Elf

1967 marked the end of the New York band Ronnie Dio And The Prophets (which recorded only a handful of singles as well as the live album Dio At Domino's in 1963) and the beginning of a new adventure for its members, singer/ bassist Ronnie James Dio, drummer Gary Driscoll and guitarists Nick Pantas and David Feinstein, who recruited keyboardist Doug Thaler to form The Electric Elves before becoming The Elves in 1968 (only a few singles and bootlegs were released under these names), then Elf in 1972. After Nick Pantas died in a car accident in 1968, Thaler took over the guitar while Mickey Lee Soule became the new keyboardist. But Thaler finally left the band in early 1972, leaving Feinstein alone guitarist. The same year released the first eponymous album, which allows Elf to shoot in the first part of Deep Purple . Dio gave up bass in 1973, when Craig Gruber was recruited to the post. At the same time, David Feinstein left the band, replaced by Steve Edwards. The second album was released in 1974 under the name Carolina County Ball in Europe and L.A. / 59 in the United States and Japan. It was also in 1974 that Dio participated in the solo album of Roger Glover, The Butterfly Ball And The Grasshopper's Feast (he sings on the title Love Is All). Shortly thereafter, guitarist Ritchie Blackmore recruited four of Elf's five members for his Rainbow project, marking the end of the band despite the release of a third and final album in 1975, Trying To Burn The Sun.
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