ELF

In the early 1970s, the rock band Elf first drew notice chiefly for introducing vocalist Ronnie James Dio, who soon shifted toward a heavier metallic approach by fronting Rainbow, Black Sabbath, and his own solo outfit, Dio. Throughout the late 1960s the ensemble underwent repeated rebrandings, moving from the Electric Elves to the Elves before adopting the simpler name Elf. Their self-titled debut appeared on Epic in 1972 under the guidance of Deep Purple bassist Roger Glover. The lineup most often recalled placed Dio—still using his birth name Ronald Padavona and also playing bass—beside guitarist David Feinstein, guitarist and keyboardist Micky Lee Soule, and drummer Gary Driscoll. That record attracted little attention, and the same fate met the next two albums, L.A./59 (issued abroad as Carolina Country Ball) and Trying to Burn the Sun. The musicians also appeared on Roger Glover’s 1974 release The Butterfly Ball and the Grasshopper's Feast. Their association with Glover brought them to the attention of former Deep Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore, who asked the entire group except one guitarist to form the prog-metal band Rainbow. The resulting self-titled album surfaced in 1975. Gradually Rainbow became little more than a vehicle for Blackmore rather than a genuine band, and the former Elf members departed one after another until Dio, the last to remain, left in 1978.