Glenn Hughes talks about Ronnie James Dio

Amid all the glamour and ego of the music world, it is easy to forget that many a true friendship has formed among our rock idols, and some have lasted a lifetime,

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One such friendship was between vocal maestro Cannock-born Glenn Hughes and Ronnie James Dio, singer with Black Sabbath incarnation Heaven & Hell.

But on May 16 this year Ronnie James Dio died, and the world of music mourned the loss of one of the greatest voices in heavy metal.

Glenn, of Trapeze and Deep Purple fame, sang at Ronnie's funeral and is now set to sing with remaining members of Heaven & Hell - which includes Birmingham-born Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler - at the High Voltage festival in London's Victoria Park this month.

"Ronnie and I were very close friends and we really liked each other as singers," says Glenn, aged 57. "He was a real sweet soulful person and I had a very strong bond with him when he left Rainbow in the late 70s. He moved from New York to LA to be close to me. He and his wife Wendy were very close friends with me and my first wife Karen."

Dio was a truly iconic figure in music, whose work with Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Dio and most recently Heaven & Hell defined a genre.

And it was when Ronnie was with his band Elf that Glenn was first introduced to the little guy with the huge voice: "In 1973 Ronnie was in a band called Elf, who were the support band for my first two world tours with Deep Purple in 1973 and 74," says Glenn.

"They went everywhere with us on the private plane and after each show Ronnie and I would get together and have a couple of drinks and talk music. We just became really good friends."

Glenn also formed close friendships with the members of Black Sabbath, so it is only fitting that he sings with them again in the tribute to Ronnie.

"Tony Iommi and I have been friends forever," Glenn continues. "In fact, I've been friends with the Sabbath family forever. We all grew up together.

"I've known all the guys, Ozzy included, since 1970 and I've done three albums with Tony."

In fact, after Ozzy left the band, Glenn joined Black Sabbath in 1986 for the album Seventh Star, and recorded two further albums with Iommi. So the bond is still strong. And as one of Ronnie's favourite singers it was inevitable that Glenn should perform at the funeral, held in Glenn's home town of Los Angeles.

"It was appropriate that I should sing for him which I did at the drop of a hat. I sang a Trapeze song that Ronnie loved, which was Coast to Coast. He absolutely loved that band.

"Wendy asked me to sing Catch the Rainbow which is a song from the first Rainbow album.

"But it wasn't about me singing at the funeral. It was about me paying my respects in a song.

"When I met the guys at Ronnie's memorial, we spent some hours together," Glenn continues. "So obviously when they asked me to come back to honour Ronnie at High Voltage, I said yes."

Despite Ronnie's illness, Heaven & Hell were set to go on the road in Europe this summer as he was making amazing progress.

But it was later announced he wouldn't be well enough to tour and those shows were cancelled.

The one-off performance at High Voltage will celebrate his life and work, and Glenn will be joined on vocals by Norwegian Jorn Lande, best known in the UK as the vocalist for power metal band Masterplan.

It promises to be a fitting celebration to a man who was not only an icon in the metal scene but who was also involved in much charity work.

"Ronnie was an icon but he was also a humanitarian," says Glenn. "He honoured many charities, including Children of the Night, and cancer charities.

"High Voltage is our send-off to Ronnie. I'm sure there will be other tributes to him but Tony says it will be Heaven & Hell's only tribute."

Ronnie was widely known among rock circles, but those who were fortunate enough to meet him, fans included, spoke of a warm, kind man who was very giving of his time.

"I want people to remember Ronnie as a major metal icon singer," adds Glenn, "But he was an insanely beautiful person, a really good guy. I would introduce him to some friends of mine or regular people and he would remember their names. He didn't know anything about them, but he'd ask them what they did in life. He was so sweet and kind and giving of his time that when we heard he was very ill it was a major shock to us all."

As well as losing his friend Ronnie, Glenn has had more than his fair share of heartbreak recently with the news that his friend Mike Watson has cancer, and the death of his pal since childhood Andrew Attwood, affectionately known as Toothy. Andy was the main roadie for Trapeze from the beginning to the end, for guitarist Mel Galley in Whitesnake and beyond, and for Glenn in every UK show of every solo tour.

"Six weeks ago Andy was driving me back and forth to London," Glenn says. "I know he wasn't well and he hadn't eaten in days. We knew he had cancer but he kept saying 'I'll be ok'. He was gonna come with me to Europe in July. He was getting himself ready for that. But I knew when he went in hospital that he wasn't coming out.

"I know a lot of people with cancer right now. It's changing me, making me look at life a lot differently."

And indeed Glenn's outlook on life is changing. With his music he is returning to his rock roots since forming new band Black Country Communion.

"The majority of my fans are rock fans, but I love being able to do other things," Glenn admits. "I've reinvented my self with this album - for me it says 'Glenn Hughes'."

The super-group was formed when music producer Kevin Shirley heard Glenn and American blues rock guitarist Joe Bonamassa playing together.

With Jason Bonham on drums and keys man Derek Sherinian, the band cut a 12-track album in a matter of days.

"The songs are all first takes," Glenn adds. "The music and vocals were recorded in hours. The whole album was recorded within a week, the way things were probably done in the 60s."

And it looks set to be the rock album of 2010 - although fans will have to wait until September for its release.

Heaven & Hell's tribute to Ronnie James Dio is at the High Voltage Festival, Victoria Park, London, on July 24, and proceeds will go to Ronnie's 'Stand Up And Shout' cancer fund.