The legacy of Randy Rhoads continues 40 years on, as the legendary rocker's story is told in a new documentary celebrating his blazing life and recalling his tragic death. Dubbed Randy Rhoads: Reflections of a Guitar Icon, the film is now available on VOD outlets. To catch a sneak peek at the doc, you can watch our exclusive clip below which delves into the time Rhoads left Ozzy Osbourne stunned with his audition to join his band.
Andre Relis directs the documentary which features narration by Tracii Guns. It is written and edited by Michael Bruining. Relis and Jessica Bennett produced and Relis also executive produced with JD Beaufils. Rich Buhrman was the cinematographer and Sean Kelly provided music.
Reflections of a Guitar Icon also features interviews with Delores Rhoads, Kelle Rhoads, Laura 'DuBrow' Mandell, Rudy Sarzo, Drew Forsyth, Eddie Van Halen, Lori Hollen, Jodi Vigier, Kim McNair, Brian Reason, Peter M. Margolis, Frankie Banali, John Donais, Joel Hoekstra, Bruce Kulick, Doug Aldrich, Gary Moore, Dweezil Zappa, George Lynch, and Ozzy Osbourne.
Randy Rhoads' Legacy Lives On
Though his life and time in the music industry were short, Randy Rhoads left a big impact that's still celebrated to this day. And yet, there hasn't been a proper documentary about the iconic guitarist. Per Blabbermouth, director Andre Relis explained how important it was to get this documentary out there for Rhoads' story to be told. He said that a previous documentary that was planned had been scrapped before release.
"It was very bizarre," Andre said, noting how he couldn't get Ozzy Osbourne and the Rhoads family on board. "And the reason as to why they didn't want a documentary out in 2008 and they don't want a documentary out now, I don't know — I just don't know. But I'm not gonna let it stop getting a documentary on Randy Rhoads out there. Forty years after, there's no other documentaries out there on his life, and it needed to be done and out there for the public to really put the respect into this man's legacy."
You can read the official synopsis for Randy Rhoads: Reflections of a Guitar Icon below.
"Randy Rhoads, the legendary guitarist known for his unmatchable guitar riffs, re-shaped rock’n’roll as the lead guitarist for Quiet Riot and Ozzy Osbourne. After forming Quiet Riot with bandmates Kelly Garni, Drew Forsyth, and Kevin DuBrow in the 70s, the band quickly became one of the most popular acts in the Los Angeles club circuit. However, their music failed to land them a legitimate record deal. After playing with Quiet Riot for over 10 years, Randy received an opportunity to be the lead guitarist for former Black Sabbath singer Ozzy Osbourne. Randy played with Ozzy for a few short years, recording legendary songs such as Crazy Train, which includes Randy’s groundbreaking guitar solo. After touring with Ozzy in the early 80s, Randy was tragically killed in a plane crash on March 19, 1982 at the young age of 25. His body died that day, but his soul and music live on forever."
Randy Rhoads: Reflections of a Guitar Icon is now available on video on demand. You can watch the official trailer for the doc below.