From left, Rudy Sarzo, Carlos Cavazo, Kevin DuBrow and Frankie Banali made Quiet Riot one of the most successful heavy metal acts of the 1980s.When you think of '80s heavy metal music — admit it, you get the craving every now and then — among the acts that spring to mind are Ozzy Osbourne, Quiet Riot and Whitesnake.
Rudy Sarzo was on hand for all three.
Bassist Sarzo — a native of Cuba who spent his teen years in Hudson County — played with these acts during their respective high points: Osbourne, on his 1981-82 post-Black Sabbath comeback tour; Quiet Riot, on its 1983 No. 1 album "Metal Health"; and Whitesnake, in its 1987 "Still of the Night" video and tour. Sarzo is set to appear Friday and Saturday at the Chiller Theatre expo in Parsippany.
Unlike many musicians who won success in the '80s, Sarzo doesn't play down the period.
"I think people liked the element of fun that we had in the '80s," Sarzo says. "We celebrated fun."
But it wasn't all fun. Sarzo was in Osbourne's band at the time of the tragic 1982 airplane accident — a morning joy ride gone horribly wrong in Florida — that took the life of guitarist Randy Rhoads, 25.
"We all deal with grief in different ways," says Sarzo.
"You're grieving and you learn to live with the passing of your friend — somebody who I owe my career to, someone who saved our lives by turning the plane from actually completely crashing into the bus where we were sleeping, and just clipping the bus instead."
After the accident, Osbourne's wife and manager, Sharon Osbourne, decided against canceling the remainder of the tour.
"She was afraid that if she pulled the tour, there was a good chance Ozzy would hurt himself, either with drink or drugs," Sarzo says.
"The reason I left Ozzy was only, only because it was so painful to go onstage and be a member of Ozzy's band within 10 days of the crash."
Sarzo decided to rejoin his and Rhoads' pre-Osbourne band, then a relatively unknown Los Angeles bar band by the name of Quiet Riot.
"I left the biggest band in the world to join total uncertainty," says Sarzo, with a chuckle.
"I just needed some peace of mind. Thank God it turned out how it did. When we got to be No. 1 in 1983, we were competing with 'Thriller,' we were competing with 'Synchronicity' — all great albums of that era. That was quite an honor. It was more than just selling records. It was what it meant to achieve that in the company of artists like Michael Jackson and Sting."
Lightning struck a third time for Sarzo when he joined singer David Coverdale's band Whitesnake on its 1987 tour. By this time, success was something Sarzo took in stride.
Says the musician: "When it happened again with Whitesnake, I was prepared."
Sarzo's family left Cuba for Miami in 1961, when he was 10. Sarzo immersed himself in American rock 'n' roll.
"After Miami, in 1964, we relocated to New Jersey," he says. "I grew up in West New York. I went to Public School No. 5 and Memorial High.
"People ask me why I don't play Latin music. To me, rock 'n' roll — people are born to play it. To me, it's music about longing for freedom; it's music about hope. You know, rock 'n' roll is outlawed in any communist country, any fascist country. It's the ultimate form of expression."
Chiller Theatre Toy, Model and Film Expo
Who: Zacherley, Ernest Borgnine, Loni Anderson, Hal Linden, Gary Busey, Vivica A. Fox, Britt Ekland and 75 others. Rudy Sarzo will appear Friday and Saturday only.
Where: Hilton Parsippany, 1 Hilton Court, Parsippany
When: Friday, 6 to 11 p.m.; Saturday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
How much: $25 at the door per day. Call (973) 267-7373 or visit
chillertheatre.com
Mark Voger can be reached HERE.
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