Randy Rhoads

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This article is about the guitarist. For the guitar model, see Jackson Randy Rhoads.
Randy Rhoads
Randy Rhoads (1980).jpg
Randy Rhoads performing in 1980
Background information
Birth name Randall William Rhoads
Born (1956-12-06)December 6, 1956
Santa Monica, California
Died March 19, 1982(1982-03-19) (aged 25)
Leesburg, Florida
Genres Heavy metal, hard rock, neo-classical metal
Occupations Musician, songwriter, producer, music teacher
Instruments Guitar
Years active 1972–1982
Labels Epic, Sony
Associated acts Ozzy Osbourne, Quiet Riot
Website http://www.randyrhoads.us/
Notable instruments
Jackson Randy Rhoads
Karl Sandoval "Polka Dot" Flying V
Gibson Les Paul Custom

Randall William "Randy" Rhoads (December 6, 1956 – March 19, 1982) was an American heavy metal guitarist who played with Ozzy Osbourne and Quiet Riot. A devoted student of classical guitar, Rhoads combined his classical music influences with his own heavy metal style. Despite his short career, Rhoads is a major influence on neo-classical metal, is cited as an influence by many guitarists, and is included in several "Greatest Guitarist" lists.[1][2]

Contents

Biography [edit]

Quiet Riot [edit]

At age 14, Rhoads formed a cover band called Violet Fox (after his mother's middle name, Violet), with his older brother Kelle on drums. Violet Fox staged several performances in the "Grand Salon" at Musonia, Delores Rhoads' music school in North Hollywood, CA. Among their setlist was "Mississippi Queen" by Mountain, and songs from The Rolling Stones, Alice Cooper and David Bowie. After the dissolution of Violet Fox, Rhoads taught his best friend Kelly Garni how to play bass, and together they formed a band called The Whore (rehearsing during the day at Rodney Bingenheimer's English Disco, a 1970s Hollywood nightspot), spending several months playing at backyard parties around Los Angeles.

Together the pair went on to form Quiet Riot when Rhoads was 16. Kevin DuBrow auditioned for vocalist in Rhoads' kitchen after he convinced Rhoads and Garni to give him a chance, although DuBrow once said he 'auditioned once and got the gig'. The drummer Drew Forsyth, 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. The band was able to land a record deal with Japanese label CBS/Sony Records. Quiet Riot and Quiet Riot II were released in Japan.

Ozzy Osbourne [edit]

In 1979, Black Sabbath singer Ozzy Osbourne was forming a new band. During an interview with Raw Power Magazine editors Robert Olshever, Murray Schwartz and Scott Stephens (future singer of Liquid Blue), Ozzy mentioned he was looking for a new guitar player. Randy's name was suggested during the interview and the next day Robert asked friend and future Slaughter bassist Dana Strum to try to reach Randy to see if he was interested. Rhoads got the call for the audition just before his final show with Quiet Riot. He walked in with his Gibson Les Paul guitar and a 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 was drunk and passed out during the audition, but described Rhoads' playing as "God entering my life". Rhoads subsequently recommended his friend Greg Leon, who also taught guitar at Musonia for Rhoads's mother, to replace him in Quiet Riot, and then departed for the UK to write and record with Osbourne in November 1979.

The band, then known as The Blizzard of Ozz, headed into the studio to record the band's debut album, titled Blizzard of Ozz. Rhoads's guitar playing had changed due to the level of freedom allowed by Ozzy and bassist Bob Daisley and he was encouraged to play what he wanted. His work with Quiet Riot has been criticized as being "dull" and did not rely on classical scales or arrangements.[3] Propelled by Rhoads's neo-classical guitar work, the album proved an instant hit with rock fans, particularly in the USA. They released two singles from the album: "Mr Crowley" and the hit "Crazy Train". The British tour of 1980–81 for Blizzard of Ozz was with Bob Daisley and drummer Lee Kerslake.

