Metal, Hardcore, Indie, Rock
On Sunday, May 31, 2026, the Autry Museum of the American West in Griffith Park hosted the annual “Rock For Ronnie” performance, which raised more over $125,000 for the Ronnie James Dio Stand Up And Shout Cancer Fund, as per Blabbermouth. The day of nonstop music included crowd favourite Lita Ford, well-known tribute band Led Zepagain, the new lineup of Dio Disciples, southern rock band Jason Charles Miller, British hard rock band Legs Diamond, the all-female AC/DC tribute Whole Lotta Rosies, up-and-coming Los Angeles band Saints Of Sinners, and the iconic all-star jam. Eddie Trunk, a radio and television personality who can be heard on SiriusXM’s 103 Faction Talk channel, hosted the event.
A $25,000 cheque was accepted by cancer researchers Irene Choi and Neeti Swarup from Dr David Wong’s lab at the UCLA School of Dentistry to support their ongoing efforts to create a straightforward, non-invasive saliva swab test for early cancer diagnosis. Early cancer diagnosis is a top aim for the Dio Cancer Fund, and this discovery is critical because cancer fingerprints are seven times more common in saliva than in blood. The afternoon’s musical program began with local newcomers Saints Of Sinners, who included Geezer Butler of Black Sabbath and his wife and manager Gloria Butler among their admirers. The all-female AC/DC tribute Whole Lotta Rosies and the seasoned British band Legs Diamond, who played their own style of hard rock, came next.
Due to popular demand, southern rocker Jason Charles Miller and his band—which included drummer Nick Mason, bassist Zach Andrews, and guitarists Allie Kay and Gary Joseph Potter Jr.—returned to “Rock For Ronnie” for the fourth year in a row. The majority of Dio Disciples’ new vocal lineup debuted. Bjorn Englen plays bass, Scott Warren plays keyboards, Rowan Robertson plays guitar, and Oni Logan and Robin McAuley alternate lead vocals. Simon Wright, the drummer for Disciples, was replaced by veteran Brian Tichy while he underwent surgery. The well-known Zeppelin tribute band Led Zepagain, who participated in the all-star jam last year, returned to play a full performance for the enthusiastic audience.
Before Lita Ford’s headline performance, a live auction was held to sell signed, unique guitars that were donated by George Thorogood, Geezer Butler, and Lita herself. Geezer Butler gave a Lakland bass, and George Thorogood gave an Epiphone Les Paul. Once again, Lita Ford requested Jim Cara of PBS’s “Guitar Builder To The Stars,” who has created bespoke guitars for her, to make a unique guitar for the event, this time including artwork from Dio’s “Holy Diver” album. After Lita’s energetic performance with her band, which included drummer Bobby Rock, bassist Marten Andersson, and guitarist Patrick Kennison, Wendy Dio gave Lita the Dio Cancer Fund’s “Queen Of Rock ‘N’ Roll” award in recognition of her ongoing dedication to and support of the organization.
The all star jam featured:
