Dio Inducted Into the Ultimate Classic Rock Hall of Fame

It's official: Stevie Nicks is not a witch. If she was, she'd have used her magic to defeat Dio in the Ultimate Classic Rock Hall of Fame semifinals.

Instead, the mob rules, and their votes have been counted: The Fleetwood Mac singer went down in a (cough) landslide, mustering a little over 36 percent of the vote -- which left nearly 64 percent for her diminutive leather-lunged competition, decisively clearing the way for one of the true titans of '80s metal to enter our hallowed Hall.

Those lopsided results in the final round were part of a pattern for Dio, who trounced Stevie Ray Vaughan in the semifinals after mopping the floor with Don Henley on the opening ballot. Of course, the selection process for these battles often means the voters aren't making apples-to-apples comparisons when they take to the polls, but the message is still clear: Ultimate Classic Rock readers love them some Ronnie James Dio, and we're proud to bestow this 100 percent fan-voted honor.

Dio made their official debut with 1983's 'Holy Diver,' recorded following Ronnie's exit from Black Sabbath (along with drummer Vinny Appice, who became part of the original Dio lineup). That album, along with 1984's 'The Last in Line' and 1985's 'Sacred Heart,' helped cement the band's status as one of the more reliable sources for hard-hitting heavy metal -- due in no small part to the presence of guitarist Vivian Campbell, whose exit presaged a period of heavy member turnover and declining sales.

Dio issued their final studio album in 2004, but Ronnie continued working until his death in 2010, later rejoining his former Black Sabbath bandmates to form the new group Heaven & Hell. Their sole studio album, 'The Devil You Know,' was released in 2009. Today, Dio's legacy persists -- living on partly through the efforts of the original band members that have reassembled as Last in Line -- and we're sure you'll join us in raising our highest devil horn fingers in salute to this latest richly deserved honor. Welcome to the Ultimate Classic Rock Hall of Fame, Dio!