Contents
Biography
Early life
Rhoads was born on December 6, 1956 at St. John's Hospital in Santa Monica, California. He was the youngest of three children. His older brother, Doug, is a drummer who goes by the name of Kelle Rhoads. His sister's name is Kathy.
When Randy was 17 months old, his father, William Arthur Rhoads, left his mother, Delores Rhoads, and the three children. Mrs. Rhoads has owned and operated the Musonia School of Music in North Hollywood, California since 1949. Rhoads started playing guitar at age 7 on his grandfather's old Gibson "Army-Navy" classical acoustic guitar. According to Rhoads's mother, he learned to play folk guitar, which was a popular way to learn guitar at the time, although he did not take lessons for very long. Rhoads was always evolving toward a hard rock/metal lead guitar style, but he was heavily influenced by classical music as well. This can be heard on tracks like "Dee" (an instrumental he named for his mother Delores), "Mr. Crowley", "Diary of a Madman", "Crazy Train" and "Revelation (Mother Earth).
Quiet Riot
In his early years Rhoads was in a short-lived band called "The Whore". By the time Rhoads was 14, he was in a band called Violet Fox (after his mother's middle name, Violet). Rhoads taught his best friend Kelly Garni how to play bass, and together they formed Quiet Riot when Rhoads was about 17 (according to Rhoads' mother). Kevin DuBrow auditioned for vocalist in Rhoads' kitchen after he convinced Rhoads and Garni to give him a chance. The drummer, Drew Forsyth, was already in the picture and had periodically played with Rhoads and Garni in the past.
Quiet Riot initially played in small bars in Hollywood and local parties in Burbank, eventually playing at the two main L.A. music clubs of the day - the Whisky a Go Go, and The Starwood. While the band had a strong following in the L.A. club scene, they were unable to secure a major recording contract in the United States. Eventually, however, the band was able to land a record deal with Japanese label CBS/Sony Records and Quiet Riot and Quiet Riot II were released in Japan.
Career with Ozzy Osbourne
In 1979, ex-Black Sabbath singer Ozzy Osbourne was forming a new band. Future Slaughter bassist Dana Strum recommended Rhoads to Osbourne. Rhoads got the call for the audition just before his final show with Quiet Riot. He walked in with his Les Paul guitar and a practice amp and started warming up; Osbourne immediately gave him the job. Rhoads recalled later, "I just tuned up and did some riffs, and he said, 'You've got the gig.' I had the weirdest feeling, because I thought, 'You didn't even hear me yet.'" Osbourne described Rhoads' playing as "God entering my life." Rhoads subsequently recommended his friend Greg Leon, who also taught guitar at Musonia for Rhoads' mother, to replace him in Quiet Riot, and then moved to the UK.
They arrived in England in March 1980 to begin working on their first album. The band headed into the studio to record the band's debut album, Blizzard of Ozz. Rhoads' guitar playing had evolved rapidly from his work with Quiet Riot, which has been criticized as being "dull". Propelled by Rhoads' neo-classical guitar work, the album proved an instant hit with rock fans, particularly in the USA. They released two singles from the album: "Mr. Crowley" and the hit "Crazy Train".
The band toured extensively and then quickly wrote and recorded a follow-up album. Diary of a Madman was released shortly thereafter and Osbourne launched another tour with this same lineup. Around this time Rhoads remarked to Osbourne, Tommy Aldridge and friend Kelly Garni that he was considering leaving rock for a few years to earn a degree in classical guitar. In the documentary Don't Blame Me, Osbourne confirmed Randy's desire to earn the degree and stated that had he lived, he didn't believe Randy would have stayed in his band. Friend and ex-Quiet Riot bassist Kelly Garni has stated in interviews that if Randy had continued to play rock, he might have gone the route of more keyboard-driven rock, which had become very popular through the 1980s.
It was at this time that Rhoads was beginning to receive recognition for his playing. Just before his death Jackson Guitars created a signature model, the Jackson Randy Rhoads or Randy Rhoads Pro (though it was recommended to be called the Jackson concorde). Randy received two prototypes - one in black and one in white - but died before the guitar went into production. Rhoads also received the Best New Talent award from Guitar Player.