After the UK tour the band recorded another LP, but before the US Blizzard tour both Lee Kerslake and Bob Daisley were fired by Sharon Arden, Ozzy's future wife. For the US Blizzard tour, Black Oak Arkansas drummer Tommy Aldridge and bassist Rudy Sarzo - who had been Randy's bandmate in Quiet Riot - were hired. Diary of a Madman was released soon after in October 1981, and since Kerslake and Daisley were already out of the band, Aldridge and Sarzo's photos appear on the album sleeve. Disputes over royalties performance, and other intellectual property rights became a source of future court battles.[4] Kerslake has maintained that Rhoads almost left Osbourne's band in late 1981, due to his displeasure with the firing of Kerslake and Daisley. "He didn't want to go (on tour with Osbourne). We told him we were thrown out. He said he was going to leave the band as he did not want to leave us behind. I told him not to be stupid but thanks for the sentiment," the drummer later recalled.[5]

A live album, Tribute, mainly drawn from a performance in Cleveland, Ohio, was released in 1987 and included live versions of "Goodbye to Romance" and "No Bone Movies", recorded in the UK with Daisley and Kerslake in 1980.

Around this time, Rhoads remarked to Osbourne, fellow Ozz bandmates Tommy Aldridge and Rudy Sarzo, and friend Kelly Garni that he was considering leaving rock for a few years to earn a degree in classical guitar at UCLA. In the documentary Don't Blame Me, Osbourne confirmed Randy's desire to earn the degree and stated that had he lived, he did not believe Randy would have stayed in his band. Friend and ex-Quiet Riot bassist Kelly Garni has stated in interviews that if Randy had continued to play rock, he might have gone the route of more keyboard-driven rock, which had become very popular through the 1980s. It was at this time that Rhoads was beginning to receive recognition for his playing. Just before his death Jackson Guitars created a signature model, the Jackson Randy Rhoads (though Randy had originally called his white pinstriped V "the Concorde"). Randy received one prototype – a black offset V hardtail which is the base for today's RR line of Jackson guitars – but died before the guitar went into production. Rhoads also received the Best New Talent award from Guitar Player magazine. While on tour with Ozzy Osbourne, Rhoads would seek out classical guitar tutors for lessons.

Death [edit]

Rhoads' tomb, San Bernardino, California

Randy Rhoads played his last show on Thursday, March 18, 1982 at the Knoxville Civic Coliseum. The next day, the band was heading to a festival in Orlando, Florida. After driving much of the night, they stopped on the property belonging to Jerry Calhoun, owner of Florida Coach, in Leesburg, Florida. On the Calhoun property there was an airstrip with small helicopters and planes. Ex-commercial pilot and tour bus driver, Andrew Aycock, took a small plane on a joyride with Rhoads and Makeup Artist Rachel Youngblood aboard. During the second flight, attempts were made to 'buzz' the tour bus, where the other band members were sleeping.[6] Aycock succeeded in making two close passes, but botched the third attempt. The left wing clipped the back side of the tour bus, tearing the fiberglass roof and sending the plane spiraling out of control. The plane severed the top of a pine tree and crashed into the garage of a nearby mansion, bursting into flames. Rhoads was killed instantly, as were Aycock (36) and Youngblood (58). All three bodies were burned beyond recognition, and were identified by dental records and Rhoads' jewelry.

