RUDY SARZO: 'I Owe My Career To SHARON, OZZY And RANDY RHOADS'

Amelia Waters of GuitarWorld.com recently conducted an interview with legendary bassist Rudy Sarzo (OZZY OSBOURNE, QUIET RIOT, WHITESNAKE, DIO, ANIMETAL USA). An excerpt from the chat follows below.

GuitarWorld.com: You were good friends with Randy Rhoads [late OZZY OSBOURNE/QUIET RIOT guitarist], who died in 1982. Do you still see his influence today — and do you still think about him?

I think about him enough to have to sit down and write a book to answer the No. 1 question I get asked around the world: What was it like to play with Randy Rhoads? He's such an influential musician even today, 30 years after his passing. The way I put it is, in any post-Randy Rhoads guitar player, I always hear some kind of influence in their performance, even in their compositional style. Every time I receive an email or a message on Facebook or whatever, from kids, young guitar players, 10, 14 years old, they say, "Man, I discovered Randy Rhoads. He's my favorite guitar player." That really touches me because it's great to hear a new generation giving Randy the credit he deserves for being the well where most guitar players drink from. He has influenced generations and still does. So do I think of Randy every day? Of course I do. We all do. All of us that got to know him and perform with him. We have that common. We'll never lose that bond, that thread, our admiration toward Randy as a musician and as a friend.

GuitarWorld.com: A long time ago, you were feuding with Ozzy and a few other people. Is all that in the past now?

Yes, yes. Silly things happen. If you look at the big picture, you look more at what we have in common than what we have not. At the end of the day, that's what always takes precedence. As a matter of fact, I'll be doing a lot of interviews on behalf of Ozzy and Sharon for the latest release of the "Speak Of The Devil" DVD. Everything is really wonderful between the Osbournes and me, which is the way it should be. Because if you ask me what the most significant group in my career was, it has to be being a member of the Ozzy Osbourne band. They gave me my first break, they took a chance on me, a complete unknown, just based on Randy's recommendation. If it wasn't for them we would probably not be having this conversation. I owe my career to Sharon, Ozzy and Randy Rhoads.

Read the entire interview at GuitarWorld.com.