Claude Schnell

Claude Schnell joined Dio in May 1983, after album Holy Diver was released but before the subsequent tour was launched.

Claude Schnell was born in Paris, France, but moved to Brooklyn, New York when he was 6 years old. He studied music at Julliard and moved then to Los Angeles to start his musical career by forming his first band called Magic.

After several years in Dio Claude Schnell was fired with Jimmy Bain . NIJI Management informed press in Mid August, 1989 about the firing. The reasons were supposedly personal problems between him and Dio. He quite much disappeared from the heavy rock scene; Around Autumn 1993 he was supposedly playing in some bars and restaurants in San Francisco with some band of his own. He is said to have done some keyboard work in the studio for Loudness' Soldier Of Fortune album, released in 1990.

History