Death
Rhoads' tomb, San Bernardino, Calif.
Rhoads' tomb, San Bernardino, Calif.
On March 19, 1982, the band was headed to a festival in Orlando, Florida. After driving much of the night, they stopped at the house of Jerry Calhoun, the bus company's owner, in Leesburg, Florida. The driver, Andrew Aycock, took Rhoads and hairdresser Rachel Youngblood on a flight in a Beechcraft Bonanza he had taken without permission. Apparently, during the flight, an attempt was made to "buzz" the tour bus where the other band members were sleeping. They succeeded two times but the third time it went horribly wrong. The right wing clipped the right side of the tour bus by accident, leading to the crash of the plane into Calhoun's nearby mansion, completely destroying its front. Nobody in the mansion was hurt. Rhoads, age 25, was killed instantly, as were Aycock, 36, and Youngblood, 58. It was later determined in an autopsy that Aycock had a trace of cocaine in his system at the time; Rhoads' toxicology test revealed no illicit drugs.
Randy's funeral was held at the First Lutheran Church in Burbank, CA, which he attended as a child. He was interred at Mountain View Cemetery in San Bernardino, California where his grandparents are also buried. At the time, Randy's mother was living in Burbank.
Equipment
* Gibson Les Paul Custom
* Karl Sandoval Polka Dot Flying V
* Original Jackson Randy Rhoads
* Marshall White full stack
* Marshall Black Full stack
* Custom Pedalboard
Posthumous achievements
In 1987, five years after Rhoads' death, Osbourne released Tribute, the only official album featuring Osbourne and Rhoads playing together in concert. Most of the album is a live performance from Cleveland, Ohio, recorded on May 11, 1981. Also used in the recording was Rhoads' guitar solo from a show in Montreal, Canada, recorded on July 28, 1981. That whole show had been broadcast on WMMS-FM, and the King Biscuit Flower Hour, from which it became an extremely popular and fast selling bootleg. The songs "Goodbye to Romance" and "No Bone Movies" from the Tribute album were recorded on the UK Blizzard of Ozz tour at Southampton, on the same date as the Mr. Crowley EP.
Randy was inducted into the Guitar Center Rock Walk (on Sunset Blvd in Hollywood, CA), on March 18 2004. Guests included Dolores Rhoads, Kelle Rhoads, Rudy Sarzo, Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne, Zakk Wylde and Yngwie Malmsteen. In a 2006 Guitar World article, it was mentioned that Rhoads' last name was mistakenly spelled "Rhodes" on his plaque, and by the time it was discovered, there was not enough time to correct the mistake. He is ranked Number 12 on the list of all time greatest guitarists by MUSO and number 85 by Rolling Stone.
As a tribute to Rhoads, Marshall Amplification released the 1959RR at NAMM 2008. The amp is a limited-edition all-white Marshall Super Lead 100 watt head modeled after Randy's own Super Lead amp. Marshall engineers looked extensively at Rhoads' actual amplifier and made the 1959RR to those exact specifications, right down to the special high-gain modification Randy specifically requested when he visited the Marshall factory in 1980.
Influence
Despite his youth and relatively limited recorded work, Rhoads has influenced many notable guitar players including: Zakk Wylde, Alex Skolnick, George Lynch Alexi Laiho, Warren DeMartini, Dimebag Darrell, Dweezil Zappa, Paul Gilbert, Marty Friedman, Buckethead, Chris Impellitteri, Dan Spitz, John Petrucci, Criss Oliva, Tony MacAlpine, Jake E. Lee, Michael Angelo Batio, Carlos Cavazo, Vinnie Vincent and Vinnie Moore.