Bob Daisley and Lee Kerslake, who had recorded Blizzard of Ozz and Diary of a Madman with Rhoads and had been recently fired from Osbourne's band, were together in Houston, Texas with Uriah Heep when they heard news of the accident. "I was already sitting at the bar when Bob Daisley came into the bar", Kerslake recalled in 2002. "I turned and looked at Bob and said, 'Fuck, you have gone all white. What is wrong?' Bob said, 'Lee, there was a plane crash this morning and Randy was in it... and he is dead.' That was it. Oh God, to hear that - I just turned and cried my eyes out. Bob and me were crying our eyes out over him, cause we loved him. He was such a lovely guy."[7]

It was later revealed in an autopsy that Aycock's system showed traces of cocaine at the time. Rhoads's toxicology test revealed only nicotine. The NTSB investigation determined that Aycock's medical certificate had expired and that his biennial flight review, required for all pilots, was overdue.[8] In Ozzy Osbourne's autobiography, I Am Ozzy, he writes that the night of Rhoads' death, he told his wife, Sharon: "I don't think I want to be a rock'n'roller any more". Rhoads' funeral was held at the First Lutheran Church in Burbank, California. He is interred at Mountain View Cemetery[9] in San Bernardino, California, where his grandparents are also buried.

Posthumous achievements [edit]

As a tribute to Rhoads, Marshall Amplification released the 1959RR at NAMM 2008. The amp is a limited-edition all-white Marshall Super Lead 100 watt head modeled after Randy's own Super Lead amp. Marshall engineers looked extensively at Rhoads' actual amplifier and made the 1959RR to those exact specifications, right down to the special high-gain modification Randy specifically requested when he visited the Marshall factory in 1980.[10]

Jackson Guitars released an exact replica of Randy's original white "shortwing" V. Randy's original guitar was handled, photographed, and measured extensively by Jackson's luthiers to produce the most precise replica possible. The guitar comes with black gaffer's tape covering the top wing and the back of the guitar, just like Randy's. Only 60 of the guitars were manufactured, each with the symbolic price tag of $12,619.56 which is Rhoads' birthday.[11] In 2010, Gibson Guitars announced a new custom shop signature guitar modeled after Rhoads' 1974 Les Paul Custom.[12] In April 2011, author Joel McIver announced the publication of the first fully comprehensive Rhoads biography, Crazy Train: The High Life and Tragic Death of Randy Rhoads,[13] with a foreword written by Zakk Wylde and an afterword by Yngwie Malmsteen. In June 2012, Velocity Publishing Group announced a comprehensive Randy Rhoads biography, written by Steven Rosen and Andrew Klein, and containing over 400 pages of material.[14]

May 31, 2011 marked the 30-year anniversary and re-master/release of Blizzard of Ozz and Diary of a Madman. Both albums have been remastered and restored to their original state with Bob Daisley's bass and Lee Kerslake's drums intact. Blizzard has 3 bonus tracks – "You, Looking at Me, Looking at You", "Goodbye to Romance" (2010 Vocal & Guitar Mix), and "RR" (Randy Rhoads in-studio guitar solo). Originally, Diary was to include long fade out versions of "You Can't Kill Rock and Roll", "Tonight", and "Diary of a Madman" (2010 Re-mix version), but were not included in the re-issue. The Legacy version of Diary of a Madman includes a second CD called Ozzy Live which includes the unreleased Blizzard of Ozz tour '81 recorded from many performances with at least one song (Flying High Again) taken from Montreal, Canada (July 1981 and was originally broadcast on the King Biscuit Flower Hour radio show).[15] The live show features the same line up as the Tribute album – Rudy Sarzo on bass, Tommy Aldridge on drums and Lindsey Bridgewater on keyboards. Also included exclusively in the special box set are the 180 gram vinyl versions of the original albums, an expansive 100-page coffee table book and the DVD – Thirty Years After the Blizzard, which includes unreleased Randy Rhoads video footage.

