Rudy Sarzo
Encyclopedia
Rudy Sarzo is a Cuban American
hard rock
/heavy metal
bassist
. Sarzo has played with many well known heavy metal acts including Quiet Riot
, Ozzy Osbourne
, Whitesnake
, Manic Eden
, Dio
and Blue Öyster Cult
.
, Cuba
on November 18, 1950. He emigrated to the United States
in 1961.
vocalist Ozzy Osbourne's band. He was recruited on the recommendation of Osbourne's guitarist Randy Rhoads
, who had previously played with Sarzo in Quiet Riot. Sarzo's playing can be heard on Osbourne's Speak of the Devil and Tribute live albums, though he never appeared on a studio album with Osbourne. The liner notes of Osbourne's 1981 studio album Diary of a Madman
list Sarzo as the bassist, though Bob Daisley
actually played bass on the recordings.
Following Rhoads' death in a plane crash in 1982, Sarzo became disillusioned and left Osbourne's band. He rejoined Quiet Riot in the midst of the recording of Metal Health
, which would go on to become a multi-platinum hit. After Sarzo had left Osbourne's band, a serious rift developed between the two, primarily the result of Quiet Riot vocalist Kevin DuBrow
's persistent criticism of Osbourne's vocal abilities in the heavy metal press. Osbourne later frequently claimed to have "punched out" Sarzo in a later meeting. Sarzo was a member of Quiet Riot during the peak of the band's success, and he appeared in numerous MTV
videos and was voted 1983's Top Bassist by the readers of Circus
magazine. Sarzo remained with Quiet Riot from September 1982 to January 1985, when friction with vocalist Kevin DuBrow convinced him to leave.
After leaving Quiet Riot, Sarzo formed M.A.R.S.
with former Ozzy Osbourne bandmate Tommy Aldridge
, who Sarzo maintained a close friendship with. From April 1987 to September 1994, both Sarzo and Aldridge were members of Whitesnake
before lead singer David Coverdale
put the band on hiatus. Sarzo would rejoin Quiet Riot on multiple occasions, and recorded albums with them in 1999 and 2001. In February 2004, Sarzo joined Yngwie Malmsteen’s Rising Force for the U.S. 30 city “Attack Tour”. He then joined Dio
later in 2004.
In 2006, Sarzo wrote a book, Off the Rails, which tells the story of his time in Ozzy Osbourne
's band, and centers mainly on his memories of guitarist Randy Rhoads
, a close friend who died in a plane crash during the Diary of a Madman
American tour. In 2007, he replaced Richie Castellano
as bassist
for Blue Öyster Cult
. He also serves as a counselor for Rock 'n Roll Fantasy Camp
.
and DVD Architect software at the Sony Pictures booth during the 2004 Winter NAMM Show. He released the Acid for Non Linear Editors training DVD, directed by Douglas Spotted Eagle, for the VASST training series, and created the “Working Man’s Bass” loop library exclusively for Sony Pictures’ Acid Software. He created the concert 3D animated opening for the video wall used during a European tour by Dio.
Cuban American
A Cuban American is a United States citizen who traces his or her "national origin" to Cuba. Cuban Americans are also considered native born Americans with Cuban parents or Cuban-born persons who were raised and educated in US...
hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
/heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
bassist
Bassist
A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...
. Sarzo has played with many well known heavy metal acts including Quiet Riot
Quiet Riot
Quiet Riot is an American Heavy Metal band. They are best known for their hit singles "Metal Health" and "Cum On Feel the Noize". They were founded in 1973 by guitarist Randy Rhoads and bassist Kelly Garni, under the original name Mach 1, before changing the name to Little Women and finally Quiet...
, Ozzy Osbourne
Ozzy Osbourne
John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne is an English vocalist, whose musical career has spanned over 40 years. Osbourne rose to prominence as lead singer of the pioneering English heavy metal band Black Sabbath, whose radically different, intentionally dark, harder sound helped spawn the heavy metal...
, Whitesnake
Whitesnake
Whitesnake are an English rock band, founded in 1978 by David Coverdale after his departure from his previous band, Deep Purple. The band's early material has been compared by critics to Deep Purple, but by the mid 1980s they had moved to a more commercial hard rock style...
, Manic Eden
Manic Eden
Manic Eden were a short-lived hard rock band featuring former Whitesnake members Adrian Vandenberg, Rudy Sarzo and Tommy Aldridge. At first, the band featured singer James Christian of House of Lords, but he was already fired shortly after the founding of Manic Eden and replaced by former Little...
, Dio
Dio (band)
Dio was an American heavy metal band from Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Formed in 1982 and led by vocalist Ronnie James Dio, after he left Black Sabbath with intentions to form a new band with fellow former Black Sabbath member, drummer Vinny Appice. Naming the band Dio made sense from a commercial...
and Blue Öyster Cult
Blue Öyster Cult
Blue Öyster Cult, often abbreviated BÖC, is an American rock band, most of whose members first came together in Long Island, NY in 1967 as the band Soft White Underbelly...
.
