Randy Rhoads

Rhoads was born on December 6, 1956, in Santa Monica, California, to Bill and Delores Rhoads. He was the youngest of three children. His parents were both music teachers. His brother Douglas was also a musician, who performed under the name "Kelle". In 1958, when Rhoads was 17 months old, his father left the family and remarried. Bill would work for the Ovation Guitar Company, before moving to Connecticut and working as a band director for Regional School District 15. All three children were subsequently raised by their mother, Delores. She had received a bachelor's degree in music from UCLA and had played piano professionally. and taught Randy to read sheet music. According to Kelle, she was responsible for changing a policy at UCLA according to which a woman could not be first chair in the brass section. Rhoads listened to the Beatles and the Rolling Stones as a child and would imitate their performances with his brother Kelle in the family garage. Rhoads met future bandmate Kelly Garni while attending John Muir Middle School in Burbank, California, and the two became best friends. According to Garni, the pair were unpopular due to "the way we looked. Every time we showed up for school it was usually problematic, so we pretty much avoided it. We weren't nerds, we weren't jocks, we weren't dopers, we were just on our own." Rhoads taught Garni how to play bass guitar, and together they formed a band called The Whore, rehearsing during the day at Rodney Bingenheimer's English Disco, a 1970s Hollywood nightspot. It was during this period that Rhoads learned to play lead guitar. "When I met him he didn't know how to play lead guitar yet at all. He was just starting to take lessons for it and really just riffing around," said Garni. Rhoads' brother states that a July 11, 1971, Alice Cooper concert at the Long Beach Auditorium that the pair attended was a defining point in the guitarist's life. After the concert was over he noted: Garni concurs, calling Rhoads' discovery of Alice Cooper "a game changer." and Leslie West were early influences on his playing. Rhoads was also an admirer of the Uriah Heep album, Demons and Wizards. ==Quiet Riot==

At age 16, Rhoads and Kelly Garni formed the band Little Women. At approximately the same time, Rhoads began teaching guitar in his mother's school during the day and playing live gigs at night. He graduated from Burbank High School, participating in a special program that allowed him to condense his studies and graduate early so he could teach guitar and pursue music full-time. ==Ozzy Osbourne==

