Vivian Campbell is a class act who never got the credit he deserves!!! One of the greatest ever!!

Viv's era of Dio was by far the best. Dio shouldve been a bit more generous to Vivian.

Vivian Campbell is such a class act!

Vivian's playing on Holy Diver, is some of the most phenomenal playing & solo's one could create! As he said in this interview, making it up as he went along. Vivian said many years ago, every time he played a solo it was different. Just by his work alone on the Holy Diver, I have much respect to Vivian as one of the best in history!

The first two Dio albums are the best. Still sound great production wise.

Viv is very humble and very clear minded about the road he traveled along with being a truly amazing musician! Great interview!

That David Coverdale impression is actually spot on, lol.

Some of the greatest solos and chops ever laid down .

I was able to open up for the Last in Line before covid. Vivian was a big influence for my guitar playing. But the best was just hanging out and trading stories from the road. He truly is a gentleman and humble musician. Great sense of humor and I'll ever be honored to have been able to share the same bill as him.

Viv is a class act. Met him in Hawaii in the 80’s, he was a celebrity judge for a radio station sponsored “Best Guitar Player” contest. My band was the house band for the contest. Really nice, down to earth guy.

Holy diver and the last in line have some blistering guitar tracks on them, absolute treasures and this is coming from a drummer...Vinny is a very underrated drummer...

Vivian Campbell is an AWESOME guitarist. His time in Dio was his Magnum Opus! No one could shred like him! Def Leopard is ok but doesn't really highlight the awesome talent that Vivian brings to the table as did Dio. He should have been paid for his amazing talents! Thank you Vivian Campbell for being such an inspiration!!!

I met Vivian Campbell Rick Savage backstage before a Def Leppard concert. My buddy and I who are about the same age as the band members got the backstage passes. So it was just four guys standing around in a dirt parking lot talking. I was never really into Def Leppard and wasn't familiar with the guys except for Joe and Rick Savage. I have so much respect for Vivian because I didn't know who he was and we were kind of ignoring him until Rick said you know he's in the Band too! I didn't know I was in the presence of greatness until I looked him up later. Because of this I have so much respect for Vivian because he was so modest and unassuming and didn't get pissed that we didn't know who he was. I've met my share of celebrities and you can tell the ones that are sincere and awesome people and Vivian is one of those.

Been a Dio fan since Elf. Love Viv’s guitar playing on every track he’s played; irrespective of which band he was in. I feel he brought the best out of Ronnie and those first 2 albums will always remain iconic.

It’s really nice that Vivian was able to get past the entire Dio/Wendy Dio money issue because it was an incredible and very close tight band. Glad that he always stuck up for himself and wanted his due...

I have listen to this interview several times and I find it very fascinating. I love Vivian Campbell’s genuine character and his vulnerability.

Vivian is a joy to listen to.

Such a great storyteller - He put up with a lot of abuse and it's great he came out On Top. The signature guitars are awesome I have to own these.

Saw all three shows with Vivian big arenas it was great ... sure miss the 80s concerts

Vivian, you will forever be a legend in the minds of true rock fans!

Vivian Campbell is a CLASS HUMAN BEING! Unfortunately, RJD didn’t pay Vivian like he had promised which is ridiculous being that the band was making millions off of gate receipts and merchandise sales! When the third album came around, Vivian asked Dio to honor his promise to pay him appropriately! Dio refused and told Vivian that he had to sign a contract to remain in the band knowing that he was going to continue to be paid pennies! Vivian declined and left the band! As much as I like RJD I have to say that my opinion of him changed dramatically when I found out how poorly he treated Vivian! ONCE AGAIN, GREED WINS THE DAY!

vivian is one of my favorite guitarists...without him DIO really went downhill...his style made those first DIO albums

Vivian's a good guy.. Great interview and I'm glad he's happy now and doing well.. He's beat cancer and been around playing and I'm glad he's doing well!

Viv's is so brilliant for me..im just 46 year old now a listener too and a big salute to VC... Id just remembered the last album of Lou Gram in Foreigner Lou and Viv had a project they collaborated so the Shadow King made..the album so good and Class very well made with Bruce Turgon too... Russia the last track of the album was so awesome and very amazing riffs of guitar of VC... I really salute you VC...thanks for all music contribution.

great interview. was a big fan of vivian's in and followed him even during whitesnake years. glad i finally heard the other side of the story with dio. I heard ronnie's side years ago but never vivian's. i finally got the full story. ronnie only talked about how he gave vivian a break and an opportunity but never all the details. thanks for sharing this!

I love watching Vivian play his whole heart and soul can be seen in his face his body and his whole demeanour I love watching him play

It must be hard being a hired gun type musician in a successful rock band. You can be very good and still feel like a outsider.

Stand up and shout gets me pumped everything I hear it!! Never gets old.

Viv is a real person.

