Before joining Rainbow, Ronnie James Dio played in the rock band Elf.
Dio formed Elf in 1967 after his earlier group, Ronnie Dio and the Prophets, evolved into the Electric Elves and then shortened its name. He served as the band’s lead singer and initially played bass. Elf developed a blues-rock and hard-rock sound and became a regular opening act for Deep Purple.
That connection led to Dio’s next major step. Deep Purple musicians Roger Glover and Ian Paice produced Elf’s early recordings, and Deep Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore became interested in Dio and several Elf members. Blackmore formed Rainbow in 1975, initially drawing much of its lineup from Elf, with Dio as lead vocalist.
Elf recorded three studio albums before dissolving in 1975. Dio then recorded Rainbow’s debut album and later released Rising and Long Live Rock ’n’ Roll with the band. He left Rainbow in 1979 and joined Black Sabbath, replacing Ozzy Osbourne as lead singer.