ROCK FOR RONNIE Fund Raiser Finds New Home at Autry Museum Park and Brings in $100,000 for Ronnie James Dio Stand Up & Shout Cancer Fund
Sebastian Bach, Dio Disciples, Count’s 77, Kill Devil Hill, Jason Charles Miller, Anita Squeeze and All-Star JamDeliver Exciting Afternoon of Music
The annual ROCK FOR RONNIE Concert in the Park has found a new home at the lawn adjacent to the Autry Museum of the West in Griffith Park, where it held this year’s event on Sunday, May 18, 2025 and brought in over $100,000 for the Ronnie James Dio Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund (www.diocancerfund.org). Veteran singer Sebastian Bach headlined the lineup, which also included Dio Disciples, Count’s 77, Kill Devil Hill, southern rock band Jason Charles Miller, Anita Squeeze and an All-Star Jam. Entrepreneur, author and producer Ahmet Zappa hosted the event.
Dr. David Wong of the UCLA School of Dentistry accepted a check for $25,000 to advance his team’s research to develop a simple, non-invasive saliva swab test for early cancer detection. Because cancer fingerprints are seven times more prevalent in saliva than in blood, this research is crucial to early cancer diagnoses. Kicking off the afternoon was popular local band Anita Squeeze with their signature brand of rock. Returning to ROCK FOR RONNIE by popular demand for the third consecutive year was southern rocker Jason Charles Miller with his band, comprising Allie Kay and Gary Joseph Potter Jr. on guitars; Zach Andrews on bass and drummer Nick Mason.
Las Vegas-based Count’s 77 followed, led by vocalist Danny “Count” Koker from the Las Vegas-based show Counting Cars, which features his Count’s Kustoms auto shop where he builds hot rods. Next up, veteran band Kill Devil Hill delivered their brand of heavy metal following a lengthy introduction from emcee Ahmet Zappa and Mia Tyler, wife of the band’s vocalist Dewey Bragg and daughter of Steven Tyler, who talked about growing up as children of rock musician.
Budderside vocalist Patrick Stone and recent Lynch Mob vocalist Gabriel Colon alternated lead vocals for Dio Disciples at this year’s ROCK FOR RONNIE with a set comprising Dio classics such as “Rainbow in the Dark” and “Long Live Rock n Roll.” Sebastian Bach took the stage backed by Matthew Galeos, Fede Delfino and Bach’s son Paris on drums, and later in his set welcomed his 12-year-old stepson Trace to join him for his iconic “Youth Gone Wild.”
Closing out the afternoon of music was the traditional All-Star Jam, this year featuring local favorites Led Zepagain for a special appearance in addition to Doug Aldrich (Dead Daisies, Dio, Whitesnake); Marten Andersson (Lita Ford); Ira Black (Dio Disciples, Vio-Lence); John Bush (Armored Saint); Jeremy Colson (Steve Vai, Billy Idol); Robbie Crane (Warrant); Phil Demmel (Kerry King, Category 7); Marc Ferrari (Keel); Julia Lage and Brit Lightning of Vixen; Mandy Lion; Tommy London (Sirius XM); Bill McBride (sponsor); Mike Mangin (The Cult); Sean McNabb (Dokken, Rhino Bucket); Keith Nelson (Buckcherry); Dug Pinnick (Kings X); Rudy Sarzo (Quiet Riot, Dio); Matt Starr (Ace Frehley, Mr. Big); Jeff Tortora (Blue Man Group); Neil Turbin (Death Riders, Anthrax); Ricky Warwick (Thin Lizzy, Black Star Riders); Chas West (Bonham, Moby Dicks); and Carlos Zema (Immortal Guardian), among others.
Vocalist Ricky Warwick kicked off the All-Star Jam with Thin Lizzy classics “Are You Ready” and “Jailbreak.” The jam continued with tributes to Rainbow, Jimi Hendrix and, of course, Dio.
ROCK FOR RONNIE‘s new location at the park adjacent to the Autry Museum offered a beautiful setting for an afternoon of exciting live music and fun for the whole family. Also, there were a raffle, silent and live auctions, merchandise sales, food trucks, assorted vendor booths selling unusual crafts and other items and artist meet and greets. The specially-created “Garden of Hope” provided the opportunity to make an “I Rock For” dedication to someone who has battled, survived or succumbed to cancer. It was filled with tributes by the end of the afternoon.
Official Recap from W3 Public Relations. Photos by contributor Joe Schaeffer for The Pure Rock Shop. Posted on 6/1/2025. Additional coverage of the event from our contributor Joe Schaeffer can be found here.