Randy Rhoads
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- For the talk radio host, see Randi Rhodes
- For the guitar model, see Jackson Randy Rhoads
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Randall William "Randy" Rhoads (December 6, 1956 – March 19, 1982) was an American virtuoso guitarist, considered by many to be one of the greatest rock guitarists of all time. [[Citing sources citation needed]]. His unique neo-classical style set him apart from other guitarists of the early 1980s. He was a student of classical guitar and he used this talent on rock guitar studies. Rhoads was only active in the studio for 3 years prior to his death.
Biography
Rhoads was born on December 6th, 1956 at St. John's Hospital in Santa Monica, California. He was the youngest of three children, his older brother Doug is a drummer who goes by the name of Kelle Rhoads. His sister's name is Kathy.When Randy was 17 months old, his father William Arthur Rhoads left his mother Delores Rhoads and the three children. Mrs. Rhoads has owned and operated the Musonia School of Music in Burbank, California since 1949. Rhoads started playing guitar at age 6 on his grandfather's old Gibson "Army-Navy" classical acoustic guitar. According to Rhoads's mother, he learned to play folk guitar, which was a popular way to learn guitar at the time, although he did not take lessons for very long. Rhoads was always evolving toward a hard rock/metal lead guitar style, but he was heavily influenced by classical music as well. This can be heard on tracks like "Dee", "Mr. Crowley", "Diary Of A Madman", "Crazy Train" and "Revelation (Mother Earth)".
By the time Rhoads was 14, he was in a band called Violet Fox (after his mother's middle name, Violet). Rhoads taught his best friend Kelly Garni how to play bass, and together they formed Quiet Riot when Rhoads was about 17 (according to Rhoads' mother). Kevin DuBrow auditioned for vocalist in Rhoads' kitchen after he convinced Rhoads and Garni to give him a chance. The drummer, Drew Forsyth, was already in the picture and had periodically played with Rhoads and Garni in the past. Quiet Riot initially played in small bars in Hollywood and local parties in Burbank, eventually playing at the two main L.A. music clubs of the day - the Whisky a Go Go, and The Starwood. While the band had a strong following in the L.A. club scene, they were unable to secure a major recording contract in the United States. Eventually, however, the band was able to land a record deal with a Japanese label and Quiet Riot's self-titled debut album was released in Japan. In 1978, Garni left the band to pursue a career as a paramedic, and was replaced by future Ozzy Osbourne bassist Rudy Sarzo. The band then released Quiet Riot II. Although Sarzo appeared on the cover photo for Quiet Riot II, he did not play on either of the Japanese releases.
In 1979, ex-Black Sabbath singer Ozzy Osbourne was looking to start a new band. Future Slaughter bassist Dana Strum recommended Rhoads to Osbourne. Rhoads got the call for the audition just before the last Quiet Riot gig. He walked in with a Les Paul guitar and a Fender practice amp and started warming up; Osbourne immediately gave him the job. Rhoads recalled later, "I just tuned up and did some riffs, and he said, 'You've got the gig.' I had the weirdest feeling, because I thought, 'You didn't even hear me yet.'" Osbourne described Rhoads's playing as "God entering my life."
They arrived in England in March 1980 to begin working on their first album. Rhoads and Osbourne met up with bassist Bob Daisley in an English pub. Osbourne heard good things about Bob Daisley's playing in Rainbow, so he asked him to join his band; Daisley accepted. Osbourne and company auditioned many drummers but were being pressured by the record company, Jet Records, to start recording. Finally, the last drummer on their list, former Uriah Heep drummer Lee Kerslake, got the gig. They also hired keyboardist Don Airey who had played with Osbourne a few years prior on the Black Sabbath album Never Say Die!. The band headed into the studio to record the band's debut album, Blizzard Of Ozz. Propelled by Rhoads' inspiring neo-classical guitar work and highlighting Daisley's contemporary lyrics, the album proved an instant hit with rock fans, particularly in the USA.