Guitar talent [edit]

Despite his youth and limited recorded work, Randy Rhoads is considered by Rolling Stone Magazine to be one of the greatest guitarists of all time.[16] Rhoads has been on the covers of many guitar magazines and has influenced many guitar players, including Yngwie Malmsteen, Dimebag Darrell, Frank Hannon, Doug Aldrich, John 5, Steve Vai, Jake E. Lee, Zakk Wylde, Michael Romeo, John Petrucci, Tom Morello, Joe Holmes, Neal Grusky (Takara), Michael Angelo Batio,[citation needed] Brad Gillis,[17] George Lynch,[18] Alexi Laiho,[19] Mick Thomson,[20] Paul Gilbert[21] and Buckethead.[22][23]

Rhoads' talent wasn't always met with such praise during his lifetime. J. D. Considine of Rolling Stone was less than enthused with his playing, referring to Rhoads in his review of Diary Of A Madman as "a junior-league Eddie Van Halen – bustling with chops but somewhat short on imagination".[24]

Equipment [edit]

Rhoads used a relatively simple setup, with a small number of guitars, effects and favored amplifiers. He preferred GHS .011 gauge strings.[25]

Guitars [edit]

  • Gibson '74 Aged Alpine White Les Paul Custom
  • Karl Sandoval "Polka Dot" V
  • Jackson Black Rhoads w/ Fixed Bridge
  • Jackson White "Prototype" Concorde
  • Fender '57 Stratocaster
  • 1950s Gibson Les Paul Black Beauty (used for photographs only)

Strings [edit]

  • GHS Boomers, 10-11 Gauge

Effects [edit]

Amplifiers [edit]

  • Marshall Three 100W 1959 heads in white – two with a gain modification added by Marshall, one without.
  • Marshall Model 1960A cabs in white, all loaded with Altec 417-8H speakers (open back)
  • Peavey Standard head (in his Quiet Riot days)

For Blizzard Of Ozz, Randy used the 1959 without the modification, and used his MXR Distortion+ for the extra gain.

Guitar rig and signal flow [edit]

  • A detailed gear diagram of Randy Rhoads' guitar rig for Ozzy's 1981 "Diary of a Madman" Tour is well-documented.[28]

Pickups [edit]

  • Dimarzio Super Distortion/ PAF On Karl Sandoval's Flying V.
  • Super 74(Bridge) on Gibson Les Paul Custom.
  • Seymour Duncan JB/Jazz Model on Jackson's.

Awards and honors [edit]

  • Voted "Best New Talent" by the readers of Guitar Player magazine in December 1981
  • Voted "Best Heavy Metal Guitarist" by the readers of UK-based Sounds magazine in December 1981
  • Placed 85th on Rolling Stone Magazine's 100 Greatest Guitarists.[29]
  • Placed 4th on Guitar World Magazine's 100 Greatest Heavy Metal Guitarists.[30]
  • "Crazy Train" and "Mr. Crowley" placed 9th and 28th respectively on Guitar World's 100 Greatest Guitar Solos readers poll.[31]
  • Named one of the fastest guitar players in Guitar World's 50 Fastest Guitarists list.[32]
  • "Crazy Train" placed 51 in Rolling Stone's "100 Greatest Guitar Songs of All Time" list.[33]
  • In 2008–2010 applications for a Posthumous Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame were submitted in the name of Randy Rhoads. Randy Rhoads' Posthumous Star has not yet been approved and the HWOF Star application will be resubmitted in 2011. If approved by the Hollywood Walk Of Fame Committee in June 2011, Randy Rhoads' Posthumous Star would be placed on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2012.[34][dated info]

Discography [edit]

With Quiet Riot [edit]

Main article: Quiet Riot

With Ozzy Osbourne [edit]

Main article: Ozzy Osbourne discography

References [edit]

