Randy Rhoads Tried To Cancel His Audition With Ozzy Osbourne

The man Ozzy Osbourne credits with saving his career post-Black Sabbath tried to cancel his audition at the last minute.

In archival clips from the documentary, Randy Rhoads: Reflections of a Guitar Icon, Rhoads admits that he wasn't much of a Black Sabbath fan prior to being offered the job with Ozzy.

Randy's brother Kelle says his sibling complained of being too tired to try out for Ozzy. At the time, Randy was teaching guitar by day and working with Quiet Riot at night.

"I was kind of worrying about auditioning because I'd never been to an audition," Randy admits in one scene.

Kelle credits bassist Dana Strum with pressing Randy to follow through with the commitment.

When Randy went to the audition, it wasn't quite what he expected. Quiet Riot fan club president Lori Hollen recalled how Randy described the encounter to her.

"He said, 'Do you know who Ozzy Osbourne is? I auditioned for him today,'" Hollen said. "I said, 'You what?' He said, 'All I did was plug in my guitar and go [diddle liddle liddle liddle] and Ozzy Osbourne said, 'You're the guy!'"

You can watch the trailer for the documentary via the player above. Go here for info on how to watch it.

In Ozzy's own A&E documentary, Biography: The Nine Lives of Ozzy Osbourne, the Prince of Darkness says there was no denying Randy's talent, and it was clear that his patient demeanor would compliment Ozzy's chaotic personality.

"I knew instinctively that he was just something extra-special. It was like a gift from God," Ozzy said. "...One thing he gave to me was hope. He gave me a reason for carrying on. He had patience with me ... and he was very good to work with. He'd pull the best out of you. We had a lot of fun."

Photo of Randy RHOADS

Photo: Redferns


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