Randy Rhoads
Possibly one of the greatest hard rock guitarists America ever produced, Randy Rhoads (b. Randall William Rhoads, 6 December 1956, Santa Monica, California, USA, d. 19 March 1982) would, had his life not been so tragically curtailed in a freak aeroplane accident, be talked about in the same breath as Eddie Van Halen or even Jimmy Page. Certainly, there are many sterile technicians in the metal world whose celebrated virtuosity offers no match to Rhoads' flair. At an early age Rhoads began to study the guitar and in 1972 formed his first band, Quiet Riot, who, by 1975, with vocalist Devin Dubrow and drummer Drew Forsyth, began to earn a good live reputation. By 1978 (when they were joined by bassist Rudy Sarzo), this had earned them a recording contract with Columbia Records, who pushed them (successfully) into the Japanese market. In October 1979 Sarzo joined American legends Angel and Rhoads became a guitar tutor. With Ozzy Osbourne finally free of Black Sabbath he began to put together a new band called Blizzard Of Ozz, having recruited a bassist and drummer. Ozzy then held auditions for a guitarist in Los Angeles. At the end of a day spent listening to rehashed Sabbath riffs he fell asleep. Later that evening he awoke to hear a gripping and original style. Half- conscious, he turned to his manager/wife Sharon and asked who the girl with the guitar was. From out of his mass of long blonde hair Rhoads appeared to take the post. It is with Ozzy that Rhoads is best remembered for his stunning live performances and excellence in the studio. The first Ozzy album contained his powerful signature on tracks like Crazy Train and Suicide Solution, as well as the more sensitive Dee, a track written by Rhoads for his mother. The title-track to the second album, DIARY OF A MADMAN, contains a superb mixture of acoustic and electric guitar, while You Can't Kill Rock And Roll moved one reviewer to say that 'Randy is at his most eloquent, spacey and rich'. Not satisfied with being merely a rock guitarist, Rhoads also concentrated on his masters degree in classical guitar, eventually hoping to melt the two styles to create new wonders. It was not to be. Whilst en route to Florida for further live shows the tour bus made an unscheduled stop where the driver's friend had a small aeroplane. After taking up a couple of band members for a joy ride Rhoads and a make-up girl were persuaded to enlist. The pilot, high on cocaine, seemingly aimed the aircraft at the empty tour bus and all passengers were killed. Ozzy and his wife have never fully recovered from the tragedy. Nor, for that matter, has his music. In 1987 Ozzy and Rhoads' mother put together a tribute album containing live recordings and a studio outtake of Dee.