They released two singles from the album: "Mr. Crowley" (inspired lyrically by occultist Aleister Crowley) and the hit "Crazy Train". The band toured extensively and then quickly wrote and recorded the follow-up Diary Of A Madman. Two singles were released from Diary Of A Madman; "Over The Mountain" and "Flying High Again". Two days after recording was done, Osbourne fired Kerslake and Daisley, and he hired ex-Black Oak Arkansas drummer Tommy Aldridge and ex-Quiet Riot bassist Rudy Sarzo. Diary of a Madman was released shortly thereafter and Osbourne launched another tour with this same lineup. Around this time Rhoads remarked to Osbourne, Tommy Aldridge and friend Kelly Garni that he was considering leaving rock for a few years to earn a degree in classical guitar. In the documentary Don't Blame Me, Osbourne confirmed Randy's desire to earn the degree and stated that had he lived, he didn't believe Randy would be playing with him.
On March 19, 1982, the band was headed to a festival in Orlando, Florida, when they stopped at the bus driver's house in Leesburg, Florida after driving much of the night. The driver, Andrew Aycock, was also a licensed pilot and he, Rhoads and hairdresser Rachel Youngblood climbed into a plane and took off early that morning. Apparently, during the flight, an attempt was made to "buzz" the tour bus where the other band members were sleeping - in doing this, the plane clipped the bus by accident and crashed into the garage of the nearby house. Rhoads, age 25, was killed instantly, as were Aycock, 36, and Youngblood, 58. It was found later that Aycock had an expired flying license and had some amount of cocaine in his system; Rhoads' toxicology test revealed no illicit drugs.
In 1987, five years after Rhoads' death, Osbourne released Tribute, the only official live album with Osbourne and Rhoads together.
Despite his relatively limited recorded work, Rhoads has influenced many guitar players over the years; notable players include: Zakk Wylde, Dimebag Darrell, Alexi Laiho, Jake E. Lee, Brad Gillis, Yngwie Malmsteen, Chris Impellitteri, John Petrucci, Tony MacAlpine, Wolf Hoffman, Akira Takasaki, Matthias Jabs, Troy Stetina, Lee Tatler, Paul Gilbert, Marty Friedman, hide, Janick Gers, Buckethead and has had an impact on practically every metal/rock guitarist since his inception into Ozzy Osbourne's band. Randy was inducted into the Rock Walk on March 18th 2004. Guests included Delores Rhoads, Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne, Zakk Wylde and Yngwie Malmsteen. Randy Rhoads was interred at Mountain View Cemetery in San Bernardino, California. At the time, Randy's mother was living in West Hollywood and Randy's grandparents are buried at Mountain View. The Rhoads family and many fans gather there on the anniversary of his death as well as his birthday to pay tribute and celebrate his life.
Career with Quiet Riot
- 1975–1976: Rhoads forms Quiet Riot.
- 1977: The band signs a contract to Sony Records.
- 1978: The band released its first album. Released only in Japan. Kelly Garni is replaced by Rudy Sarzo.
- 1979: The band released the second album. Released only in Japan.
- 1980: Rhoads starts playing with Ozzy Osbourne.
- 1981: Rhoads quits Quiet Riot so he can stay focused on his work with Ozzy Osbourne
- 1982: Rhoads dies in a plane crash at Leesburg, Florida.
- 1983: The band releases Metal Health with a new guitarist, Carlos Cavazo. The song "Thunderbird" is dedicated to Rhoads' memory.
Discography with Quiet Riot
- Quiet Riot (1977)
- Quiet Riot II (1978)
- The Randy Rhoads Years (Greatest Hits of 1977–1981) (1993)
Career with Ozzy Osbourne
- 1980: Randy Rhoads' first gig with Ozzy Osbourne, and the recording of Blizzard of Ozz.
- 1981: Blizzard Of Ozz and Diary of a Madman were both released.
- 1987: Ozzy Osbourne releases Tribute to commemorate the fifth anniversary of Rhoads's death.
Discography with Ozzy Osbourne
Singles
- "Crazy Train" (1980)
- "Mr. Crowley" (1980)
- "Over The Mountain" (1981)
- "Flying High Again" (1981)
- "Tonight" (1981)
Albums
- Blizzard Of Ozz (1981)
- Live EP (1981) - out of print
- Diary of a Madman (1981)
- Tribute (Live 1981) (1987)
- Ten Commandments (album) (Greatest Hits) (1990) - out of print
- The Ozzman Cometh (Greatest Hits) (1997)
- (Greatest Hits) (2003)
- The Prince Of Darkness (box set) (2005)
External links
- [Official Randy Rhoads webpage]
- ['The Day the Music Died'], with more detail on Rhoads' death
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