Wendy Dio: the Business of Hard Rock

All Photos:  Alan Mercer  Hair & Make-up: Jennifer Farhood  Lighitng: Eric V.

Wendy Dio is the widow of the late rocker Ronnie James Dio. She managed his career for many years before his death from stomach cancer on May 16, 2010. She is extremely grounded, intelligent and fascinating...and I'm sure you'll agree after reading this!

Wendy has lived in the world of hard rock music for many years now. With this time comes a well deserved respect for all she has been able to accomplish. She is determined to continue the legacy of Ronnie by managing his surviving band under the new name Dio Disciples. She is also running her own record label.

I met Wendy through my dear friend Bebe Buell when they decided to work together with Wendy managing Bebe's music career. I took these shots of Wendy when I took the photo for their press release at Wendy's home.

AM: Wendy, why don't you tell me a little bit about yourself?

WD: I'm from Essex in England. I worked at record labels and booking agencies over there. I also worked for attorneys in the music industry.

AM: How did you end up being a manager?

WD: Well I met Ronnie in 1974 and he was in 'Rainbow' at that time. I was just the wife then. He got fired from 'Rainbow' because he wouldn't write more commercial songs. We were living in Connecticut then and I suggested we move to Los Angeles.

AM: Was there a reason you wanted to be in Los Angeles?

WD: I knew Sharon Arden at the time who is Sharon Osbourne now. We got together and she said there were some problems going on with 'Black Sabbath' and Ozzy. She wondered if Ronnie wanted to come audition. Ronnie did audition and they wrote 'Children Of The Sea' that night. He was now in 'Black Sabbath' and I was still the wife. I started managing Ronnie when he left 'Rainbow.' Then when he left Black Sabbath in 1982 he decided to start his own group, 'Dio.' That's when I really started managing him.

AM: Did Ronnie want you to manage him?

WD: He wanted me to do it and I didn't know if I should. I suggested we put a band together to see if I knew what I was doing, so we put together a band called 'Rough Cut.' I managed that band and 'Alcatraz' and 'Dio' and I co-managed 'Quiet Riot' for a while after Kevin was gone.

AM: Did you stumble into managing?

WD: Kind of, yes. I did have a background because I had worked for people in the music business. I had worked for attorneys so I knew how to read contracts.

AM: What qualities does it take to be a good manager?

WD: I think you have to understand your client. I have to put things firmly but respectfully together. You lead them in a way that you think would be best for their career. They obviously need to have their say so too. You figure out the path to take.

AM: Is there anything else you have experience with that helps you be a good manager?

WD: I also have a vast experience with publishing. I did a lot of publishing deals for Ronnie. Publishing is something that most people do with one big company like Warner-Chapel. I decided it was very hard to keep track of things therefore I went to Italy and got a small publisher and then went to Spain and got a small publisher and then to France and did the same thing and to Germany and got another small publisher. None of them were cross collateralized which means the artist gets more money. This way you can keep tabs on it and they will do promotion for you in each country.

AM: Is this the standard way of doing this or did you come up with this yourself?

WD: I think people do it more often now. In the 80's everyone got a huge advance so they went with one publisher.

AM: How did you realize this?

WD: Trial and error really. I used to teach management at UCLA in the 80's. Management is something that you really can't learn in school. You have to learn yourself because each artist is different.

AM: When you did teach management where would you start?

WD: Well I'd start with telling them how to dress. Most women would come with studded collars and I'd start with telling them we are not the artist. If you're going to Warner Bros. to ask for a million dollars you should look like you don't need it. I always suggested that they dress appropriately for the business world.

AM: Is the hard part managing these artists egos?

WD: I think all artists are children. They chose a job where they never had to grow up. They want to be told what to do and when to do it. They want someone to take care of their career for them. A manager is a caretaker as well. I do try to wean them off of being too needy, but most of them are.

AM: What are some of the changes you have seen happen in this business?

WD: Lots of changes. When I started management Ronnie was signed to Warner Bros. in the United States and PolyGram in Europe. In the 90's the world fell apart. All the business suits came in and it wasn't the music people running the show.

AM: How did this affect you the most?