It's great to know that one of your idols is a class act.

i love vivian in whitesnake! \

Wow, wonderful interview - love this kind of candid reminiscing.

Wow - great interview. I have always had a lot of respect for Vivian - a true gentleman and great musician and individual who I have always admired. I have seen him several times with Dio and he was amazing - a huge part of the Dio band.... I love the Irish guitar players comment about singing - Fucking Gary Moore could sure sing!!! Damn, I forgot about Bolin. Thanks for everything you've done Vivian - I for one, greatly appreciate it.

Vivian is a genius and a humble man I like how he plays guitar 🤘🤘🤘🎸

May 16 2010 - 10 years ago we lost Ronnie James Dio \mXm/

I just wish the original dio lineup had done more albums.

Nobody played like Vivian. He is a master

Both Ronnie and Ozzy ripped off and stole the publishing from their brilliant music writing guitar players.

Oh yes - i remember it made headlines. Vivian was a complete "new kid", nobody had heard of him. Well, he surely made his way. An ex-colleague of mine (we were huge musicfans and worked in a record shop) thought he was terribly undercharged when he "ended up" playing with Def Leppard. I loved it however, ´cause i also liked DL, for me it was "best of both worlds" back then . Good to see he is still around. All the best to him!

Vinny appeice has his own personality come through on the drums ,one of the few drummers that you can tell who it is just by hearing his playing ,the whole band was unique

Vivian is incredibly humble. Probably the greatest guitar player of his time. He was robbed by Dio.

Vivian has and will always be one of the baddest, coolest axeslingers of all time. Being In Def Leppard has suited him so perfectly and the rest of the band had made the smartest choice to have him.#fan4life.

Two sides to every story. It was good to hear his perspective of the Dio situation.

If anyone else had played guitar on "Rainbow In the Dark" , I never would have gone through three cassette tapes wearing that album out. I kept the two original vinyls. One is scratched to pieces and one is pristine. Thank you Vivian. Your living cheap bought this fan hours of music joy beyond compare. When I FINALLY got to see Dio live, I caught a guitar pick you chucked out. If I live to be 100 years old I will never forget that concert. Money isn't everything, right?

Vivian campbell is from lisburn and i remember him many years ago at the lisburn swimming pool carpark. Trevor Flemming also was our local lad. Brilliant guitarists and our local legends

I like vivian in shadowking voices of lou gramm amazing

My father meet Vivian's father back in the 1980's in Buncrana (I think his family had a holiday home there at the time)...and he mentioned that his son was a rock star :)

Vrlo, vrlo zanimljivo! Hvaka!

I like that, David and I sang in the shower. Together? 🤣

VIVIAN ! My PET ! 👍👍👍👍👍🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🍷🇺🇦.

Vivain Campbell is the best guitarist and he was great in dio I loved the band dio and dio was great.

In 1979, Bain married Lady Sophia Crichton-Stewart, daughter of John Crichton-Stuart, 6th Marquess of Bute. They had one daughter, Samantha Ella Bain, born in 1981 (for whom Phil Lynott and John Sykes' song "Samantha" was written)

...had the fortune to see Dio live on the Last in Line tour in 1984 and I still remember the guitar tone that Viv had..the power in the sound..like a roaring beast that came at you with the opening song Stand up and Shout..still to this day..one of the best guitarsounds ever at a show..and together with Jimmy and Vinnie..Dio kicked everybody's ass on that tour!💥💯👌

The only guy in existence who drove a Ferrari on a 100 dollar a week pay

One of the nicest guys in the business!!!!!! I love the way how Dio slags off Blackmore, calling him moody and horrible. Blackmore never ripped anyone off did he????????????????

Mr. Vivian Patrick Campbell 🔥 🎸💪👊😎🤘

Vivian. I think your the best guitar player in the world. Unbelievable. Your just great.

I love how he gives Jon Sykes credit.

My favourite British metal guitarist. Really inspired me when I was a teen. Always tried to copy his style. Melodic, clean and so fluid.

Wow, first 2 albums very impressive. Why do people have this greed to have a successful band and not pay the players well. Vivian is an amazing musician.

Interview supports my hunch it was always about the money for Viv which explains him joining, Def Leppard. Riverdogs has some of the most inspiring and for the song work he ever did. Lost respect when he joined DL.

Bottom Line: Nobody on Earth would have known who Viv was if it wasnt For Ronnie who got him in the band. He then went to be the "Second" guitarist for WS and DL.🙄

Fist time..hear ..dio album..holly diver .solo..dio album..in 1984

I was hugely influenced by Viv when I was a kid. Listening to this interview it just dawned on me where I got "vibrato on the chord" from. Of course it was Viv. I've destroyed the frets on every guitar I've owned thanks to that technique. I even do it on accoustic. The way it makes a chord "snarl" on electric particularly when you strike it a certain way and sustain with the vibrato. Powerful. I had thought I'd got it from Yngwie but he does it with scalloped frets and it sounds "prettier". Viv was just straight up "nasty" and I loved it. I saw a Dio video in the 80's live in Dublin or something. I never took it back to the video shop....🤣

This guy was an incredible guitarist

Those first 3 Dio album really kicked arse

Funny that Dio used to have same criticisms of Blackmore that he got from other musicians in the Dio band. Still don’t know why he left WS or did WS not want him.

