Craig Goldy never received the media attention bestowed upon the other guitarists who played with Ronnie James Dio. His name is never mentioned alongside that of Tony Iommi, Ritchie Blackmore or Vivian Campbell. It is Craig, however, that Ronnie chose to bring into the band when Vivian Campbell was removed. It was also Craig who got the call to replace Tracy G when he didn’t have the guitar chops worthy enough to be a member of Ronnie’s band.

Ronnie James Dio and Craig Goldy had a special relationship that went back to when the guitarist was living in a car to escape the physical abuse he was forced to endure throughout his childhood. Ronnie, and his wife Wendy, took a special interest in Craig and took him under their wing. To Craig, they were more than his employers; they were his family.

In 2010 the Niji Entertainment Group, owned by Wendy Dio, released the first of many upcoming Ronnie James Dio oriented releases. The double CD, DIO AT DONINGTON UK: LIVE 1983 AND 1987, features the band’s first trip the massive festival in 1983 with the original Dio lineup. The 1987 concert, on disc two, features the lineup with Craig Goldy as the band co-headlined the event with Bon Jovi.

On February 15, 2011, the album will be issued as a double vinyl set with deluxe gatefold packaging, and on 180 gram vinyl - the first-ever Dio album to be released in this high quality vinyl format. The album was mixed and mastered under the supervision of Dio's longtime engineer, Wyn Davis. Both versions are must-own collectables for Dio fans as the sound quality and packaging are both stellar.

Classic Rock Revisited caught up with Craig Goldy to discuss his relationship with Ronnie James Dio, from the earliest days of living in his car to saying goodbye to his musical mentor in the hospital. What follows is an emotional interview that saw Goldy breakdown emotionally, twice.

Craig Goldy’s love for Ronnie James Dio runs deep, as does his respect for the music they made together. One leaves the following interview missing the small statured rock icon with the huge voice known as Ronnie James Dio. Dio’s legacy will be kept alive through the words of Goldy, the dedication of Wendy Dio and at the insistence of his fans. Ronnie James Dio was more than a metal god, he was an amazing human being.

Buy DIO at Donington UK 1983 & 1987

Craig: When Randy Rhoads died Jake E. Lee left Rough Cutt to join Ozzy Osbourne’s band. Wendy Dio managed Rough Cutt and Ronnie was the producer. At that time I was living in a car that wasn’t even mine because I was tired of the beatings that I was enduring at home; I had a really bad upbringing.

Craig: My first memory, when I was four years old, was my mom carrying me across the parking lot to the emergency room and telling me, “Just tell them that you fell.” I had gotten thrown across the room and my face went straight into the windowsill and I cracked my face open. I actually had a metal tube stuck down the hole in my penis to dissolve scar tissue because I couldn’t even pee correctly. I got sick of it so I left.

I bought a car, it wasn’t even in my name, and I slept in it; that was my home. I was giving guitar lessons and this guy said, “If you buy us some beer and give us twenty bucks then we will record your demo.” The guys in my band got them the beer and I gave them twenty bucks and we recorded a demo. I was in another band as well with the singer that ended up in the band Warrior. We were going to join forces but he got the gig in Warrior and he left me in San Diego. He felt bad about leaving me so he said, “Give me some copies of your demo and I will pass them around.” The band Warrior was friends with Rough Cutt so the demo ended up in the hands of the drummer who was friends with Ronnie. When Jake E. Lee left, Ronnie told the drummer that they were fucked. No one knew how they were going to replace him. Then they heard my demo. I was living in my car and I didn’t even have an amp. Ronnie got me an amp.