WD: Ronnie got dropped and Van Halen got dropped, all these people got dropped. It turned into an alien world where I had to go out and find independents which were a nasty name at that time. I met with every small label.

AM: What did you think of the independents?

WD: The independents are very smart people. I found out that now, instead of selling my soul, which you have to do with a Warner Bros. who will own your record forever, you can license an independent your music for five or seven years and then you get it back. Now the independents have taken over and are having a field day! They get it that a classic band will sell an album forever instead of some new pop act where hopefully you have a hit.

AM: What about downloads?

WD: You'll find in heavy metal that the fans want physical more than downloads. They like the nice packaging and are willing to pay for it. This is what we try to do.

AM: Is hard rock music just as happening today as it has been?

WD: There's always a cult following. Our facebook has over 800,000 people. We get over seven million hits a day. The classic acts like Judas Priest, Iron Maiden and Metallica, those kids never go away. They are faithful and loyal, even their children are reared on it. Then you've got the next generation coming up.

AM: What is the future of this music? Do you think it will come back even bigger?

WD: I don't know that it will come back bigger because my generation and the people I deal with are all the innovators. There are some very good new bands coming up.

AM: We all know you just signed Bebe Buell. Are you looking to manage more artists now?

WD: No, not in management. I've formed a record label and I'm getting out of management except for Bebe, 'The Rods' and 'Dio.' The new band name is 'Dio Disciples.' I am signing lots of acts to the record label. I just signed a group called HeadCat which is Lemmy from 'Motorhead' and Slim Jim from the 'Stray Cats' and they are fabulous music.

AM: Would you sign a young 18 year old artist?

WD: No because I'm interested in classic bands with a catalog. New bands are a lot of work.

AM: Now a lot of people know who Bebe is, but some people do need to be introduced to her music.

WD: They need to know that she and her band are credible. She's always had a singing career it was just overshadowed by her modeling. We'll see what we can do!

AM: I know you have a wonderful charity.

WD: Yes I do. When Ronnie passed away from stomach cancer many fans wanted to send flowers and I thought we don't need any flowers. We need to put the money somewhere and I didn't know who to give it to, so I thought I really want to make sure the money is going to the right place. I didn't want it going to administration costs. We formed the 'Ronnie James Dio Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund.' I have a board of fifteen people. We're all volunteers so there's no administration cost at all.

AM: You've already donated a lot of money haven't you?

WD: We've raised over $400,000 just in T-shirt sales alone. We gave $100,000 to T. J. Martel for prostate and colon cancer. We gave $117,000 to MD Anderson for gastric and stomach cancer. We have a guitar auction that is going to be either October this year or March next year at Sotheby's. We've got guitars from Bon Jovi, Metallica, Slash, Rush, everybody. I've got fifty so far and I want a hundred. We've got a CD and a concert for this year or next year. I want to get the CD out first.

AM: Where will you do the concert?

WD: We want to do one in New York, one in London and one in Los Angeles. We also want to take the guitars on tour so fans can see them. It's great to be able to raise this money and see where it's going. One last thing, we want to focus on men's cancer because women are pretty good at going for check ups and men do not go.

Wendy with client Bebe Buell

A Phone Call From Bebe Buell

photo: John Espinosa

photo: Norman Blake

I can tell you from first hand experience there are few things more exciting than receiving a phone call from the fabulously talented and beautiful Bebe Buell. For those not in the know, Miss Buell is a unique and interesting musician who is just as famous for her modeling days and for being the mother of Actress Liv Tyler. She has lived an exciting and well documented life among all the icons and legends of rock n' roll, so much so that she is one herself.

Her newest release called "SUGAR" is one of the best records I have ever heard. She plans to start touring in the Spring. She called me up on Valentines weekend to discuss the making of the record and to plan a photo session with me when she comes to Los Angeles. Luckily I had my recorder handy so I can share our conversation with you. Bebe supplied me with these live shots from a recent performance and her CD cover. Check out the great video of Bebe performing the title cut at the Hiro Ballroom in New York. She'll be back on this blog after we do the photos and she plays Los Angeles.