In 1979, former Black Sabbath vocalist Ozzy Osbourne was in Los Angeles, attempting to form a new band. An acquaintance of Rhoads' from the LA club circuit, future Slaughter bassist Dana Strum, phoned Rhoads relentlessly to coax him into auditioning. Rhoads initially told Quiet Riot bandmate Rudy Sarzo that he was not really interested in auditioning, but finally agreed to go simply to get Strum off his back. Rhoads got the call for the audition just before his final show with Quiet Riot in September 1979. Disillusioned with Quiet Riot's inability to land an American recording deal, Rhoads discussed with his mother the possibility of joining an already established band. When she asked him if he would accept "an offer like this one", he replied, "Of course!" Unhappy with the guitarist they were initially working with, which also housed a rehearsal space. It was here that Rhoads lived with Osbourne, his then-wife Thelma, and their two children, during his first weeks in England. Years later, Osbourne said in his autobiography that he could not understand why a musician as talented as Rhoads would want to get involved with a "bloated alcoholic wreck" like himself. The Blizzard of Ozz in 1980 After a short search, former Uriah Heep drummer Lee Kerslake completed the new band, then known as The Blizzard of Ozz. Propelled by Rhoads' neo-classical guitar work, Blizzard of Ozz proved an instant hit with rock fans, particularly in the US. They released two singles from the album: "Mr. Crowley" and "Crazy Train". "Mr. Crowley" is in the key of D-minor and "Crazy Train" in F-sharp minor. Osbourne said years later, "One day Randy came to me and said that most heavy metal songs are written in an A to E chord structure. He said, 'Let's try to change that' ... so we made a rule that almost every number that we recorded on an album was never played in the same key." "Crazy Train" and "Mr. Crowley" placed 9th and 28th, respectively, on Guitar Worlds 100 Greatest Guitar Solos readers poll. "Crazy Train" placed 51 in Rolling Stones 100 Greatest Guitar Songs of All Time list. Diary of a Madman Following a UK tour the band recorded another album, Diary of a Madman. In December 1981, Rhoads was voted "Best New Talent" by the readers of Guitar Player magazine and voted "Best Heavy Metal Guitarist" by the readers of UK-based Sounds magazine. At about this time, Rhoads reunited with Dubrow for a one-off Quiet Riot show at the Whisky a Go Go in West Hollywood during a brief trip home. Rhoads was subsequently warned by manager Sharon Arden not to do such a thing again. During a break before leaving for their first US tour, both Kerslake and Daisley were suddenly fired by Sharon, the band's manager and Osbourne's future wife. For the US tour, ex-Black Oak Arkansas drummer Tommy Aldridge and bassist Rudy Sarzo – who had been Rhoads' 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 names and photos appeared on the album sleeve. Disputes over royalties performance and other intellectual property rights became a source of future court battles. 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. On April 28, the band, then consisting of Osbourne, Rhoads, Sarzo and Aldridge, went to Channel 31 TV Studios in Rochester, New York to film live performances of "I Don't Know", "Suicide Solution", "Mr. Crowley" and "Crazy Train.” These performances were broadcast on the After Hours TV show as live promo-videos. These recordings feature the only clear, professionally shot footage of Rhoads during his tenure with Osbourne. All four songs from this set can be found on the Memoirs of a Madman DVD box set. "Mr. Crowley" and "I Don't Know" were uploaded to Osbourne’s YouTube channel in 2015, with "Mr. Crowley" being uploaded on March 19, the 33rd anniversary of Rhoads' death. Around this time, Rhoads remarked to Osbourne, bandmates Aldridge and 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 1991 documentary film ''Don't Blame Me'', Osbourne confirmed Rhoads' desire to earn the degree and stated that had he lived, he did not believe Rhoads would have stayed in his band. Friend and ex-Quiet Riot bassist Garni has speculated in interviews that if Rhoads had continued to play rock, he might have gone the route of more keyboard-driven rock, which had become popular through the 1980s. While on tour with Osbourne, Rhoads would seek out classical guitar tutors for lessons whenever possible. According to Sarzo, at the time of his death Rhoads had already made the decision to part ways with Osbourne once his contractual obligations had been fulfilled. Though he had a good relationship with Osbourne, the vocalist's constant drug and alcohol abuse made day-to-day life on tour difficult for the members of his band. As the Diary of a Madman US tour progressed, Osbourne would often refuse to perform due to the lingering after-effects of the previous night's excesses, and only Sharon could talk him into taking the stage. Many shows were simply canceled, and Rhoads grew tired of the unpredictability. ==Death==

Rhoads played his last show on Thursday, March 18, 1982, at the Knoxville Civic Coliseum. The next day, the band was traveling by bus to Rock Super Bowl XIV, a festival in Orlando, Florida. Osbourne recalls his final conversation with Rhoads involved the guitarist admonishing him over his heavy drinking. On the property, owned by the Calhoun Brothers tour bus company, there was an airstrip with helicopters and small planes. On the first flight, Aycock took keyboardist Don Airey and tour manager Jake Duncan with him as passengers. The initial impact with the bus caused Rhoads' and Youngblood's heads to crash through the plane's windshield. Black Sabbath was also touring the US at the time and heard the news on the radio. According to bassist Geezer Butler, they panicked, as they did not know if Osbourne had been one of the casualties or not. They quickly contacted Osbourne's management to find out what had happened. In the hours following the crash, band members and crew called loved ones to assure them that they were safe, as news reports had not yet named the victims. Sarzo found a church near the hotel they had been taken to and went inside to pray. The church was empty aside from one man at the front, crying uncontrollably near the altar. Sarzo was moved by the display of overwhelming grief. Eventually the man cried out "Why? Why?" and Sarzo realized it was Osbourne. Aycock's estranged wife Wanda had spent that last night on the bus. Band members reported that Aycock was attempting to reconcile with her. According to witnesses, Wanda emerged from inside the bus shortly after the second flight took off and was standing in the doorway watching the plane as Aycock made his final approach. Sarzo also mentions Aycock's troubled emotional state that day, worsened by the effects of the cocaine and sleep deprivation. Given the struggle in the cockpit, Sarzo theorized that Rhoads' actions in the last seconds of his life prevented a direct hit with the bus, which potentially could have killed the pilot's ex-wife and everyone else on board. Ozzy Osbourne recalled that he and the band did not know Aycock was taking cocaine until the coroner's report. It was confirmed after autopsy that Aycock had tested positive for cocaine; Rhoads' toxicology test revealed only nicotine. The NTSB investigation determined that Aycock's aviation medical certificate had expired and it was reported that Aycock had been the pilot in another fatal crash in the United Arab Emirates six years earlier. Sharon had been aware of the prior crash, but had not informed anyone else on the tour. In the moments after the crash, she reportedly admonished tour manager Duncan for allowing their people into a plane with a pilot who had been using drugs all night, telling him "Don't you know that man had already killed one of the Calhouns' kids in a helicopter crash?" Rhoads' funeral was held at the First Lutheran Church in Burbank, California. Serving as pallbearers at the funeral were Osbourne, Aldridge, Sarzo, and Rhoads' former Quiet Riot bandmate Kevin DuBrow. On his coffin were flowers and two photos of the guitarist, one showing Rhoads and Osbourne on stage in San Francisco. Rhoads is entombed at Mountain View Cemetery in San Bernardino, California. On his tomb is the inscription "An inspiration for all young people." ==Personal life==

