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Guitar World
Guitar World
Entertainment
Jonathan Horsley

“Randy tells me that you’re the guy, and we just auditioned a bunch of hacks”: How Rudy Sarzo said no to Sharon Osbourne and still got the Ozzy gig – with a little help from Randy Rhoads

Rudy Sarzo Ozzy Osbourne Randy Rhoads Sharon Osbourne Angel Quiet Riot Bob Daisley
Rudy Sarzo, Ozzy Osbourne and Randy Rhoads: On the left, a colour live shot of Sarzo with his red Jazz Bass with polka-dot pickguard, holding the mic and addressing the crowd. On the right, Ozzy and Rhoads perform on the Diary of a Madman tour.

What do you say to the manager of the world’s most iconic metal frontman – the voice that breathed life into heavy metal – when they call you up and ask you to audition?

Picture the scene. It’s 1981, Blizzard of Ozz has just brought Ozzy Osbourne back from his post-Black Sabbath purgatory, introducing the world to a maverick new metal guitar talent, Randy Rhoads. And this band, the hottest band in town, need someone on bass guitar to replace the outgoing Bob Daisley. Oh, and there are tour dates coming up, so they need that bassist quick.

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