Vivian is just a good dude.....

Wow! Never knew about the rift between Dio and his bandmates....terrible! Viv is one of my favorite guitarists period! Holy Diver & Last in Line....quintessencial albums for the metalists out there and the years following when Vivian left and went to Whitesnake....I was thinking "why the fuck is Viv going to WS to play lullabies and ballads when he could be leveling everybody with real metal?!" I guess it's clear now....money & egos....the true enemies of METAL!!

Viv's style is different than the other killers. I've been playing hair guitar since 1985 when I was 15. He was the guy that I listened to but never tried to learn because I knew there was no chance. Going to Def Lep was definitely financially smart, but his chops suffer a bit when you play Pour Some Sugar On Me.

wheres the rest????

There are 2 conflicting stories about the Dio fallout. Viv days he wasn't paid much throughout. Wendy Dio says he was paid $1,700 a week in the early era, that enabled Viv to by a Ferarri. You can't buy that on $100 a week salary. All I know is that those 1st few albums are classics and I still listen to them often

Mob rules 🤘

Last In Line is the better of the ‘two’

The thing about putting vibrato on the chords lol….I do the same thing on my Les Paul Junior for the same reason.

Top 5 guitar players I have ever seen.

First Dio lineup was basically VC + the Ronnie gang. JB, Ronnie and VA were older and had already been succesful. A strange chemistry ....

Sacred Heart had the potential of the first two albums, but the money just wasn't there. Literally. Rumors were that Ronnie was paying out of pocket for that level of production to continue. It was a stage and fx show the likes of we'd not seen before, or since. Unbelievable for a young teenager to see. Even though Viv was gone already, Craig Goldy did a bang up job keeping the dream alive.

What a humble Guy... bottom line dio hired this guy because of his feel that dio KNEW he wanted... shredding doesn't sell hit records

Vivían Campbell in Def Lepp = Guitar player cryogenic sleep ready to explote in his next life

Dio showed what a jerk he was. No wonder Blackmore had enough of him.

Technical players have no soul in their playing..holy diver has some damn good guitar in it

It seems like a joke. Dio always complained about Blackmore, who paid him very little for a couple of years. And here it is Campbell who complains to Dio about miserable pay. There are many stories like these. Ozzy has several, or rather his representative and wife, although he of course knew what was happening, for example with Jacke Lee

12:22 HOW DID IT GET WEIRD!?!?!?!?!?

Cant blame Vivian for speaking up....

He gave dip the sound. Rjd had to work hard to keep up eith the guitar. Its so obvious on footage

I prefer him with Dio but I am not a musician and don't control a Band..sometimes skills are extraordinary but personality conflics are too much.. other times you just want a different sound

Vivian Campbell was the best guitarist Dio ever had. I think Doug Aldrich had potential though. The live stuff from the Campbell/Vandenberg lineup of Whitesnake though seemed like a disaster. Should've let Campbell pick up more of the slack live, Vandenberg or Steve Vai never fit the Whitesnake sound. Campbell or Sykes, despite being shredders, definitely could.

Saw Whitesnake in Oakland Day on the Green '87 and they were terrible live.

Well holy fn diver.

Whitesnake always picked the best guitarists in the glam metal scene

Too bad Ronnie was so selfish with the money. I really love Ronnie until I heard how he screwed over Viv. Ronnie was a liar when it came to money. Just sad.

so RJD backed out on his word and sent Vivian a contract Fedex that was still crap money. just lost a ton of respect for him

Daum Ronnie kept all the loot.

Double stops have never been improved on 🤷‍♂️😂🤷‍♂️

Without Vivian holy diver would have been meh at best. He brought and energy to the songs as equal to Ronnie’s voice. Without him dio would have crashed imo

I've lost almost all respect for DIO.

I remember reading in Hit Parader or one of those mags, right after Craig Goldie replaced Viv, Ronnie said that Craig 'blows Vivian into the weeds.' I thought what is that all about? Why is he slagging Vivian so bad? I always think about that when I read or hear that Ronnie was kind of a dick (may he RIP)

Now look at him playing for def leppard 🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂

RONNIE JAMES DIO AND OZZY OSBOURNE WERE VERY BAD PERSONS WITH THEIR BAND MUSICIANS!!!! VIVIAN CAMPBELL WAS THE BEST GUITARIST OF Ronnie James Dio Band!!!! 🤔 🗽