Randy Rhoads' brother, former Quiet Riot bassist schedule tribute concerts in Japan
Kelle Rhoads (Randy's brother), Kelly Garni (former Quiet Riot bassist) and Ronny North will join forces again to play three Randy Rhoads tribute concerts in Japan (in Osaka, Tokyo and Nogaya) on March 15-17, 2010. Kelle will be handling vocals for the band, which is being billed as "A Tribute To Randy Rhoads Project" featuring Kelle Rhoads, Kelly Garni and Ronny North. The trio will be in Japan for a week and will be taking part in a bunch of signing events as well as doing press the entire time.Garni played alongside Randy in Quiet Riot and was a close friend of both Randy and Kelle.
Ronny North was invited by Kelle Rhoads to play guitar with the guys at a recent Randy Rhoads event and they hit if off so well at the show that they decided to do it again in Japan.
At this year's Namm (National Association Of Music Merchants) show, the limited-edition Jackson Randy Rhoads Relic tribute model guitar was unveiled.
According to The Music Zoo, Randy's tribute model is a direct replica of his original 1980 Jackson asymmetrical V-shaped guitar that he personally designed. He intended to call this body style the Concorde and it is widely regarded as the "first pointy guitar." The original guitar had been kept at the Rhoads family music school since his death, and they say it had not been out of the case in over 20 years.
Randy's original guitar was built in 1980 by Tim Wilson and Mike Shannon. Shannon is still with Jackson today and he'll personally build the extremely limited run of 60 guitars.
Suggested Retail Price for the guitar: $12,619.56 (in honor of Randy's birthday: December 6, 1956)
In 1982, Rhoads, the then-lead guitarist for Ozzy Osbourne, and two others were killed at Flying Baron Estates, just outside Leesburg, Florida, when their small plane struck Osbourne's tour bus, then crashed into a mansion.
