Many may know of this connection, many may not, but at a quiet unassuming Lutheran Church on Alameda and Glenoaks is a small memorial to a former student and member of the church who would go on to become a Rock and Roll Legend.

Randy Rhodes went to elementary school here and to John Muir and Burbank High.

He and some friends while in school here formed a Band named Quiet Riot and played the L.A. Music scene and had a large following.

They were signed to a record deal but their first 2 records were only sold in Japan.

In 1979 Randy was called to see if he would audition for Ozzy Osbourne who was forming a new band after leaving Black Sabbath. Ozzy signed him up to be his lead guitarist right there. As the saying goes “the rest is history”.

Randy became a legendary guitarist and put Ozzy’s new start over the top. Randy’s intro to their first big hit “Crazy Train” from their first album “Blizzard of Ozz”  is still a classic and is played on classic radio and even as an intro to each baseball game at Angel Stadium in Anaheim. You can hear it here… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZcoweoZ6jpM

Sadly Randy and some fellow band mates were killed in a light plane crash while attempting to “Buzz” Ozzy’s tour bus on their first American tour while in Florida.

Whether a fan or not you may wish to stop by the memorial at the church on Alameda & Glenoaks and pay your respects to this Burbank rock Legend!

Coming in November of 2017….

Growing Up in Burbank

NOW AVAILABLE!!

Get your Copy of Lost Burbank Now!
Slowly fading with the city’s ever-changing landscape, the places and people of Burbank’s past tell a vibrant story. Before the arrival of Warner Bros. and Walt Disney, First National Pictures built  its original studio lot on Olive Ave in 1926. For over sixty years, Lockheed Aircraft Company produced some of the nation’s best airplanes where the massive Empire Shopping Center now stands. Heavyweight champion James Jeffries turned his Burbank ranch home and barn into a beloved landmark and boxing venue. Inventor Joseph Wesley Fawkes’s scheme to build a monorail to Los Angeles became a local laughingstock.  Diehard Burbankers Wes Clark and Michael Mc Daniel collect these and many more forgotten local stories where they can finally be found.