Rudy Sarzo facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Rudy Sarzo
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Sarzo in 2012
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Rodolfo Maximiliano Sarzo Lavieille Grande Ruiz Payret y Chaumont |
| Born | November 18, 1950 Havana, Cuba |
| Origin | Florida, U.S. |
| Genres | Hard rock, heavy metal |
| Occupation(s) | Bassist |
| Years active | 1975–present |
| Associated acts | Quiet Riot, Angel, Ozzy Osbourne, Whitesnake, Geoff Tate, Yngwie Malmsteen's Rising Force, Dio, Blue Öyster Cult, the Guess Who, Giuffria, Animetal USA, Devil City Angels, D-Metal Stars |
Rodolfo Maximiliano Sarzo Lavieille Grande Ruiz Payret y Chaumont (born November 18, 1950) is a Cuban-American hard rock and heavy metal bassist. He is well known for his work with famous bands like Quiet Riot, Ozzy Osbourne, and Whitesnake. He has also played with many other popular rock and metal groups, including Dio, Blue Öyster Cult, and the Guess Who. Rudy Sarzo rejoined Quiet Riot in 2021 and is the only original member left from the band's "Metal Health" lineup.
Contents
Early Life
Rudy Sarzo was born in Havana, Cuba, on November 18, 1950. He moved to the United States in 1961 and grew up in Florida. His brother, Robert Sarzo, is also a musician.
Music Career
Joining Quiet Riot
When Rudy Sarzo arrived in Los Angeles in August 1977, he went to a Quiet Riot concert. He thought the band was very talented. After the show, he met the singer, Kevin DuBrow, and they became friends.
Later, in 1978, Kevin DuBrow called Rudy and asked him to try out for Quiet Riot. Rudy flew to Los Angeles, rehearsed with the band, and got the job. Even though Rudy is on the cover of the band's 1978 album Quiet Riot II, the bass parts were actually played by Kelly Garni, whom Rudy replaced.
Soon after joining Quiet Riot, Rudy started teaching bass guitar at a music school called Musonia. This school was owned by the mother of his bandmate, Randy Rhoads. Rudy and Randy became very close friends. They were both a bit disappointed that Quiet Riot's albums were only released in Japan and not in the United States.
Randy Rhoads soon left Quiet Riot to start a new band with Ozzy Osbourne, who used to be the singer for Black Sabbath. Quiet Riot played their last show on October 2, 1979, and Randy then went to England to work with Ozzy. After Quiet Riot broke up, Rudy joined a band called Private Army.
Playing with Ozzy Osbourne
From March 1981 to September 1982, Rudy Sarzo became famous as the bassist for Ozzy Osbourne's band. Randy Rhoads had recommended him for the role. You can hear Rudy's bass playing on Ozzy's live albums, Speak of the Devil and Tribute. The notes inside Ozzy's 1981 album Diary of a Madman say Rudy played bass, but another musician named Bob Daisley actually played on those recordings.
After Randy Rhoads sadly died in a plane crash in 1982, Rudy felt very sad. While still with Ozzy's band, Rudy helped his old band Quiet Riot by recording a song called "Thunderbird" for their upcoming album, Metal Health. This song was a tribute to Randy Rhoads. Working with Quiet Riot again felt very positive for Rudy. Because of this good experience, Rudy decided to rejoin Quiet Riot once his tour with Ozzy Osbourne ended.
Rejoining Quiet Riot
Quiet Riot's album Metal Health was released in March 1983. It became a huge international hit, selling millions of copies. This album helped start a very popular time for heavy metal music in the 1980s.
Rudy was a member of Quiet Riot during their most successful period. He appeared in many MTV music videos. In 1983, readers of Circus magazine voted him the "Top Bassist." Rudy stayed with Quiet Riot from September 1982 to January 1985. He decided to leave because of disagreements, partly due to singer Kevin DuBrow often criticizing other bands in the press.
After Quiet Riot
After leaving Quiet Riot, Rudy Sarzo formed a band called M.A.R.S. with Tommy Aldridge, who was also a former bandmate from Ozzy Osbourne's group. Rudy and Tommy were good friends. From April 1987 to September 1994, both Rudy and Tommy were members of the band Whitesnake.
In the early 1990s, Rudy tried to start his own band called Sun King. They signed a record deal, but the band was eventually dropped without releasing an album. In 1992, Rudy had a small role as a bass player in a TV show called Tales from the Crypt.
Rudy rejoined Quiet Riot several times over the years and recorded albums with them in 1999 and 2001. In 2004, Rudy joined Yngwie Malmsteen's Rising Force for a tour. He then joined the band Dio later that year.
In 2007, Rudy joined Blue Öyster Cult as their bassist and stayed with them until 2012.
On September 1, 2012, Rudy joined a version of Queensrÿche led by singer Geoff Tate. Rudy's brother, Robert Sarzo, also joined this band a few months later. The band went on a tour in 2013 to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the album "Operation: Mindcrime."
On January 18, 2017, Rudy Sarzo was honored and added to the "Hall of Heavy Metal History" for his long and important career in music.
From 2016 to 2021, Rudy was a member of the Canadian rock band the Guess Who. He played on their album The Future IS What It Used To Be.
On August 2, 2021, Rudy Sarzo rejoined Quiet Riot again.
Other Ventures
In 2006, Rudy Sarzo wrote a book called Off the Rails. It tells the story of his time in Ozzy Osbourne's band in the early 1980s. The book uses detailed notes Rudy kept in his daily journal. It focuses on his memories of guitarist Randy Rhoads, who died in a plane crash in 1982 during a tour.
In 2022, Rudy worked with a chef and coffee expert named Bryan-David Scott to create a special coffee called Cafe Habana. This coffee received a perfect score of 100 points.
Discography
With Quiet Riot
- Metal Health (1983)
- Condition Critical (1984)
- Alive and Well (1999)
- Guilty Pleasures (2001)
With Ozzy Osbourne
- Speak of the Devil (1982)
- Tribute (1987)
With Whitesnake
- Slip of the Tongue (1989)
- Live at Donington 1990 (2011)
With Dio
- Holy Diver – Live (2006)
See also
In Spanish: Rudy Sarzo para niños