Craig: I was nineteen. Every single guitar player in Los Angeles was auditioning for the spot in Rough Cutt. I didn’t know this at the time but Ronnie liked the music I wrote and it meant something to him. He wanted to speak with me. I was able to tell him how much his music meant to me and that he was my favorite singer. He got inspired during our audition and he sat in. Ronnie never sits in with bands. We did “Man on the Silver Mountain” and “Heaven and Hell” and he came close to me, cheek to cheek, whisker to whisker, and said, “What’s the lyrics to the second verse of “Man on the Silver Mountain?” I go, “I’m the day” and the he does the same thing during “Heaven to Hell” and I said, “The lover of life.” From that day on we formed a bond, as he knew I loved his lyrics and his music.

When he was in Heaven and Hell he would call me just to tell me about the lyrics because he knew I understood them; I had broken the code. When I was in Rough Cutt he would pull me aside and say, “What do you think of these lyrics?” I would say, “You’re saying one thing but I think you really mean this.” He would grab my arm and say, “That’s exactly what I mean.” In the studio we worked together and we created some great music. He told me one day, “If Vivian doesn’t work out then you’re my first choice.” When Vivian didn’t work out there were no auditions as Ronnie stayed true to his word.

Craig: I did too but I couldn’t be happier about that. I am very fortunate that he fucked up. The only reason people know who I am, and why I exist on this planet, is because of Mr. Ronnie James Dio. I will tell you another thing --- I am warning you that I will probably cry. He was my family – here it comes. Let me summon my strength.

There was a time in Rough Cutt where we didn’t have any money. There was a little can of tuna in the cupboard that I could have sworn I bought. I made a tuna fish sandwich and the drummer ripped me a new asshole. He told everybody that I was doing this and I was doing that. The very next day, I see a red Mercedes Benz pull up to our place and Ronnie and Wendy get out of the car with two bags of groceries each. They couldn’t even use a hand to hold onto the railing to go up the stairs. They came inside and they set the four bags of groceries on the table and told the drummer, “These are for Craig. Leave them alone.” And they turned around and walked away. They did that over a can of fucking tuna. That is the kind of guy he was. I didn’t call him and whine about it. They heard about it and they went shopping and brought them to me. They could have said, “Hey, we got you some stuff; come get it.” But they hand delivered it to me and then told the drummer, who was giving me shit, “These are for Craig, don’t fucking touch them.”

Craig: There were times he would allow the band to go back to the hotel and he and I would stay back and meet with the fans. I think that may have helped form our bond even tighter. Ronnie was also really good to the crew; he didn’t treat them like shit. They were like family. We would hang out with them after the show and we would actually help them and carry shit and put it away.

One night it was pouring rain and we were in the limo getting ready to leave the arena; it was three o’clock in morning. As we are pulling out we see these two guys standing out in the pouring rain. Ronnie and I looked at each other and Ronnie goes, “Stop.” He rolls down the window and tells these two guys to come over. They come over and he is getting ready to sign the stuff they wanted signed and he and I looked at each other again and go, “Fuck this shit.” They go, “We’re sorry man.” Ronnie goes, “No, not that. If you guys can wait for us in the pouring rain then we can stand with you in the pouring rain.” We got out of the limo and stood and talked with them. We had a six o’clock lobby call and it was already three and there were only two of them but we knew we had to stop. We didn’t have to, we wanted to. Because we loved the fans so much it became a matter of having to do that. It is not an obligation, you actually need to reach out and make that connection. Because you love them so much you have to reach out and give them a hug and talk to them. Most rock stars would say, “buy me a drink” or “roll me a joint” or “give me a snort of coke.” We would feed them and give them our time.

Craig: It was 1986. I had six rehearsals with the band before we played live. I knew the set better than they did. There were times I corrected Jimmy [Bain] and Vinnie [Appice].

Craig: I sat and listened to those albums all the time. I learned those songs just because. Rudy Sarzo and Tommy Aldridge had just left Ozzy’s band and we formed a band together. We had Jeff Scott Soto at one point. We were doing quite well and that is when I got the phone call from Ronnie and I had to leave. I learned Ronnie’s songs out of joy and I just happened to be ready when he called.

