Andy Scott Reveals Ronnie James Dio Nearly Joined Sweet in ’79

Ronnie James Dio nearly became a member of Sweet in 1979, according to Andy Scott, the band’s leader. Sweet was searching for a replacement for their departed singer, Brian Connolly, Dio had been a frontrunner as a replacement option but was unable to get a unanimous vote from the band.  If he had been chosen, Dio might never have joined Black Sabbath later that same year.

In a recent interview with Rock History Music, Scott revealed, “Ronnie James Dio was up for the gig, to replace Brian, because he and I got on really well…I said [to the band], ‘Look, this is not a decision that I’m gonna make or two of us are gonna make. It’s the three of us or nothing.’” Scott believed that a majority vote would have created an uncomfortable atmosphere within the band.

Ultimately, co-founding bassist Steve Priest made the final decision not to have Ronnie James Dio replace Brian. Scott stated, “ he didn’t want to do it.  He said, ‘I think we can go it just as a three-piece.’ And I don’t think he was … wrong. Adding a new member might have changed the dynamic again.” He compared the situation to Van Halen moving on without David Lee Roth in 1985. “Sammy [Hagar]  was a good mate of mine at the time, but it was never quite the same as it was with David Lee Roth, was it? … You can’t put your finger on it. You change the dynamic.”

In Dio’s memoir from 2021, Rainbow in the Dark: The Autobiography, he revealed his reluctance to join Black Sabbath. He confessed, “I was … unsure how on earth I was supposed to replace Ozzy Osbourne,” he explained. “Unlike in years to come, when groups like Van Halen, Bad Company, Iron Maiden, and even Queen could bring in a new frontman with impunity, in the late ‘70s, the idea of a superstar group like Sabbath replacing their frontman was considered unthinkable. Led Zeppelin without Robert Plant, the Rolling Stones without Mick Jagger? Sacrilege.”