AM: I am so excited that you went through the trouble to release "SUGAR."

BB: Thank you.

AM: I can tell it comes from your soul.

BB: Yes I worked really hard on that record. It was a long time coming too.

AM: How long did you work on it?

BB: It's been pent up inside me for years and years. It was sort of a release. I needed to get it out of my system.

AM: One of the things I believe about you is that you are a musician from the very core of your being.

BB: Well thank you. I think I got a little side tracked in my youth. Imagery was so much more important in the 70's. The first thing you do is the thing you're remembered for. I've always thought people should be multi-faceted and do many things and wear many hats. It never dawned on me that coming to New York as a young model would hinder or distract me from achieving my dreams. It became shocking to me to hear some of the labels people throw at you. You don't know if you're supposed to be defensive or roll with the punches. I don't like to sit back and let things go without trying to make them right. I've always been a little bit of a fighter.

AM: I can tell that from reading your biography "Rebel Heart."

BB: As far as my book goes, I was never 100% happy with that. I wrote the book with another person. It's not completely my voice. He wasn't a ghost writer he was a co-writer. That girl in 'Rebel Heart' is not completely me. She's me with a lot of testosterone. So when I do another book someday, I am going to do it on my own.

AM: You have what it takes to do that.

BB: The thing about my book was I didn't pursue a publishing deal. What happened was in 1998 an agent approached me and he said it was time for my autobiography. He said he knew several publishers that would be interested. At first I balked at it. People had been asking me for twenty years to write a book. I didn't think I had lived enough life to write an autobiography.

AM: But you went ahead and did it.

BB: He was a very convincing agent obviously. He convinced me that it was a good idea so I dove in. I get a lot of letters from women who were helped by my book. It's the story of a girl who did many things but her heart was really in one place the whole time. I don't know if it comes off that way but I've got my fingers crossed.

AM: It does come off that way. The music is first.

BB: It absolutely does come first. I embrace everything else about my life that is important. My daughter, my grandson, my husband, my dogs, my friends, are all so important to me. Those people know me and they know I needed to get this record done. I'm very fortunate that I have people around me that support that. Bobby and Jim went into the studio and created all that music for me around my lyrics. I really owe a lot to them because I don't know if it would have happened the same way. It was a resurrection for me. It really went well because of their support.

AM: Are you getting ready to tour the United States?

BB: Oh absolutely. We're trying to find an actual home for my record. Right now it's out digitally. You can buy it on I-tunes and Amazon. We have labels that actually want to put a physical record out and it's very exciting. We're talking to three different people right now. We're actually making a decision. It's going to be decided in the next few weeks. We'll know exactly where it's going to land. It's all indie's, not a major label. They are very cool indie labels. They get product in stores. That's really all that is important.

AM: Downloading is the most important now.

BB: Yes downloading is important and I wanted to do a lot of groundwork. I wanted to do all the pre-work, the pre-promotion. We've even got a few radio stations that are playing 'Sugar.' It seems to be a favorite, a track that everyone is embracing, so that will be the single.

AM: Seems like you've done well so far.

BB: I'm just going to keep forging forward. We're definitely going to be in LA to showcase. One of the labels we're talking to is LA based. We're looking at May.

AM: I'm going to keep my fingers crossed.

BB: I'm very excited about that. I haven't played LA since 1998!

AM: That's too long.

BB: (Laughing) Yes it is. The act I was doing in 1998 was very different than what I'm doing now, which is a lot more mystical, atmospheric, biographical. I did kick ass rock n' roll in your face for years. You would come to one of my shows, get beat to a pulp, and you'd go home happy. I still throw a couple of kick ass songs in for my fans who like that part of me as an entertainer. I'll always have that side. It takes a lot of conviction to perform these songs because they are very emotionally draining and deep. They affect me every single time I perform them.

AM: I believe that! I can tell you are coming from some place deep. They are not songs to sing along to.

BB: No, no, no it's a very important step for me. There is something profound going on. I just let the Universe guide me. I don't want to sound nutty to people and talk about divine intervention. I have no idea where songs come from. They just sort of happen. They bestow themselves upon me. They are little gifts.