Rhoads was tall and weighed . He was an avid collector of toy trains, and he traveled around England in search of them when he first arrived from the United States to record Blizzard of Ozz in 1980. He told Osbourne bandmate and close friend Rudy Sarzo that he and Sharon Arden were having a few celebratory drinks together in a hotel one night and ended up sleeping together. At the time, Ozzy Osbourne was trying to save his marriage to first wife Thelma, and Sharon was just his manager. Rhoads had two half brothers, Daniel and Paul, from his father Bill's second marriage. ==Equipment==

Guitars Shortly before leaving Quiet Riot in 1979, Rhoads presented hand-drawn pictures of a polka-dot Flying V-style guitar to Karl Sandoval, a California luthier. The guitar Sandoval built for Rhoads became one of the guitarist's trademark instruments. • 1974 Gibson Les Paul Custom Alpine White • 1957 Gibson Les Paul Black Beauty (used for photographs only) • Karl Sandoval "Polka Dot" V • Jackson Rhoads White "Prototype" Concorde • Jackson Rhoads Black with fixed bridge • Fender Stratocaster Strings He preferred .009 gauge strings on Blizzard of Ozz and either .010 or .011 on Diary of a Madman. • GHS Boomers, .009–.042 (Blizzard) • GHS Boomers, .010–.046 (Diary) • GHS Boomers, .011-.050 (Diary) Pickups Rhoads' pickups included: • Stock pickups on 1974 Gibson Les Paul Custom. • DiMarzio Super Distortion/PAF humbuckers on Karl Sandoval's Flying V. • Seymour Duncan Distortion/Jazz models on Jacksons. Effects Rhoads claimed "The MXR Distortion Plus is the only gadget I use a lot." His effects pedals included: • Dunlop Cry Baby Wah-wah • Roland: • RE-201 Space Echo • Volume Foot Pedal • Korg echo • MXR: • Distortion + • 10 Band EQ • Flanger • Stereo Chorus Amplifiers • 100 Watt Marshall model 1959 with Sylvania 6CA7 Power Tubes (photo document from Guitar Legends magazine) • Marshall 4×12 Cabinets with Altec 417-8H speakers 2019 equipment theft In December 2019, Ozzy Osbourne offered a $25,000 reward for information leading to the recovery of several pieces of equipment, most of it once belonging to Rhoads, stolen from the premises of Musonia music school on the night of November 28, 2019. Among the items stolen were a 1963 Harmony Rocket (Rhoads' first electric guitar), a Peavey Amp Head which was part of Quiet Riot's original stage gear, a very rare Randy Rhoads Series Marshall Head (Prototype No. 1 or 2 donated to the Rhoads family by the Marshall Company), and a Great Depression-era Silver French Besson trumpet originally owned by his mother, as well as numerous gifts from fans, memorabilia, all photos of Rhoads, and other "miscellaneous instruments". The items were recovered just a few days later from a dumpster. == Legacy and influence ==