Early life
Sarzo was born Rodolfo Maximiliano Sarzo Lavieille Grande Ruiz Payret y Chaumont, in HavanaHavana
Havana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...
, Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
on November 18, 1950. He emigrated to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1961.
Music career
From March 1981 to September 1982, Sarzo rose to fame as the bassist in ex-Black SabbathBlack Sabbath
Black Sabbath are an English heavy metal band, formed in Aston, Birmingham in 1969 by Ozzy Osbourne , Tony Iommi , Geezer Butler , and Bill Ward . The band has since experienced multiple line-up changes, with Tony Iommi the only constant presence in the band through the years. A total of 22...
vocalist Ozzy Osbourne's band. He was recruited on the recommendation of Osbourne's guitarist Randy Rhoads
Randy Rhoads
Randall William "Randy" Rhoads was an American heavy metal guitarist who played with Ozzy Osbourne and Quiet Riot. A devoted student of classical guitar, Rhoads often combined his classical music influences with his own heavy metal style. While on tour with Ozzy Osbourne, he would seek out...
, who had previously played with Sarzo in Quiet Riot. Sarzo's playing can be heard on Osbourne's Speak of the Devil and Tribute live albums, though he never appeared on a studio album with Osbourne. The liner notes of Osbourne's 1981 studio album Diary of a Madman
Diary of a Madman (album)
Diary of a Madman is the second studio album by Ozzy Osbourne. It was recorded from the 9th of Feb to the 23 of March 1981 inclusively - the end of winter in the UK and recording ending just into spring equinox. It was released on November 7, 1981, and re-issued on August 22, 1995. An altered...
list Sarzo as the bassist, though Bob Daisley
Bob Daisley
Robert John "Bob" Daisley is an Australian musician, bassist and lyricist who has performed in genres of rock, blues, R&B, hard rock and metal.-Early career:...
actually played bass on the recordings.
Following Rhoads' death in a plane crash in 1982, Sarzo became disillusioned and left Osbourne's band. He rejoined Quiet Riot in the midst of the recording of Metal Health
Metal Health
Metal Health is the third studio album by American heavy metal band Quiet Riot. It was released on March 11, 1983, bolstered by the #5 hit "Cum on Feel the Noize" and the #31 hit "Metal Health". It knocked The Police's Synchronicity out of #1 in the US. The album went on to sell over six million...
, which would go on to become a multi-platinum hit. After Sarzo had left Osbourne's band, a serious rift developed between the two, primarily the result of Quiet Riot vocalist Kevin DuBrow
Kevin DuBrow
Kevin Mark DuBrow was an American rock singer best known as the lead vocalist of the Heavy Metal band Quiet Riot from 1975 until his death in 2007...
's persistent criticism of Osbourne's vocal abilities in the heavy metal press. Osbourne later frequently claimed to have "punched out" Sarzo in a later meeting. Sarzo was a member of Quiet Riot during the peak of the band's success, and he appeared in numerous MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
videos and was voted 1983's Top Bassist by the readers of Circus
Circus (magazine)
Circus was a monthly American magazine devoted to rock music. It was published from 1966 to 2006. In its heyday the magazine had a full-time editorial staff that included some of the biggest names in rock journalism, including Paul Nelson, David Fricke, and Kurt Loder, and rivaled Rolling Stone in...
magazine. Sarzo remained with Quiet Riot from September 1982 to January 1985, when friction with vocalist Kevin DuBrow convinced him to leave.
After leaving Quiet Riot, Sarzo formed M.A.R.S.
Project Driver
Project: Driver is a studio album by heavy metal supergroup M.A.R.S., released in 1986 through Shrapnel Records. The band's name is made up of the initial of each musician's last name: guitarist Tony MacAlpine, drummer Tommy Aldridge, singer Rob Rock and bassist Rudy Sarzo...
with former Ozzy Osbourne bandmate Tommy Aldridge
Tommy Aldridge
Tommy Aldridge is a veteran heavy metal and hard rock drummer. Aldridge is noted for his work with numerous bands and vocalists, most notable being Black Oak Arkansas, Pat Travers Band, Ozzy Osbourne, Gary Moore, Whitesnake, Ted Nugent and Thin Lizzy.Self taught, Aldridge was inspired by Cream,...
, who Sarzo maintained a close friendship with. From April 1987 to September 1994, both Sarzo and Aldridge were members of Whitesnake
Whitesnake
Whitesnake are an English rock band, founded in 1978 by David Coverdale after his departure from his previous band, Deep Purple. The band's early material has been compared by critics to Deep Purple, but by the mid 1980s they had moved to a more commercial hard rock style...
before lead singer David Coverdale
David Coverdale
David 'Jack' Coverdale is an English rock singer, most famous for his work with the his own hard rock band Whitesnake which achieved massive commercial success.-Early life:...
put the band on hiatus. Sarzo would rejoin Quiet Riot on multiple occasions, and recorded albums with them in 1999 and 2001. In February 2004, Sarzo joined Yngwie Malmsteen’s Rising Force for the U.S. 30 city “Attack Tour”. He then joined Dio
Dio (band)
Dio was an American heavy metal band from Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Formed in 1982 and led by vocalist Ronnie James Dio, after he left Black Sabbath with intentions to form a new band with fellow former Black Sabbath member, drummer Vinny Appice. Naming the band Dio made sense from a commercial...
later in 2004.
