Randy Rhoads
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Randall William Rhoads was born on December 6, 1956 at St. Johns hospital In Santa Monica, California. When Randy was 17 months old, his father William Arthur Rhoads left his mother Delores Rhoads to raise all three children. Delores Rhoads owned a music school. Randy started playing guitar at age 6 on his grandfather's old Gibson acoustic guitar. According to Randy's mother, he learned to play some folk guitar which was a popular way to learn guitar at the time although Randy didn't take lessons very long.
By the time Randy was 14, he was in a band called Violet Fox, named after his mother's middle name Violet. Randy then taught best friend Kelli Garni how to play bass and they formed Quiet Riot when Randy was about 16 (according to Randy's mother). Kevin Dubrow auditoned for vocalist in Randy's kitchen and was chosen. Then drummer Drew Forsythe came into the picture. Quiet Riot played local bars and parties in L.A, Quiet Riot often played the same clubs as Mammoth which would later change their name to Van Halen. The band snagged a Japanese record deal soon after and Quiet Riot's self- titled debut album was released in Japan. Kelli Garni was replaced by future Ozzy Osbourne bassist Rudy Sarzo. The band then released Quiet Riot II.
In 1979, ex-Black Sabbath singer Ozzy Osbourne was looking to start a new band. Future Slaughter bassist Dana Strum recommended Randy Rhoads to Ozzy. Ozzy said to not even bother bringing him over but he did anyway. Randy walked in with a Les Paul and a Fender practice amp and started warming up and Ozzy immediately gave him the job. Randy was actually somewhat upset, saying Ozzy had not really heard him play yet. Ozzy described Randy's playing as "God entering my life."
Randy and Ozzy met bassist Bob Daisley in an English pub. Ozzy heard good things about Bob Daisley so he asked him to join his band; Bob accepted. Ozzy and company auditioned many drummers but were being pressured by the record company - Jet Records - to start recording. Finally, the last drummer on the list - Lee Kerslake - got the gig. They also hired keyboardist Don Airey who had played with Ozzy a few years prior on the Black Sabbath album Never Say Die!. The new supergroup Blizzard Of Ozz headed into the studio with ex-Black Sabbath singer Ozzy Osbourne, guitar virtuoso Randy Rhoads, ex-Rainbow bassist Bob Daisley, former Uriah Heep drummer Lee Kerlskae and Don Airey to record the band's debut album.
They released two singles: "Mr. Crowley" and the giant hit "Crazy Train". Ozzy showed his fans he still had a lot left; the lyrics varied from many subjects, including Ozzy's trademark dark songs. The band toured and recorded Diary Of A Madman. Two days after recording was done, Ozzy fired Kerslake and Daisley and hired ex-Black Oak Arkansas drummer Tommy Aldridge and ex-Quiet Riot bassist Rudy Sarzo; this lineup played together for the duration of the Blizzard Of Ozz tour, during which the album Tribute (released several years later) was recorded. Diary of a Madman was released shortly thereafter and Ozzy launched another tour with the same lineup. Randy eventually told Ozzy, Tommy Aldridge and friend Kelli Garni that he was considering leaving rock for a few years to earn a degree in classical guitar.
On March 19, 1982, the band was headed to a festival headlined by Foreigner in Orlando, Florida when they stopped at the bus driver's house in Leesburg, Florida. The driver (Andrew Aycock) was also a licensed pilot. Andrew Aycock, Randy Rhoads and hairdresser Rachel Youngblood climbed into a plane and took off. Aycock tried to make a mock divebomb at the bus but the plane clipped the bus and went flying into a house. Rhoads, at just 25 years of age, was killed instantly. Aycock, 36 and Youngblood, 58 were also killed. Ex-Gillan guitar Bernie Torme replaced Randy for a few shows but Brad Gillis was brought on for the remainder of the tour. In 1987, five years after Randy's death, Ozzy was finally ready to pay tribute to Randy and released Tribute the only official live album with Ozzy and Randy. Tribute contains outstanding performances by the whole band, including a jaw-dropping three-minute guitar solo by Rhoads. He is buried in [Mountain View Cemetery (http://www.mountainviewcemetery.org)] in San Bernardino, California.
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Career with Quiet Riot
- 1975-1976: Rhoads first joined Quiet Riot with Kelly Garni, Kevin DuBrow, Drew Forsythe.
- 1977: The band signs a contract to Sony Records
- 1978: The band released its first album. Released only in Japan
- 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, releasing Diary of a Madman.
- 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.
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.
The live recordings on Tribute were originally intended to be released as Ozzy's first live album, Speak of the Devil (Talk of the Devil in the U.K.), but when Rhoads died, Osbourne shelved the tapes. Instead, Ozzy made a live recording of songs from the Ozzy-era Black Sabbath catalogue, playing with his usual live ensemble (Rudy Sarzo on bass guitar and Tommy Aldridge on drums) and guitarist Brad Gillis of Night Ranger substituting for Rhoads. The intended name of the live album, however, did not change, and consequently Speak of the Devil is sometimes erroneously ascribed to Rhoads's discography.
Discography with Quiet Riot
- Quiet Riot I (1978)
- Quiet Riot II (1979)
- The Randy Rhoads Years (Greatest Hits of 1977-1981) (1993)
- The Greatest Hits (Greatest Hits) (1996)
Discography with Ozzy Osbourne
- Blizzard Of Ozz (1981)
- Live EP (No Longer Available - Out of Print) (1981)
- Diary of a Madman (1981)
- Tribute (Live 1981) (1987)
- The Ozzman Cometh (greatest hits) (1997)
- Essential: Ozzy Osbourne (greatest hits) (2003)es:Randy Rhoads
External Links
- Randy Rhoads Talk (Approved by the Rhoads family) (http://www.nobitching.com/board/)
- Unofficial Randy Rhoads Webpage (http://www.randy-rhoads.com/)
- The Day the Music Died (http://home.flash.net/~ulknatme/index.html)
- Randy Rhoads Gallery (http://krijgenic.com/gallery/)