BASSIST RUDY SARZO DISCUSSES WHAT MADE RANDY RHOADS SUCH AN INNOVATIVE GUITARIST, “HE WAS ONE OF THE PIONEERS OF MANY METAL GENRES…[MUSIC] WAS IN HIS GENES”

Legendary hard rock bassist Rudy Sarzo (Ozzy Osbourne, Quiet Riot. Whitesnake) spoke with Two Doods Reviews about what made iconic guitarist Randy Rhoads‘s approach to heavy metal riffing and guitar soloing so unique? 

He responded to question stating, (as transcribed by blabbbermouth.net), [Randy] was the most rocking, and by rocking, I mean he had metal. He had metal before metal was actually what we know metal as today. He was one of the pioneers of many metal genres just because of the style of playing rhythm guitar and harmonic construction of his compositions. So, he was a wonderful combination of the really schooled musician — music theory; he knew how to read [music]. [That was] very rare. ‘Cause remember, most musicians, we — including myself — I was originally inspired to become a musician because I did not come from a musical family, like Randy did, but this was a way to meet girls. So it wasn’t until later on that I really gave myself a musical education, and I went to college and studied music and so on. But Randy was raised in a music education family — his mom started a school called Musonia that’s still operating today. It’s in North Hollywood, California — in the L.A. area. So, that’s what he knew. He wasn’t doing it because of the girls; he was doing it because that’s the way he was raised. It was in his genes, his DNA. His brother is a musician also, Kelle, and mom and dad, and all of that. So this was his world, and that made him very, very unique in a world where, let’s say, outside of Eddie Van Halen and maybe a couple of other guitar players who were mostly known for being session musicians, we were just rockers. Not necessarily very well educated [in] music theory outside of what rock and roll is all about. We knew rock, and we had a passion for rock. Randy was more than that.”

It was announced earlier this month that Rhoads will be inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame this fall. The iconic guitarist, who played in Osbourne’s band four decades ago, will receive the Musical Excellence Award at this year’s induction ceremony, which will be held at Cleveland, Ohio’s Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse on October 30.

The Musical Excellence Award is given to artists, musicians, songwriters and producers whose originality and influence creating music have had a dramatic impact on music.

Rhoads played on Osbourne’s seminal records Blizzard Of Ozz (1980) and Diary Of A Madman, as well as the posthumous release of the live Tribute recording originally issued on March 19th March 1987. Rhoads tragically died in a plane crash when he was just 25 years old, on March 19th, 1982. He influenced many musicians and is considered one of the greatest guitartists of all time. His death was a huge shock to the world and Ozzy wrote in his autobiography I Am Ozzy that he almost quit music after the guitarist’s passing.

In related Rhoads news, his stolen guitar and amp, that were taken in 2019 from the family’s Musonia School Of Music, was recently returned.