Goodbye To Romance
Randy Rhoads Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tomorrow will I find the sun or will it rain
Everybody's having fun except me I'm the lonely one
I live in shame
I said hey goodbye to romance yeah
Goodbye to friends and to you
Goodbye to all the past
I've been the king, I've been the clown
Now broken wings can't hold me down
I'm free again
The jester with a broken crown
It won't be me this time around to love in vain
I said hey goodbye to romance yeah
Goodbye to friends and to you
Goodbye to all the past
I guess we'll meet, we'll meet in the end
And I feel the time is right
Although I know That you just might say to me
What ya gonna do
What ya gonna do
But I have to take this chance
Goodbye to friends and true romance
And to all of you and to all of you
Come on now
I said goodbye to romance yeah
Goodbye to friends and to you
Goodbye to all the past
I guess we'll meet, we'll meet in the end
And the weather's lookin' fine and I think the sun will shine again
And I feel I've cleared my mind all the past is left behind again
I said goodbye to romance
Goodbye to friends and to you
Goodbye to all the past
I guess we'll meet, we'll meet in the end
The lyrics of "Goodbye To Romance" by Randy Rhoads talk about someone who is going through a difficult time. The person is feeling lonely and ashamed. They acknowledge that everyone around them seems to be having fun except for them. The person decides to say goodbye to romance, friends, and the past, with the hope that they will find a brighter future.
The second verse talks about the person's journey from being a king to a clown, with broken wings. However, the person has got back their freedom and accepts that they may never find love again. The person decides to take a chance on their future, saying goodbye to both friends and true romance. They feel ready to move on and leave the past behind.
The final verse talks about the person's optimism for the future. They feel they have cleared their mind and the past is now behind them. They hope for brighter days ahead, with the sun shining and a new beginning.
Overall, the song expresses a sense of sadness and loss but also conveys a message of hope and acceptance. It is a bittersweet goodbye to romance and the past, with the hope for a brighter future.
Line by Line Meaning
Yeasterday has been and gone
The past is already gone and cannot be changed
Tomorrow will I find the sun or will it rain
The future is uncertain and it is not clear whether it will be good or bad
Everybody's having fun except me I'm the lonely one
Feeling left out from the fun and enjoyment everyone else is experiencing
I live in shame
Living with a burden of guilt or regret
I've been the king, I've been the clown
Experienced both highs and lows in life
Now broken wings can't hold me down
No more obstacles can prevent me from moving on
I'm free again
Feeling liberated and unencumbered from the past
The jester with a broken crown
A person who was once the life of the party, but now feels defeated
It won't be me this time around to love in vain
One will not waste time loving someone who doesn't love them back
And I feel the time is right
The present moment feels opportune for taking action
Although I know That you just might say to me
Despite the possibility that things may not go as planned
What ya gonna do
Questioning what actions one will take in the given situation
But I have to take this chance
Despite the uncertainty, one must take the risk for a chance at something better
Come on now
Encouragement to take action
And the weather's lookin' fine and I think the sun will shine again
Things are looking up and there is optimism for the future
And I feel I've cleared my mind all the past is left behind again
Feeling a sense of relief after moving on from the past
Goodbye to romance yeah
Goodbye to friends and to you
Goodbye to all the past
I guess we'll meet, we'll meet in the end
A farewell to the past and people associated with it, with the hope of reunification in the future
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Phillip Riggins
Definitely one of my favorite songs from the Blizzard of Oz album.
I saw Ozzy on the Diary of a Madman tour but it was after Randy passed away, it was Brad Gillis on guitar.
I was really excited to get to see Randy, I already had bought my tickets for the concert before what happened.
I bought a tour program at the concert and it had Randy in it. - I still have it.
Great video, thanks for posting this video!
Big Cat
Ozzy sounds great live the quality of this video isn't great but his voice is flawless live compared to most.
Bonky
Randy Rhoads is the reason I will learn guitar
Nancy Garcia Solis
Rest in Peace Randy. I had a dream with this song playing and it made me feel so sad 😞
Jeff Kazee
Randy was just incredible! #1
Viy Langager
Two of the greatest to ever exist
Swapnil Sule
Goosebumps ♥️♥️♥️
Marie Belair
Thank u sooo much Ozzy...fan of you since a teenager...this song 🎵 for my Dad who died sudden ❤️ attack dec 14 2021 and to my best who died may 19 2021 of cancer. He was truly a Fan of your Music 🎶...Miss them both...yepppp goodbye...
AngryCanadian
Forever in our hearts as long as we are alive. Long live Randy and Ozzy, Special not to Randy Castillo.
Nicole Medlock
RIP Randy gone to soon