Rhoads placed 36th on Rolling Stone Magazine's 100 Greatest Guitarists. He placed fourth on Guitar World Magazine's 100 Greatest Heavy Metal Guitarists, and 26th in Guitar Worlds 50 Fastest Guitarists list. Rhoads's biggest influences as a guitarist were Leslie West, Ritchie Blackmore, Michael Schenker, Gary Moore, Charlie Christian, and John Williams. In the years since his death Rhoads' work has been very influential within genres such as neoclassical metal, highly regarded by such players as Dimebag Darrell of Pantera, John Petrucci of Dream Theater, Zakk Wylde, Michael Romeo, Alexi Laiho of Children of Bodom, Mick Thomson of Slipknot, Paul Gilbert of Mr. Big, Buckethead, Michael Angelo Batio, Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine, and Ray Toro of My Chemical Romance. Aldridge, who Rhoads had regarded as his favorite drummer since seeing him perform on television with Black Oak Arkansas in the 1970s, has said that working with a musician as talented as Rhoads "was inspirational. It was life-changing". From a musical standpoint, he has said that playing with Rhoads was the high point of his career, stating "It was very exciting. From a musical perspective, it was probably the high-water mark of my career. Working with people like Randy Rhoads, guys like that, they kind of grab you by the scruff of your neck and lift you up to their level." Rhoads' talent was not always met with such praise during his lifetime. Fellow guitarist Eddie Van Halen was somewhat dismissive of Rhoads' playing, saying in 1982 "Everything he did he learned from me" and "I don't really think he did anything that I haven't done", but said that "He was good". Years later, however, the magazine listed Rhoads as one of the greatest guitarists of all time. Posthumous recognition Just before his death Jackson Guitars created a signature model, the Jackson Randy Rhoads (though Rhoads had originally called his white pinstriped V "the Concorde"). Rhoads received one prototype – a black offset V hardtail that is the basis of today's RR line of Jackson guitars – but died before the guitar went into production. Jackson Guitars released an exact replica of Rhoads' original white "shortwing" V. His 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 Rhoads'. Only 60 of the guitars were manufactured, each with the symbolic price tag of $12,619.56, which is Rhoads' birthday. In 2010, Gibson Guitars announced a new custom shop signature guitar modeled after Rhoads' 1974 Les Paul Custom. As a tribute to Rhoads, Marshall Amplification released the 1959RR at the NAMM Show in 2008. The amp is a limited-edition all-white Marshall Super Lead 100-watt head modeled after Rhoads' own Super Lead amp. Marshall engineers looked extensively at Rhoads' actual amplifier and made the 1959RR to those exact specifications, down to the special high-gain modification Rhoads requested when he visited the Marshall factory in 1980. 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, with a foreword written by Zakk Wylde and an afterword by Yngwie Malmsteen. In June 2012, Velocity Publishing Group announced a comprehensive Rhoads biography, written by Steven Rosen and Andrew Klein, and containing over 400 pages of material. May 31, 2011, marked the 30th anniversary and remaster-release of Blizzard of Ozz and Diary of a Madman. Both albums were remastered and restored to their original state with Bob Daisley's bass and Lee Kerslake's drums intact. Blizzard has three 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 they were not included in the re-issue. The Legacy version of Diary of a Madman includes a second CD called Ozzy Live, a live album pulled together from multiple performances on the 1981 Blizzard of Ozz tour. This performance features the same line-up as the Tribute album. Also included exclusively in the special box set are the 180-gram vinyl versions of the original albums, a 100-page coffee table book and the DVD Thirty Years After the Blizzard, that includes unreleased Rhoads video footage. Producer Kevin Churko, who mixed the 2010 Ozzy Live CD, has stated that Epic Records has "a lot more in the vault" for future releases of Rhoads' material with Osbourne, as many of the band's live performances from that era were recorded. On January 18, 2017, Rhoads was inducted into the Hall of Heavy Metal History for defining heavy metal lead guitar. Rhoads was formally inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on October 30, 2021, as a recipient of the Musical Excellence Award. Speaking (via video message) at the induction were Ozzy Osbourne, and guitarists Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine, Zakk Wylde (formerly of Osbourne's band, and greatly influenced by Rhoads in his youth) and Kirk Hammett of Metallica. Rhoads was named the 21st greatest guitarist of all time by Rolling Stone in 2023. There is currently a petition to erect a statue of Randy in his hometown of Burbank, Ca. His family is involved in the project. The official website is www.RandyRhoadsMemorialProject.com ==Discography==

With Quiet Riot • Quiet Riot (1977) • Quiet Riot II (1978) • The Randy Rhoads Years (1993) With Ozzy Osbourne • Blizzard of Ozz (1980) • Mr Crowley Live EP (1980) • Diary of a Madman (1981) • Tribute (1987) • Ozzy Live (2011) ==Notes==

• • • • • • • • • • Randy Rhoads Biography - Velocity Books. Authors Andrew Klein and Steven Rosen (2012) ISBN 1450727212 ==External links==