Quiet Riot icon Rudy Sarzo recalled when he was a member of Whitesnake during his recent interview with Alabama Life & Culture. The musician revealed what the band’s frontman David Coverdale wanted him to do while playing for him.
In 1987, David Coverdale’s new lineup for Whitesnake consisted of Vivian Campbell, Adrian Vandenberg, Rudy Sarzo, and Tommy Aldridge. Sarzo’s performance in their eighth studio album entitled ‘Slip of the Tongue‘ received very positive reviews. However, the band couldn’t create and perform for a long time; Coverdale disbanded them in 1990 and decided to revive them four years later by recruiting new members.
After their contract with the record label Geffen Records ended in 1997, it was the end of Whitesnake as well. In addition, Sarzo knew the band before he joined it because Whitesnake performed supporting acts for Quiet Riot years ago. The bassist defined himself as their fan by highlighting its members who had been in Deep Purple. Then, Sarzo shared Coverdale’s words about his role in the band.
Former Ozzy Osbourne bassist unveiled that Coverdale advised him to be himself, which was probably the right thing to say to a musician with a unique and extraordinary talent. Sarzo stated that even though he focused on composing and playing blues-based rock works like his time in Quiet Riot, his and the band’s energy was completely different. Sarzo was happy about preserving his style in Whitesnake, according to his words.
Sarzo stated in his interview that:
“Well, it was interesting because Whitesnake was a support band for Quiet Riot in 1984. So we knew each other, we knew what we were all about, and I was a huge fan of Whitesnake. I mean, the original version of the band is three guys from Deep Purple. You can’t go wrong with that.
So when I joined the band, I just asked David, ‘What do you want me to do?’ He said, ‘Be yourself.’ Within a blues-based rock context, that was pretty much me being Rudy from Quiet Riot. But again, it was a whole different energy, different frequency. But still, it was vibrating for me fully and completely.”
You can listen to the praised Whitesnake album with Sarzo below.
