Table of Contents
Randall Rhoads was an American guitarist who was born on December 6, 1956. Randall Rhoads was the co-founder and original guitarist of the heavy metal band Quiet Riot. He was also the guitarist and co-songwriter for the first two albums of Ozzy Osbourne. The albums were Blizzard of Ozz (1980) and Diary of a Madman (1981).
Based on his exploits in the world of music, in 2012, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He is seen as a pivotal figure so far as metal music is concerned. He is credited for pioneering a fast and technical style of guitar soloing that largely defined the metal scene of the 1980s.
He contributed his quota in making various guitar techniques popular. These techniques include wo-handed tapping, tremolo bar dive bombs, and intricate scale patterns. He is said to be the one who commissioned The Jackson Rhoads model guitar and his name comes up in the list of “Greatest Guitarists”.
He was the youngest of three children of his parents. His parents were both music teachers and he had a brother who was also a musician performing under the name “Kelle. ” His father left the family when he was just 17 months old and remarried. It was his mother, Delores who raised him and his siblings.
Randall Rhoads Cause of Death
Randall Rhoads was reported dead on March 19, 1982. His death was due to a plane crash while on a tour in Florida.
Guitars of Randall Rhoads
Some of the guitars of Randall Rhoads were a 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 Black Rhoads with fixed bridge and Fender Stratocaster.
In 2019, some equipment of Randall Rhoads were stolen. A $25,000 reward for information leading to the recovery of the equipment was offered by Ozzy Osbourne. The stolen items 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.
Photos, memorabilia, gifts and other “miscellaneous instruments belonging to Randall Rhoads were also stolen. The items were retrieved from a dumpster a few days later.
Works
Some of the works of Randall Rhoads under Quiet Riot were Quiet Riot (1977), Quiet Riot II (1978) and The Randy Rhoads Years (1993)
With Ozzy Osbourne, he worked on Blizzard of Ozz (1980), Mr Crowley Live EP (1980, Diary of a Madman (1981), Tribute (1987) and Ozzy Live (2011).
Reference :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Randy_Rhoads
