 |
While the
most dominating and influential heavy metal guitarist of the '80s would
have to be Eddie Van Halen, Ozzy Osbourne's original guitarist, Randy
Rhoads, was one of the few guitarists of the era to create his own signature
style. While just about every other guitarist was merely copying Van
Halen's unorthodox two-hand tapping technique, Rhoads was one of the
first heavy metal guitarists to incorporate classical music into his
playing (later picked up by such six-string shredders as Yngwie Malmsteen).
Although he only issued a pair of major-label albums during his lifetime,
he immediately reached legendary status upon his tragic death in early
1982.
Rhoads was born on December 6, 1956, in Santa Monica, CA. Rhoads came
from a musical family (his mother was a school music teacher) and began
playing guitar before he even reached the age of ten. By his teenage
years, Rhoads had become interested in the hard rock sounds of Mountain,
Led Zeppelin, and Alice Cooper and as his musical taste changed, so
had his guitar style. After playing in several school bands, Rhoads
hooked up with singer Kevin DuBrow and formed Quiet Riot. Along with
Van Halen, Quiet Riot became a major draw on the L.A. club circuit even
though new wave and punk were the most dominating musical styles on
the Sunset Strip.
While the band wasn't able to secure a U.S. record deal, they released
two albums in Japan: 1977 's Quiet Riot and 1978's Quiet Riot II. Frustrated
that the band wasn't getting anywhere in their homeland, Rhoads tried
out for the guitar position in ex-Black Sabbath singer Ozzy Osbourne's
solo band. Rumor has it that Rhoads was hired before he even played
a note because he "looked the part." Osbourne's first solo release,
1980's Blizzard of Ozz, has become one of hard rock/heavy metal's greatest
releases of all-time, largely due in part to Rhoads' fiery playing.
Such tracks as "I Don't Know," "Crazy Train," "Suicide Solution," and
"Mr. Crowley" have become metal standards and all showcased Rhoads'
talents (also of note was a brief classical acoustic guitar piece he
penned for his mother, "Dee"). The album was a surprise hit as the new
band toured, resulting in another album a year later, Diary of a Madman.
Although Rhoads voiced dissatisfaction with his playing on the album
in interviews at the time (they were rushed to meet a deadline), his
six-string work was astounding, especially on such tracks as "Over the
Mountain," "Flying High Again," "Little Dolls," and the title track.
Rhoads was finally getting his due as a guitarist (he just won the Best
New Guitarist award from Guitar Player magazine), when he was killed
in a freak airplane accident while on tour in Florida on the morning
of March 19, 1982.
As with other talented musicians who died far too early, Rhoads' stature
in the hard rock world reached mythic proportions. A Rhoads/Osbourne
live album (Tribute) that was originally to be issued in 1982 was shelved
until 1987. The album was an automatic Top Ten hit, as it proved once
and for all the incredible skill and endless potential that the young
guitar player possessed. Jackson Guitars also started issuing a line
of Randy Rhoads-model guitars, based on a prototype that was finished
just prior to his death. And 11 years after his passing, a Rhoads-era
compilation was issued by his former band, Quiet Riot, entitled The
Randy Rhoads Years. Rhoads' death remains one of rock's all-time greatest
tragedies.
This
bio courtesy www.allmusic.com
|
