In a new interview with Guitar World, former Quiet Riot guitarist Carlos Cavazo - who was a member of the band from 1982-1989, and again from 1991-2003 - spoke about being recruited to replace legendary guitarist Randy Rhoads in the band lineup.
While many would find the prospect intimidating, Cavazo, it turns out, was surprisingly nonplussed: the pressure didn’t get to him one bit.
Speaking in the current issue of Guitar World, Cavazo retraced his Quiet Riot ride, and explained both how he managed to face up to the pressure that came with the role, and ended up replacing Randy Rhoads with the help of Rhoads himself.
“Snow had just broken up, and we were moving all our shit out of our house, trying to figure out what to do,” Cavazo begins. “As that was happening, out of nowhere, I got a call from Kevin (DuBrow), and he said, ‘Hey, man, we’re looking for a new guitar player for Quiet Riot. Would you be interested?’”
Cavazo was keen. Soon after the call, he was rehearsing with his future bandmates, already forming songs that would feature on their Metal Health album. According to the guitarist, “The chemistry was cool immediately, and things between us were great early on.”
But what put DuBrow on the path to Cavazo in the first place? Well, that was apparently down to Rhoads, who apparently name dropped the outgoing Snow guitarist as his potential replacement.
“In a way, Randy indirectly got me the gig,” Cavazo continues. “Apparently, Randy was the one who told Kevin, ‘Hey, you should check out this guy Carlos. A lot of my students are talking about him and saying he’s really good. Give him a call for Quiet Riot.’ Kevin got a hold of me through that grapevine.”
Once he joined the band, Cavazo quickly felt comfortable. The thought of replacing Rhoads didn't phase him.
Read more at Guitar World.
