The Ronnie James Dio Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund, founded in memory of the late rock music legend, will commemorate the 10th anniversary of his passing and the formation of the charity with an Awards Gala on Feb. 20. The Awards Gala, which will take place at The Avalon in Hollywood, will be hosted by radio and television personality Eddie Trunk and will recognize honorees who have played a role in either Dio’s legacy or that of the charity. The festivities will begin at 6 pm.
Confirmed to present awards to the honorees at the Gala are recording artists Sebastian Bach, Tommy Lee of Mötley Crüe, Jeff Pilson of Foreigner, singer Glenn Hughes, Frankie Banali of Quiet Riot, Fred Coury of Cinderella, Robbie Crane of Black Star Riders and music industry executive Ahmet Zappa.
Eight awards named after songs written by Ronnie James Dio will be presented to the following distinguished honorees:
* Holy Diver Award: honoring Rhino Entertainment/Warner Music Group executives Kevin Gore, President, Global Catalog, Recorded Music & Arts Music, Warner Music Group; Mark Pinkus, President, Rhino Entertainment & U.S. Catalog; Jason Day, Vice President, A&R, Rhino Entertainment; Jason Elzy, Vice President, Communications & Marketing, Rhino Entertainment; and Brian Dodd, Manager, Global Artist Brand Management, Rhino Entertainment
* Killing the Dragon Award: Laura Heatherly, Chief Executive Officer, T.J. Martell Foundation. The award is dedicated to funding innovative medical research focused on finding treatments and cures for cancer, leukemia and AIDS
* King of Rock ‘n Roll Award: Barry Drinkwater, Executive Chairman, Global Merchandise Services Ltd.
* Magica Award: Wyn Davis, Ronnie James Dio’s Long-Time Recording Engineer and Owner of Total Access Recording Studios
* Master of the Moon Award: honoring BMG executives Thomas Scherer, Executive Vice-President, Repertoire & Marketing LA, Global Writer Services & China; Michael Kachko, Senior Vice-President, Catalog Recordings; Jeff Christian, Director, Catalog; and Kathy Rivkin Daum, Senior Director, Films
* Rainbow in the Dark Award: Mikeal Maglieri, Owner of the World-Renowned Rainbow Bar and Grill and Whisky a Go Go on the Sunset Strip
* Sacred Heart Award: Dr. David Wong, Professor and Associate Dean for Research, UCLA School of Dentistry and Director for UCLA Center for Oral/Head & Neck Oncology Research (COOR)
* Stand Up and Shout Award: Jeff Pezzuti, CEO of Eyellusion, creators of the Dio Returns! hologram
Entertainment will be provided by the amazing vocals and visuals of Ronnie James Dio with his live band DIO, featuring vocalists Tim Ripper Owens and Oni Logan and band members Simon Wright, Craig Goldy, Scott Warren and Bjorn Englen. Joining the evening’s lineup is Los Angeles comedian Brian Posehn, who in addition his comedic duties, will perform a song from his upcoming album accompanied by Scott Ian (Anthrax) and Joey Vera (Armored Saint, Fates Warning). Local rockers Sadie & the Tribe will also perform.
“I am overwhelmed by the support so far for this 10th Anniversary commemoration of Ronnie’s passing and the formation of the cancer fund in his name,” says Wendy Dio, Ronnie’s widow and President/Founder of the Ronnie James Dio Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund. “It will be an extraordinary evening of entertainment and memories for an important cause.”
VIP attendees will be treated to a gourmet dinner with wine pairings. In addition, the event will include a major silent auction and a raffle comprising unusual items and entertainment memorabilia. Among the rare items that will be available are:
- A luxury 6-night All-Inclusive South African Photo Safari for two at the 5-star Ezulwini Safari Lodges in Greater Kruger National Park;
- A pair of tickets to Rock of Ages Hollywood at The Bourbon Room (courtesy of Rock of Ages Hollywood)
- Four hours of recording studio time to record, mix, and master a demo at his Total Access Studio, donated by honoree Wyn Davis, who engineered, mixed and mastered most of Ronnie's albums
- A 3-night stay at the magnificent two-acre Grand View Manor nestled amid the orange groves just 8 minutes from the quaint old town of Ojai. This 5,600 square foot four-bedroom main house and two-bedroom guest cottage features stunning mountain views from every room.
Additionally, there will be a specially designed diamond-studded one-of-a-kind Rolex watch dubbed DIO’s Sacred Heart Timepiece created especially for the Dio Cancer Fund Gala by darktriumph.com. The watch is a vintage Rolex Datejust watch from the 1960s with a custom diamond and ruby Sterling Silver with 18kt yellow gold bracelet featuring Dio’s “Murray” handpainted on the dial by Australian fine artist Timothy John.
