In a recent appearance on VRP Rocks, Doug Aldrich recalled Ronnie James Dio’s strong response to losing him for David Coverdale back in the early 2000s.
When the interviewer asked how his conversation with Dio about leaving his band went, the guitarist replied:
“Not good. He basically kicked me out of his house. He said, ‘Get the f*ck out of here and don’t come back.’ Basically, that’s what he said. He looked me right in the eye. I was doing a guitar solo on something, and we were just supposed to be writing. We were you working on some music and stuff.”
He went on to explain that moment when he gave the news to Dio:
“He was looking at his computer, and he goes, ‘I just want you to put a guitar solo on this thing.’ So I was doing that. He’s like, ‘Great,’ and he goes, ‘Oh, good news.’ He turned around and he goes, ‘We got tour dates coming up next year or later this year.’ And I had already committed with David [Coverdale] for another leg.”
Recalling the late singer’s reaction, Doug added:
“So it was bad timing, but I said, ‘Listen, Ronnie, I’ve committed to David, so that’s what’s going to happen, and that’s when he basically just said, ‘F*ck you. Get the f*ck out.'”
In 2002, when Craig Goldy left Dio, Doug became the new guitarist. Then, in 2003, Aldrich joined Whitesnake after being invited by Coverdale. He went on a US tour with Whitesnake and Scorpions as co-headliners in January of that year. Speaking to Mitch Lafon in 2021, Aldrich compared Coverdale and Dio, explaining:
“They’re a lot different. They’re all individually different, too. I often say Ronnie is, for me, the greatest heavy metal singer; David is the greatest heavy blues-rock singer. All those guys are amazing, and they’ve got their tone. David Coverdale’s tone is just still fat, and it’s just giant. Same with Ronnie – Ronnie was so powerful.”
You can watch the full interview below.
