Rudy Sarzo

Rudy Sarzo
Rudy Sarzo performing at The Roxy, West Hollywood, CA on Oct. 11, 2009
Background information
Born	November 18, 1950 (1950-11-18) Cuba
Genres	Hard rock, heavy metal
Occupations	Musician, songwriter
Instruments	Bass guitar, guitar
Years active	1975–present
Associated acts	Quiet Riot, Ozzy Osbourne, Whitesnake, Yngwie Malmsteen's Rising Force, Dio, Blue Öyster Cult, Animetal USA
Website	www.rudysarzo.com

Rudy Sarzo is a Cuban American hard rock/heavy metal bassist. Sarzo has played with many well known heavy metal acts including Quiet Riot, Ozzy Osbourne, Whitesnake, Manic Eden, Dio and Blue Öyster Cult.

Early life

Sarzo was born Rodolfo Maximiliano Sarzo Lavieille Grande Ruiz Payret y Chaumont, in Havana, Cuba on November 18, 1950. He emigrated to the United States in 1961.

Music career

From March 1981 to September 1982, Sarzo rose to fame as the bassist in ex-Black Sabbath vocalist Ozzy Osbourne's band. He was recruited on the recommendation of Osbourne's guitarist Randy Rhoads, who had previously played with Sarzo in Quiet Riot. Sarzo's playing can be heard on Osbourne's Speak of the Devil and Tribute live albums, though he never appeared on a studio album with Osbourne. The liner notes of Osbourne's 1981 studio album Diary of a Madman list Sarzo as the bassist, though Bob Daisley actually played bass on the recordings.

Following Rhoads' death in a plane crash in 1982, Sarzo became disillusioned and left Osbourne's band. He rejoined Quiet Riot in the midst of the recording of Metal Health, which would go on to become a multi-platinum hit. After Sarzo had left Osbourne's band, a serious rift developed between the two, primarily the result of Quiet Riot vocalist Kevin DuBrow's persistent criticism of Osbourne's vocal abilities in the heavy metal press. Osbourne later frequently claimed to have "punched out" Sarzo in a later meeting.^{[citation needed]} Sarzo was a member of Quiet Riot during the peak of the band's success, and he appeared in numerous MTV videos and was voted 1983's Top Bassist by the readers of Circus magazine. Sarzo remained with Quiet Riot from September 1982 to January 1985, when friction with vocalist Kevin DuBrow convinced him to leave.

After leaving Quiet Riot, Sarzo formed M.A.R.S. with former Ozzy Osbourne bandmate Tommy Aldridge, who Sarzo maintained a close friendship with. From April 1987 to September 1994, both Sarzo and Aldridge were members of Whitesnake before lead singer David Coverdale put the band on hiatus. Sarzo would rejoin Quiet Riot on multiple occasions, and recorded albums with them in 1999 and 2001. In February 2004, Sarzo joined Yngwie Malmsteen’s Rising Force for the U.S. 30 city “Attack Tour”. He then joined Dio later in 2004.

In 2006, Sarzo wrote a book, Off the Rails, which tells the story of his time in Ozzy Osbourne's band, and centers mainly on his memories of guitarist Randy Rhoads, a close friend who died in a plane crash during the Diary of a Madman American tour. In 2007, he replaced Richie Castellano as bassist for Blue Öyster Cult. He also serves as a counselor for Rock 'n Roll Fantasy Camp.

Technical career

Sarzo is also an avid computer digital animator. When not touring or recording, he is a 3D technical director and co-executive producer at Ocean Visual FX in Southern California. Sarzo has demonstrated computer animation software at major tradeshows, such as demonstrating Acid, Sony Vegas and DVD Architect software at the Sony Pictures booth during the 2004 Winter NAMM Show. He released the Acid for Non Linear Editors training DVD, directed by Douglas Spotted Eagle, for the VASST training series, and created the “Working Man’s Bass” loop library exclusively for Sony Pictures’ Acid Software. He created the concert 3D animated opening for the video wall used during a European tour by Dio.

Discography

With Ozzy Osbourne

• Speak of the Devil (1982)
• Tribute (1987)
• Ozzy Live - Disc 2 of Diary of a Madman Legacy Edition (2011)

With Quiet Riot

• Quiet Riot II (1978)
• Metal Health (1983)
• Condition Critical (1984)
• Alive and Well (1999)
• Guilty Pleasures (2001)

With Whitesnake

• Slip of the Tongue (1989)
• Live at Donington 1990 (2011)

With M.A.R.S. (MacAlpine/Aldridge/Rock/Sarzo)

• Project Driver (1986)

With Manic Eden

• Manic Eden (1994)

With Michael Angelo Batio

• Hands Without Shadows - "Tribute to Randy" (2005)

With Dio

• Holy Diver - Live (2006)

With Bassinvaders

• Hellbassbeaters (2008)

With Tim "Ripper" Owens

• Play My Game (2009)

Charity collaborations

• Emergency "Girlschool Haiti Appeal cover with Livewire, Lemmy and Girlschool" (2011)

External links

• Rudy Sarzo official website
• Ocean Visual FX website
• Interview at Saviours of Rock
• Interview at AltGuitarBass.com