the beginning Toby Jepson [LITTLE ANGELS], they all had a heart for Ronnie, because they were either close friends or close to the inner circle of the Dio family. So with that heart, they performed that music that way. And it would come across. So we never knew when, but there was always going to be a special moment when a group of people gather together in the same room for the same purpose with the same heart, mind, and spirit. Something very special happens because of that. That's usually what happens during the performances: there's a moment when the band and the audience connect as one and you can see people just singing to the sky and tears rolling down their cheeks, because they miss him so much, and the music has made such an impression on them because it's been a big part of their lives throughout the years. It's like a memorial service in every city and country we go to. That part of it is really amazing.

Songfacts: Has there been any talk about DIO DISCIPLES doing an album of all new material?

Craig: Yes. In fact, I've been working on some original material recently, and at Ronnie's memorial service — the public memorial service — I stated that when I ever did another original material project, that I want to make sure that I utilize the things that I learned from him and that would hopefully make him proud. So when Wendy Dio heard the songs that I've been working on, she said, "Wow, Ronnie would be really proud of you." That was real special. So we're probably in the first phase of what would be a live CD with a couple of bonus tracks of original material.

Songfacts: So the plan is to first do that and then work on a whole new album?

Craig: Yes. And we want to make sure that people don't think we're trying to replace Ronnie. Like a lot of bands who have had members either leave or die, they go on with the same name and for the same purpose, and some fans get bummed out about that. We're not trying to do that. It's just if we do do a full album of original material, it's not replacing him. It would be our way of saying, "Hey, this is what we've learned from him, this is what the man means to us." It would be in the spirit of keeping his memory alive and honoring him in some way.

Read the entire interview at Songfacts.