Here are some interesting facts about Vinny Appice - American drummer best known for his work with the bands "Dio", "Black Sabbath", and "Heaven & Hell":
(Photo: thevinylguide.com)
= He was born Vincent Samson Appice on September 13, 1957, in Brooklyn, New York.
= He is the younger brother of drummer Carmine Appice.
= Appice started drumming at age 9, learning from the same teacher as his brother.
= At 16, he and his band "BOMF" met John Lennon, who used them as a backing band in several performances, including his final public performance.
= He will even feature in Lennon's "Walls and Bridges" album from 1974, doing hand claps on the song "Whatever Gets You Thru the Night".
= Appice recorded with Rick Derringer on "Derringer" in 1976, "Sweet Evil" and "Derringer Live" both in 1977.
= Appice Formed "Axis" with "BOMF" members and released "It’s A Circus World" in 1978.
= Joined "Black Sabbath" in 1980 during the "Heaven And Hell" tour, replacing Bill Ward. His first show with "Black Sabbath" was at the "Aloha Stadium" in Hawaii.
= Appice played on "Black Sabbath's" albums "Mob Rules" from 1981 and "Live Evil" from 1982.
= He left "Black Sabbath" in late 1982 to form "Dio" with Ronnie James Dio.
= In the years 1983-1987 Appice recorded masterpiece albums with "Dio": "Holy Diver" released 1983, "The Last In Line" from 1984, "Sacred Heart" released in 1985, "Intermission" from 1986, and "Dream Evil" from 1987.
= In 1985, Vinny Appice participated in the "Hear 'n Aid" project, a heavy metal collaboration to raise money for famine relief in Africa.
= Appice Left "Dio" in December 1989 and briefly joined "Flesh & Blood" with Jeff Pilson.
= Vinny was part of the German singer Mandy Lion's "World War III" project, along with bassist Jimmy Bain. They released their debut album in 1990.
= He rejoined "Black Sabbath" in 1992 to record "Dehumanizer".
= Appice returned to "Dio", recording "Strange Highways" from 1994 and "Angry Machines" released in 1996.
= He played on "Circle of Tyrants’" a 2005 rap recording with Alex Skolnick.
= Appice played two shows in Las Vegas with the "Sin City Sinners" in October 2009.
= Reunited with "Black Sabbath" members as "Heaven & Hell" in 2006, releasing "Live from Radio City Music Hall" in 2007 and "The Devil You Know" in 2009.
= Recorded "Dinosaurs" with "Power Project" (with Carl Sentance, Carlos Cavazo and Jeff Pilson) in 2006, blending classic hard rock and heavy metal styles. He will continue to release the album "Revolution" with them, in 2014.
= Appice co-founded the band "3 Legged Dogg" in 2006. The band included notable musicians like guitarist Brian Young, bassist Jimmy Bain, and vocalist Chas West. "3 Legged Dogg", released "Frozen Summer" the same year.
= He co-founded "Kill Devil Hill" in 2011 with former "Pantera" bassist Rex Brown, blending elements of hard rock, heavy metal, and southern rock. They released their self-titled debut album in 2012 and "Revolution Rise" in 2013.
= Appice formed "WAMI" in 2013 with Doogie White and Marco Mendoza and released "Kill the King" (2014).
= He was featured in "Martiria's" album "Revolution" released in 2014.
= Appice played on "Toehider’s" "Mainly Songs About Robots" album, released in 2015.
= He contributed to "Dunsmuir’s" self-titled album "Dunsmuir" (2016).
= Appice worked with "Ian Ray Logan & Serpent's Ride" on "Between Lights and Shadows" released in 2016 and "Reaching Dreams" from 2017.
= He formed "Joel Hoekstra’s 13" with Night Ranger's guitarist Joel Hoekstra (Also "Whitesnake") and released "Dying to Live" in 2015 and "Running Games" in 2021.
= Appice contributed to "Stonehand’s" "When the Devil Comes", released in 2015.
= He played on "Resurrection Kings’" self-titled album from 2016.
= In 2010, Appice formed "Last in Line", reuniting with original "Dio" members. He recorded "Heavy Crown" from 2016, "II" from 2019 and "Jericho" from 2023 with them.
= Appice played on Adrian Raso’s "Frozen in Time" album released in 2017.
= Contributed to "The One Man Electrical Band’s" "Symptom of the Universe" album from 2017 and "Dark Things" from 2018.
= In 2017 he released the album "Sinister" under the name "Appice" collaborating with his brother Carmine Appice.
= Appice recorded with "Stagma" on their self-titled album "Stagma" from 2018.
= He played on "Concreto’s" (Brazilian Band) EP "Lama" released in 2018.
= Appice worked with "Leviathan Project" in 2018 and released the album "MCMLXXXII" in 2024.
= He Formed "Sabbath Knights" in 2023, performing music from "Black Sabbath" and "Dio".
Comments