Ronnie James Dio 3rd Annual ‘Ride For Ronnie’ is Sunday

Share This:

It’s been seven years since legendary heavy metal singer and songwriter Ronnie James Dio died of gastric cancer. During his more than five decade career, Dio was an integral part of groups like Black Sabbath, Elf, Rainbow, Dio and Heaven & Hell, renowned for everything from his impressive vocal range to being responsible for popularizing the now-classic“metal horns” hand gesture.

The 3rd Annual “Ride For Ronnie” Motorcycle Ride and Concert in California, benefiting the Ronnie James Dio Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund, will take place this Sunday, May 7, with an All-Star jam from Steven Adler and Friends. The former Guns N’ Roses drummer will be joined by Mike Devin (Whitesnake), Lita Ford, Robert Sarzo (Hurricane), Alex Grossi (Quiet Riot), Patrick Stone (Budderside) and Jeff Pilson (Foreigner and former Dio guitarist), playing Guns N’ Roses hits.

Radio personality Eddie Trunk will handle hosting duties.

The day will also feature performances from Lynch Mob, Eddie Money, Rough Cutt, Dio Disciples, The Loveless, Sonia Harley and No Small Children.

Steven Adler will present an all-star jam

Riders will assemble for a continental breakfast at Harley-Davidson of Glendale with kickstands up at 11 a.m. The ride will take them through the streets of Los Angeles County to Los Encinos Park in Encino, where they will be treated to an afternoon of live music, raffle and live auction, food trucks and more.

Last year’s Ride For Ronnie event raised over $50,000 for the cancer charity.

A silent auction will be conducted at one of the exhibit booths throughout the afternoon, while live auctions, featuring one-of-a-kind rock collectibles,will be held during intervals between artist performances.

Riders and concert-goers can purchase their tickets by visiting: www.diocancerfund.org/events.

The Ronnie James Dio Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund was formed in memory of the rocker who lost his life in 2010. The privately funded 501(c)(3) public charity has already raised well over $1 million for cancer research since its inception. Monies raised have been committed to the T. J. Martell Foundation for Cancer, AIDS and Leukemia Research, the gastric cancer research unit of the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, where Ronnie was treated for gastric cancer during the last six months of his life