Craig: I had been in the band about a year. We recorded Dream Evil. We didn’t have many rehearsals for Donington either. I was scared shitless at that gig. There were 80,000 people there. When I did my solo I played my guitar and then had the crowd sing back to me. It is not on the CD unfortunately. I played a lick and then I put my hand to my ear and they all looked at me. I thought, “This could go either way. This could go bad.” I did another lick and then some people sang back the lick to me. I kept doing it and soon I had connected with 80,000 people. It was really amazing. Ronnie came over to my side of the stage and grabbed my arm firmly and said, “Just remember who you are.” He didn’t want me to play with fear; he wanted me to play with confidence.

Craig: We were co-headlining with Bon Jovi. We played right before them. Richie Sambora came over to me and said, “Kick some ass for me.” Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley were there. I felt like Dracula in a room full of necks. It really was a dream come true for me. As I kid I used to sit in my room after a beating and listen to Ronnie’s music. Now I was onstage with him playing before 80,000 people.

Craig: When I was listening to him at home he was in Rainbow; that was my introduction to Ronnie James Dio. I used to pray to God for a singer like him to come into my life. I never thought that I could ever be in his band. I just wanted to be in a band with a singer like him. If you work hard and have pure heart then God will give you the desires of your heart. I am not trying to be all Christian on you and shit as I hate that sort of thing. But there is truth in the word of God and if you live a pure life he will give you the desires of your heart; if I am not mistaken, he sure as fuck did with me.

Craig: That was really scary. A lot of people think that it was because of drinking, and to a degree it was, but I will tell you the whole story. I woke up one morning and I couldn’t make a fist without it sounding like my entire hand was crunching. It was really weird. I tried to put it in warm water first but it didn’t help. I put it in ice water and that helped. My entire picking hand would crunch.

I went to the doctor and it ended up being a potassium deficiency. I started taking potassium and he also had me take an anti-inflammatory. I took them and I had a few drinks and I was fucked up out of my head. We had a really bad gig in Minsk.

Craig: I was in the studio with Ronnie writing and recording Killing the Dragon but there were times when your family needs you. My third wife was in Denmark and she was pregnant with my son and I just couldn’t leave her in a strange country while we went on tour.

Doug Aldrich came in and overdubbed my parts. I was on the album. “Throw Away Children,” “Push” and “Rock and Roll” are my songs. I wrote the intro for “Killing the Dragon.” I just had to be with my wife. I couldn’t let her give birth to my first son in a different country while I went on tour. That is why I keep getting invited back because it is not like I am a fuck up. Things just happen; life will kick the living shit out of you. You just have to do what you have to do.

Craig: I don’t care. What people forget is that there was a time when Tracy G was playing guitar with Ronnie and he was getting booed off the stage every night. Ronnie couldn’t take it anymore and he called me and he asked me to come back. We ended up creating Magica together. I came up with the idea to link all of the songs together like Pink Floyd did on Dark Side of the Moon. If I can walk away with anything after all of my career then I can walk away knowing that Magica was the album that put Ronnie back on the map.

Craig: There is going to be some unreleased material come out. Wendy has given Rudy Sarzo and I permission to go through Ronnie’s computer and find music. We are going to get together with the Dio band and perform with Ripper Owens. I am really looking forward to that. It has been a long time since I have felt proud to be a part of something.

I am also creating a new band that is going to bring back the ‘Holy Shit’ factor to rock n’ roll. We have a singer that can hit all of the notes that David Coverdale, Ian Gillan and Robert Plant can’t hit anymore. We are putting a band together and we have some original music that has a lot of twists and turns to it. I also have a Rough Cutt reunion coming up as well. It is going to be a crazy year but it is going to be really good.