In 2006, Sarzo wrote a book, Off the Rails, which tells the story of his time in Ozzy Osbourne
Ozzy Osbourne
John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne is an English vocalist, whose musical career has spanned over 40 years. Osbourne rose to prominence as lead singer of the pioneering English heavy metal band Black Sabbath, whose radically different, intentionally dark, harder sound helped spawn the heavy metal...
's band, and centers mainly on his memories of guitarist Randy Rhoads
Randy Rhoads
Randall William "Randy" Rhoads was an American heavy metal guitarist who played with Ozzy Osbourne and Quiet Riot. A devoted student of classical guitar, Rhoads often combined his classical music influences with his own heavy metal style. While on tour with Ozzy Osbourne, he would seek out...
, a close friend who died in a plane crash during the Diary of a Madman
Diary of a Madman (album)
Diary of a Madman is the second studio album by Ozzy Osbourne. It was recorded from the 9th of Feb to the 23 of March 1981 inclusively - the end of winter in the UK and recording ending just into spring equinox. It was released on November 7, 1981, and re-issued on August 22, 1995. An altered...
American tour. In 2007, he replaced Richie Castellano
Richie Castellano
Richie Castellano is an American singer, songwriter and musician. He is best known for his work as rhythm guitar and keyboard player for the band Blue Öyster Cult.-Early years:1980-1998:...
as bassist
Bassist
A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...
for Blue Öyster Cult
Blue Öyster Cult
Blue Öyster Cult, often abbreviated BÖC, is an American rock band, most of whose members first came together in Long Island, NY in 1967 as the band Soft White Underbelly...
. He also serves as a counselor for Rock 'n Roll Fantasy Camp
Rock 'n Roll Fantasy Camp
Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy Camp is an interactive musical event that takes place in various cities throughout the United States, London, England, and the Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas. The events range from 3 to 6 days. Attendees play, write and record music in a recording studio alongside famous...
.
Technical career
Sarzo is also an avid computer digital animator. When not touring or recording, he is a 3D technical director and co-executive producer at Ocean Visual FX in Southern California. Sarzo has demonstrated computer animation software at major tradeshows, such as demonstrating Acid, Sony VegasSony Vegas
Sony Vegas is a professional video editing software package for non-linear editing systems originally published by Sonic Foundry, now owned and run by Sony Creative Software. Originally developed as an audio editor, it eventually developed into an NLE for video and audio from version 2.0...
and DVD Architect software at the Sony Pictures booth during the 2004 Winter NAMM Show. He released the Acid for Non Linear Editors training DVD, directed by Douglas Spotted Eagle, for the VASST training series, and created the “Working Man’s Bass” loop library exclusively for Sony Pictures’ Acid Software. He created the concert 3D animated opening for the video wall used during a European tour by Dio.
With Ozzy Osbourne
- Speak of the Devil (1982)
- Tribute (1987)
- Ozzy Live - Disc 2 of Diary of a Madman Legacy Edition (2011)
With Quiet Riot
- Metal HealthMetal HealthMetal Health is the third studio album by American heavy metal band Quiet Riot. It was released on March 11, 1983, bolstered by the #5 hit "Cum on Feel the Noize" and the #31 hit "Metal Health". It knocked The Police's Synchronicity out of #1 in the US. The album went on to sell over six million...
(1983) - Condition CriticalCondition CriticalCondition Critical is the fourth studio album by Quiet Riot. The album was released in 1984. It was also given an infamous two-word review in Rolling Stone magazine: "Condition terminal."...
(1984) - Alive and WellAlive and Well (Quiet Riot album)Alive and Well is a the ninth studio album by heavy metal band Quiet Riot. It was a reunion of the classic 80's Quiet Riot lineup of Kevin DuBrow, Rudy Sarzo, Carlos Cavazo, and Frankie Banali...
(1999) - Guilty PleasuresGuilty Pleasures (Quiet Riot album)Guilty Pleasures is the 10th album by Quiet Riot released in 2001. It is the last to feature guitarist Carlos Cavazo and bassist Rudy Sarzo.-Track listing:All songs written by Kevin DuBrow, Carlos Cavazo, Rudy Sarzo, and Frankie Banali....
(2001)
Charity collaborations
- EmergencyEmergencyAn emergency is a situation that poses an immediate risk to health, life, property or environment. Most emergencies require urgent intervention to prevent a worsening of the situation, although in some situations, mitigation may not be possible and agencies may only be able to offer palliative...
"Girlschool Haiti Appeal cover with Livewire, Lemmy and GirlschoolGirlschoolGirlschool are a British heavy metal band originating out of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal scene in 1978 and frequently associated with contemporaries Motörhead. They are the longest running all-female rock band, still active after more than 30 years...
" (2011)
External links
- Rudy Sarzo official website
- Ocean Visual FX website
- Interview at Saviours of Rock
- Interview at AltGuitarBass.com