AM: I love every single song on your record. There isn't one that is less than another. It's one of those rare records that is divine from the opening note to the closing note.

BB: Thank you so much. I am so happy because that's what we were going for. I just performed at the Hiro Ballroom in New York and played the whole album live from beginning to end. I wondered if everybody would be able to focus on that for a performance because not everybody in the audience knows the record. I was very surprised with all the girls in the front that knew all the words. There is a power to downloading.

AM: One song that stays in my brain is the second cut, "Love Is."

BB: Oh thank you. That's one of my favorite cuts to perform. It's very challenging to sing. It's not easy to sing. It comes from a deep chakra so you have to find all your air and let it rip. There's no hocus pocus on that record. I do straight vocals with no over-dubbing.

AM: Your voice is a magnificent instrument.

BB: I'm a contra-alto. I have been since I was a young child. When I went to Catholic school I sung in the choir. I'll never forget the Mother Superior trying to make me a soprano in the 6th grade. It just didn't work. I was the only alto. I knew I didn't have a Mariah Carey sort of songbird voice. I knew it wasn't going to be a voice where everyone would go, "Oh that woman can really sing!" I knew some people were going to love it and some people were going to hate it. My style of singing comes from how I feel. People who have seen me live say I never do the song the same way twice. You get something from my heart, that's for sure.

AM: That makes you authentic. You are a real musician.

BB: I don't have dancers on stage or go up there scantily clad. I'm old-fashioned. I believe when you get on stage you should give the audience what you have to give them. There should be no distractions. I have synergy with my band. We are so tight.

AM: Is this the band you will tour with?

BB: Yes absolutely. I am living my dream. I'll be honest with you. It's really fun and rewarding to have worked as many years as I have. I've been knocked around a little bit but I keep surfacing. I don't let people sink me. I'm one of those annoying inner tubes that never runs out of air! One of the things I am loving about the industry right now is that ageism seems to be dissipating. People want to see an authentic performance. They don't seem to care how old the person is or what color the person is or where they're from. They want a "real" offering so that's what I try to do. I have no qualms about letting people know how thrilled I am to be up there and how happy it makes me to do this.

AM: That is what sets you apart. It comes through in all your artistry.

BB: I want people to feel renewed when they leave the show. From the reactions I am getting it seems like people are leaving my show happy and exhausted. They think about it for days later which is all I can ask for as an entertainer.

AM: That's very rewarding.

BB: I like hearing from people two weeks later and they tell me they are still high off the gig. I love getting those emails. That makes me really happy.

AM: Will you be in Los Angeles a few days?

BB: Of course. My daughter is bi-coastal right now so I have been out there a couple of times. She's been making a movie in New Orleans but she'll be here in New York this next week. The next trip to LA will be for the show but we'll time it so I can be there for a few days. I would love to do a photo session with you.

AM: I would love that so much! You are one of the world's leading beauties.

BB: Beauty gets us a lot of places when we're young but it doesn't sustain you in later life. Your beauty can only go so far. Beauty changes. Beauty evolves. As you get older it becomes a different thing. I'm one of those people that is not at all afraid of age. I don't need to be perfect. It doesn't scare me. I'm trying my best to give myself to people as I am. I do have a very young girl fan base which is exciting. I like having all the young girls. They remind me of when I was a young girl and I wanted to see Eartha Kitt or Wanda Jackson, all the great female performers. I didn't get to New York until 1972 so I missed a lot of the fun!

AM: You are extra special to call me!

BB: I was very moved by one of the blogs you did. I think we always meet the people we are supposed to meet. We connect with people who's art that we admire. I think that's what it turns out to be, just a big art exchange. We help each other when we admire each other's work.

AM: It's the best way to live.

BB: I think it's really important. I don't sit around and dwell on this, but one of the things I miss about the 70's is the groups of artists getting together. There would be every type of artist and everybody hung out together. We all treated each other like artists.

AM: That must have been fun. I can't wait until May when you are in LA.

BB: Me too. I can't wait to meet you and do a photo session.

AM: Thanks so much for calling me.

BB: Oh yes, I hope we talk again soon. Bye-bye.