Following the release of Paul Gilbert’s full Ronnie James Dio tribute album, ‘The Dio Album,’ the guitarist dug deeper into his relationship with the late rocker in a previously uncovered exclusive interview he did to Ultimate Guitar’s Justin Beckner earlier this year. Gilbert’s meeting with Dio at a ‘strange’ Deep Purple show in Japan grabbed center stage. When asked if he’d ever met Dio, the musician said, “I’ve never met Dio.” “I did, but only once.” It happened in Japan. I went to see Deep Purple on their tour with an orchestra, and Dio appeared as a surprise guest, or at least it was a surprise to me because I was there to see Deep Purple, and all of a sudden, Dio appears on stage.
He sang a song called ‘Love Is All,’ which I had never heard before. I had no idea what that song was about at the time. It was like a dream – all of a sudden, Dio was up there, singing a ’60s pop ‘Penny Lane’ song with Deep Purple and an orchestra…” Gilbert continued, referring to his surprise: “I kept thinking, ‘Any minute, I’m going to wake up and tell everyone about this strange dream I had!'” But it was genuine, and it was fantastic. I’m a huge admirer of both the Beatles and Dio, so seeing those two styles combined was incredible. I went backstage after the event, and he was the nicest person in the world. That was the only time I really got to know him.
” Meeting the late musician apparently wasn’t enough for Paul. In another interview last month, the guitarist expressed sadness for not being able to work with the vocalist before his death. He stated: “In fact, I remember feeling a little regret when he died, aside from just missing him, like, ‘Man, I never got a chance to play with him.'” That would have been awesome. So, you know, maybe doing this album is a chance to come near to realizing that dream.” The ten-track ‘The Dio Album,’ which was published on April 7, spans Dio’s career with Rainbow, Black Sabbath, and his solo work. You can hear the entire album below.