Vinny Appice

Vinny Appice
Appice During Presentation, With Heaven And Hell in 2009.
Background information
Birth name	Vincent Paul Appice
Born	(1957-09-13) September 13, 1957 (age 59) Brooklyn, New York City, New York, United States
Genres	Heavy metal, hard rock
Occupation(s)	Musician
Instruments	Drums, percussion
Years active	1975–present
Associated acts	Last in Line, Resurrection Kings. Rick Derringer, Axis, Black Sabbath, Dio, Hear 'n Aid, Flesh & Blood, World War III, Heaven & Hell, Circle of Tyrants, Kill Devil Hill, Big Noize, WAMI, Hollywood Monsters, Toehider, Joel Hoekstra's 13, Stonehand, John Lennon

Vincent Paul "Vinny" Appice (born September 13, 1957), is an American rock drummer and the younger brother of drummer Carmine Appice. He is best known for his work with the bands Dio, Black Sabbath, Heaven & Hell, and Big Noize.

Appice took up the drums at the age of nine, taking lessons from the same teacher as his brother Carmine Appice. When he was sixteen, Appice and his band BOMF met John Lennon at Record Plant Studios, leading to him appearing on several Lennon recordings. He moved on to record with Rick Derringer on Derringer (1976), Sweet Evil (1977), and Derringer Live (1977), before forming his own band Axis and recording It's A Circus World (1978).

Appice joined Black Sabbath during the tour in support of the Heaven and Hell album in 1980. He was quickly brought in to replace original drummer Bill Ward, who quit the band mid-tour due to personal issues. Appice arrived for his first show with Black Sabbath at the Aloha Stadium in Hawaii with his entire drum kit packed into the back of a car. He was forced to learn the band's songs on stage, using hastily written crib notes for each unfamiliar song. A sudden rain storm made the ink run on Vinny's notes. According to an interview conducted at NAMM in 2012, Vinny stated that at the end of the show during the bows he tossed the notebook into the crowd. Appice subsequently appeared on the Black Sabbath albums Mob Rules (1981) and Live Evil (1982).

In late 1982 he left Black Sabbath along with vocalist Ronnie James Dio and formed the band Dio. They recorded Holy Diver (1983), The Last in Line (1984), Sacred Heart (1985), Intermission (1986), and Dream Evil (1987). In December 1989 Appice left Dio and briefly teamed up with Dokken bassist Jeff Pilson in the band Flesh & Blood.