A biography of legendary heavy metal singer Ronnie James Dio. This book chronicles Ronnie's life from birth to death and covers his time in such iconic bands as Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Dio and Heaven & Hell.

Few would deny that Deep Purple were one of the most influential and popular heavy rock bands to emerge from the melting pot of the late '60s. They went through several line-up changes, and stylistic shifts, before splitting up for the first time in the mid 1970s. Talismanic guitarist Ritchie Blackmore carried the spirit on when he formed Rainbow after leaving Purple in 1975, particularly through his partnership with legendary singer Ronnie James Dio. Deep Purple reformed some years later, of course, but many consider this original, sometimes turbulent, decade to be their most significant. Steve Pilkington puts his focus on the period from Shades Of Deep Purple in 1968 through to the first dissolution of the band after Come Taste The Band in 1976, via such classics as Machine Head and in Rock. He also discusses the first four Rainbow studio albums, including the classic Rainbow Raising and the hit-laden Down To Earth album in 1979, taking a look at every song from every album in detail. He also discusses live recordings plus DVD and video releases. The result is the most exhaustive guide to the band's music yet produced, as critical opinion rubs shoulders with facts, trivia and anecdotes to provide a fascinating 'alternative history' of these revered bands . Whether you are a hardcore fan or simply want a guide through the world which lies beyond Smoke On The Water, this book is for you.

For more than ten years the Ritchie Blackmore magazine More Black than Purple has featured many interviews within its pages. First published in 2007, and now back in print, The More Black than Purple Interviews collects 12 of the best and most rivetting of these in to one book, featuring Don Airey, Ritchie Blackmore, Graham Bonnet, Tony Carey, Mark Clarke, Bob Daisley, Glenn Hughes, John McCoy, Steve Morse & Cozy Powell. Edited and compiled by More Black than Purple editor Jerry Bloom, some of the interviews are bolstered with previously unpublished sections and 3 of the interviews are previously unpublished in their entirety. Each interview includes background information & amusing tales surrounding the stories behind them and the book is complimented with a selection of over 30 b/w photos, including many never before published. As Record Collector said when this was first published, -the three Blackmore interviews are the centrepiece, and surprisingly candid they are too. Other highlights include encounters with an otherworldly Glenn Hughes and the mischievous Cozy Powell. The charm of the book is that, in the informal world of the fanzine, the stars are often more forthcoming - and more three dimensional - than they might be in the contrived setting of a press conference. This, along with a witty, informative commentary, makes the collection a very nice piece of work indeed.-

Read the story behind the award-winning film Judas and the Black Messiah On December 4, 1969, attorney Jeff Haas was in a police lockup in Chicago, interviewing Fred Hampton's fiancÉe. Deborah Johnson described how the police pulled her from the room as Fred lay unconscious on their bed. She heard one officer say, "He's still alive." She then heard two shots. A second officer said, "He's good and dead now." She looked at Jeff and asked, "What can you do?" The Assassination of Fred Hampton remains Haas's personal account of how he and People's Law Office partner Flint Taylor pursued Hampton's assassins, ultimately prevailing over unlimited government resources and FBI conspiracy. Fifty years later, Haas writes that there is still an urgent need for the revolutionary systemic changes Hampton was organizing to accomplish. Not only a story of justice delivered, this book spotlights Hampton as a dynamic community leader and an inspiration for those in the ongoing fight against injustice and police brutality.