  1. ^ "100 Greatest Guitarists: David Fricke's Picks". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2012-07-05. 
  2. ^ "GUITAR WORLD's 100 Greatest Heavy Metal Guitarists Of All Time". BlabberMouth. 
  3. ^ All Music Quiet Riot 1977 Retrieved July 18, 2008.
  4. ^ "Daisley, Kerslake court battles". Roadrunnerrecords.com. Retrieved 2012-07-05. 
  5. ^ Legendary OZZY OSBOURNE Drummer Lee Kerslake Talks About Blizzard/Diary Reissues, Randy Rhoads, The "Evil And Nasty" Sharon Osbourne http://www.bravewords.com/news/166075
  6. ^ National Transportation Safety Board Probable Cause report [1] Retrieved October 27, 2012.
  7. ^ The Fuze interviews Lee Kerslake http://www.bobdaisley.com/interview/fuse-lee-kerslake
  8. ^ National Transportation Safety Board Data from Factual Report of Accident
  9. ^ "White Square, top left of entrance". Mapquest.com. Retrieved 2012-07-05. 
  10. ^ Premier Guitar Marshall's New Randy Rhoads Amp Retrieved July 18, 2008.
  11. ^ Blabbermouth [2] Retrieved on January 27, 2010.
  12. ^ "Breaking News: Gibson to Reproduce Classic Randy Rhoads Les Paul". Gibson.com. August 23, 2010. Retrieved 2012-07-05. 
  13. ^ "New RANDY RHOADS, MOTÖRHEAD Biographies To Arrive in the Spring". BlabberMouth. 
  14. ^ "Randy Rhoads Biography". Velocity Books. 
  15. ^ "Randy Rhoads: 30 Years Later His Music Lives On". Rock Cellar Magazine. Retrieved 2012-07-05. 
  16. ^ "100 Greatest Guitarists: David Fricke's Picks: Randy Rhoads". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2012-07-05. 
  17. ^ "The Man, The Myth, The Metal: Gibson Interviews Zakk Wylde". Gibson.com. Retrieved November 10, 2008. 
  18. ^ Phil Brodie Band GEORGE LYNCH Retrieved July 18, 2008.
  19. ^ FourteenG Alexi Laiho interview Retrieved July 18, 2008.
  20. ^ Fischer, Peter (2006). Masters of Rock Guitar 2: The New Generation. Mel Bay. p. 88. ISBN 978-3-89922-078-0. 
  21. ^ Metal-Rules Interview With Paul Gilbert Retrieved July 18, 2008.
  22. ^ MTV Beneath The Bucket, Behind The Mask: Kurt Loder Meets GN'R's Buckethead Retrieved July 18, 2008.
  23. ^ litsky, mark. "Joe Holmes Fans". Retrieved July 31, 2011. 
  24. ^ Considine, J.D. (4 February 1982). "Album review Diary of a Madman". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. Archived from the original on 2007-02-05. Retrieved 2009-08-29. 
  25. ^ a b Gress, Jesse (May 2009). "10 Things You Gotta Do to Play Like Randy Rhoads". Guitar Player 43 (5): 98–105. 
  26. ^ a b c d e f Hurwitz, Tobias (1999). Guitar Shop – Getting Your Sound: Handy Guide. Alfred Publishing. p. 46. ISBN 978-0-88284-956-0. Retrieved February 2, 2010. 
  27. ^ Prown, Pete; Lisa Sharken (2003). Gear Secrets of the Guitar Legends: How to Sound Like Your Favorite Players. Hal Leonard Corporation. ISBN 978-0-87930-751-6. 
  28. ^ Cooper, Adam (October 9, 2011). Randy Rhoads 1981 Guitar Rig. GuitarGeek.com.
  29. ^ Rolling Stone The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time Retrieved July 18, 2008.
  30. ^ Blabbermouth GUITAR WORLD's 100 Greatest Heavy Metal Guitarists Of All Time Retrieved July 18, 2008.
  31. ^ About.com: Guitar 100 Greatest Guitar Solos Retrieved July 18, 2008.
  32. ^ deviantART Guitar World's 50 Fastest Guitarists of All Time Retrieved July 18, 2008.
  33. ^ Rolling Stone The 100 Greatest Guitar Songs of All Time Retrieved July 18, 2008.
  34. ^ "> News > Campaign For Randy Rhoads Hollywood Walk Of Fame Star Announced". Bravewords.com. Retrieved 2012-07-05. 

External links [edit]

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