Craig: Here I go again, I am going to cry. I was on tour with Budgie and we were doing a meet and greet and this guy comes up with his cell phone and says, “Have you heard that Ronnie is in the hospital with stomach cancer?” My whole life suddenly stopped. I got a chance to talk to Wendy and we met when I came back. Ronnie was doing chemotherapy. At one point the doctor told him that he was free of cancer. Wendy asked Ronnie what he wanted to do and he said, “I want to write music with Craig.” We started writing more Magica music. We were writing music and Ronnie was walking and talking and eating and was fine. I had to go back and tour with Budgie for a month and when I came back he was in the hospital and two days later he was gone. He was my family and he was gone. Wendy knew how much Ronnie and I meant to each other. There were all these people in the room and Wendy cleared the room so Ronnie and I could have alone time.

Craig: He was a father and a friend. I go through this still to this day. I have good days and bad days. I apologize.

Craig: I will tell you that there is no bullshit in this organization. Ronnie wanted the music to live on; he requested all of what is happening now to happen. It was all established before he died. A lot of people accuse Wendy of trying to create a cash cow but that is not true. She is simply trying to keep his name alive. I am not trying to put Ronnie next to Elvis but when Elvis died his estate was in debt. Priscilla took over the estate and turned it into an empire. She did it because she loved him.

Craig: You should have seen the way she spoke to him in the hospital. She loved him even though they weren’t living in the same home; they were separated and she had a boyfriend. It didn’t matter. It was very tender and pure; she really did love him. Anything that she does has nothing to do with money; she’s got money. She is trying to keep his name, his music and his legend alive.

Craig: I am not at this time. I am hoping that the band I told you about will be on their label. Simon [Wright] and I had a chance to meet about this thing we are doing with Ripper as well. When we do this thing with Ripper it is going to make an outstanding contribution to his foundation.

Craig: If you just wanted to be a rock star then you didn’t want to play with Ronnie James Dio. Ronnie was not a rock star, he was a musician and he surrounded himself with musicians. Ronnie used to call me The Great Goldinni. We recorded the entire albums Magica and Master of the Moon in his home studio before we went into a proper studio and recorded them again. He used to say, “Goldinni, is this a harmony above or a harmony below?” I would tell him and he would thank me.

Craig: This is where we come into a problem. Ronnie used to give me a lot of shit about this. When we were on tour I would always go back to my hotel room because I needed to recharge my batteries. I wouldn’t go out to the strip clubs or the bar. I would just stay in my hotel room because I had to rest for the gig the next night. I used to order French fries up to my room. They guys used to joke that whenever the hotel was bringing French fries up to my room that I was up there with my own still making French fried vodka.

Craig: This goes back to whether people talk about me or not; I really don’t care about that. What I do care about is that I wanted to do Blackmore’s solos note for note. I wanted to do Vivian’s solos and Iommi’s solos note for note. Back then a lot of people didn’t do the solos note for note so the album quality performance was not there. I wanted to be the guy who could deliver the album quality performance from any era of Ronnie’s career.

I knew the guitar parts were going to be difficult. Whether it was Richie’s solo on “Gates of Babylon” or Doug Aldrich’s solo on “Killing the Dragon” I knew what I was up against. I never got surprised. As a player there comes a time where you know what you are up against. You just have to say, “Fuck, I have got to do this.”

Craig: When Ronnie and I first met he used to have me over to his house and we would just hang out. One time he came walking into the room with an armful of equipment and he asked me to help him set it up. I helped him set it all up and we watched all of these old videos of when he played with Rainbow. We watched them and then we talked.

It was really late so Ronnie made me a bed on the floor and he put the sheets down and then the pillow and blanket – it was almost like he was tucking me in. I remember one time after he made me a bed, he gave me headphones so I could lie there and listen to Holy Diver before it was even done. I got to listen to that album before it was even finished as he tucked me in and said, “See you tomorrow.”

Craig: That is what Ronnie was like. He wasn’t a rock star. He was perceived as one but he was a musician and he was a great man. Ronnie and I used to cry over the song “Rock n Roll Children.” Little things like that are very special. People reading this article may think I am full of shit but Ronnie and I played and wrote music together, but he also relied on me, and that is what means so much to me. We have to carry on his legacy, as he was too important as a musician and as a person.