The Real Reason Rudy Sarzo Is Rejoining Quiet Riot

Pioneering heavy metal band Quiet Riot has been around for 45 years and, like most bands with that long of a tenure, it has an extremely wild and controversial history. Quiet Riot formed in 1975 in Los Angeles, California, by vocalist Kevin DuBrow and legendary guitarist Randy Rhoads, who would eventually leave the band to play guitar for Ozzy Osbourne. In 1978, as reported by Ultimate Classic Rock, original bassist Kelli Garni was fired after he pulled a gun on Rhoads and later confessed in a 2019 interview that his actual, drunken plan had been to kill Kevin DuBrow.

The eventual "classic lineup" that came together in 1982 consisted of DuBrow, guitarist Carlos Cavazo, bassist Rudy Sarzo, a former member of Ozzy Osbourne's band himself who left after Rhoads' 1982 death, and drummer Frankie Banali. A year later, the foursome completed the recording sessions for what would become the album "Metal Health." The record became a huge hit in the United States shortly after its release and is considered by many to be the first album by a heavy metal band to top the American pop charts, per AllMusic. The 1984 follow-up "Condition Critical" peaked at No. 15 (via the Los Angeles Times), and although they never duplicated the success of "Metal Health," the band continued, even carrying on after DuBrow's death in 2007 following a cocaine overdose.

Rudy Sarzo will return to Quiet Riot after 18 years

Per Blabbermouth, in a recent interview with Eddie Trunk on his podcast "Trunk Nation with Eddie Trunk," original Quiet Riot bassist Rudy Sarzo (second from the left above in 1983) announced that he was returning to the band after an 18-year-long absence. Sarzo originally left the band in 1985, but returned in 1997 and toured until 2003. In addition to his time with Ozzy Osbourne, Sarzo has also been a member of a slew of classic rock and metal bands, including Whitesnake, Dio, Blue Oyster Cult, Queensryche, and The Guess Who. Sarzo will replace longtime bassist Chuck Wright, who has also been in and out of Quiet Riot over the years and actually played bass on the hit single "Metal Health." 

"I am returning home, going home to Quiet Riot in the beginning of 2022, next year," Sarzo told Trunk. He went on to note that "next year marks 50 years of my journey with Quiet Riot because that's when I met and I started playing with Frankie Banali, another founding member of the 'Metal Health' version [of the band.]" Sarzo spoke of his enduring friendship with drummer Banali, who died from pancreatic cancer in August 2020, saying he got to spend time with Balani at his home a few days before his death and in the hospital during his final hours. Banali's wife Regina reportedly told Sarzo "that Frankie wanted me to come back to the band, that he wanted to have a founding member there in the band."