Randy Rhoads and Steve Vai: Much more respect than ever before

[RudyH]

A couple of interesting things from magazines that I didn't know:

 

1) Contrary to my earlier wrong assumption that Randy Rhoads died of a drug overdose, he in fact died in a plane crash. He was also so dedicated to guitar and music that he was not known as a party animal. He would find classical guitar teachers in the cities he toured to and took lessons with them. He was always working hard to be better than he was. Rest In Peace. The world needs more people like Rhoads.

 

2) Steve Vai explored how he would make a profession of music. He was already a musician for Frank Zappa and had earned enough money to buy a house with a garage. He converted the garage with his own labor into a studio. He examined the prospect of getting a record deal and when he learned that musicians were then, as now, paid a small amount up front and pennies per album sale, he refused to even consider such a deal. Instead he figured out how to record, manufacture, and distribute his music. This, at the time, yielded him $4.50 per album sale. When the distributor was sold to Sony, Sony remained his distributor and today they pay him $7.50 per album sale of the FlexAble album. Good for him! This was real genius at a time when recording equipment was just becoming affordable, and long before the internet. I respect his business acumen and dedication to his craft tremendously after reading how he solved his problems.

 

Do you know of a similar edifying story of musicians?

[:oilpit:]

I knew the first one, and I agree Randy was the man...

As for the second, that's very nice, but I really don't think ANYTHING in the world that could make me respect Steve Vai...