Guitarist Tracy Grijalva, known as Tracy G, has explained why he left Ronnie James Dio’s band, telling Guitar World that the change in his role was the deciding factor.
Grijalva joined Dio’s band after an initial audition where he was asked to leave. Dio and his team, particularly drummer Vinny Appice, later called him back to offer him a place in the group. He spent six years playing both rhythm and lead guitar for Dio.
Grijalva explained how he first came to join the band. “Ronnie was interested in finding a guitar player who could write for him,” he said. “I left the audition after that, and they ended up calling me back. I went back and played again, and then, Vinny [Appice, drummer] called me and said, ‘Ronnie wants you in the band.'”
He recalled the recording sessions that followed. “The sessions for Strange Highways went good,” Grijalva continued. “It took about six weeks to record that album and maybe eight weeks to record [1996’s] Angry Machines.”
His departure came when Dio made a decision about the band’s guitar lineup. “Well… I didn’t go for that [Dio’s decision to bring back Craig Goldy on lead guitar],” Grijalva said. “I had played guitar and lead guitar for Ronnie for six years, and now he asked me to play rhythm. When I solo… that’s when and how I express myself. If you take that from me, then I’m out.”
Grijalva also addressed his relationship with Dio after leaving. “I was never at odds with Dio,” he added. “The Christmas after I left, I called him at the office to wish him a Merry Christmas and left him a message. I never heard back from him again.”
Grijalva’s decision to leave came down to how he could express himself as a musician within the band’s structure.
Grijalva joined Ronnie James Dio in 1993 and appeared on Strange Highways that same year alongside bassist Jeff Pilson from Dokken. Over his six years with the band, Grijalva played on two studio albums—Strange Highways and Angry Machines—and one live album, Inferno: Last in Live. Angry Machines marked the last studio recording to feature both Vinny Appice on drums and Grijalva on guitar.
In 1999, Dio decided to bring Craig Goldy back to handle lead guitar duties. Goldy had previously worked with Dio on the Dream Evil album and had been a member of Rough Cutt. The move came as management sought to return to an earlier sound, partly in response to disappointing sales for Angry Machines. This shift meant Grijalva would move to rhythm guitar only, a role he found incompatible with his need to express himself through soloing.
Grijalva’s exit marked a significant change for Dio’s band during that period. The decision to revert to Goldy as lead guitarist represented a shift in the band’s musical direction and personnel. For Grijalva, the inability to continue developing his lead guitar work proved to be the defining reason for his departure.
