The 400-page, full-color book by Steven Rosen and Andrew Klein features hundreds of rare photographs and samples of memorabilia and chronicles an oral history of Rhoads' life through the words of the people who knew him. The book is packed with poignant stories about the guitar icon.
Authors Klein and Rosen will host an exclusive book signing and Q&A session 4 p.m. Saturday, September 8, at Book Soup in Los Angeles.
The event will kick off 3 p.m. with a GJ2 guitar giveaway, courtesy of Grover Jackson, who was the founder and owner of Jackson/Charvel. He will give away the first guitar in his new line for the company. Jackson also will give away one Randy Rhoads book to the first 10 people who buy guitars from the new line.
There will be live music by Matt Beal and other giveaways, including 50 limited-edition posters of Rhoads, all of which have never been published (signed/numbered by the respective photographers). This will be the only book-signing venue in Southern California for 2012.
Before his death at age 25, Rhoads was on a fast track to being hailed as one of rock's best guitarists. Over a two-year period, he recorded two multi-platinum albums with Ozzy Osbourne.
Through his jaw-dropping six-string work on “Crazy Train,” “Mr. Crowley,” “Flying High Again” and other songs, Rhoads achieved legendary status as a guitar icon.
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Rhoads' ability to bridge rock and classical techniques helped him forge a new style of playing. In 1981, Guitar Player magazine honored Rhoads by selecting him as best new talent of the year. The honor only motivated him to work harder.
His life ended March 19, 1982, when he was killed in a small private plane that careened into the garage of a plantation home in Leesburg, Florida. Since then, Rhoads has become a pop culture institution.
For more information about the book or to order, visit the book's page at Velocity Publishing Group’s website. Check out a video about the book below:
Damian is Editor-in-Chief of Guitar World magazine. In past lives, he was GW’s managing editor and online managing editor. He's written liner notes for major-label releases, including Stevie Ray Vaughan's 'The Complete Epic Recordings Collection' (Sony Legacy) and has interviewed everyone from Yngwie Malmsteen to Kevin Bacon (with a few memorable Eric Clapton chats thrown into the mix). Damian, a former member of Brooklyn's The Gas House Gorillas, was the sole guitarist in Mister Neutron, a trio that toured the U.S. and released three albums. He now plays in two NYC-area bands.
