Feature Photo courtesy of Craig Goldy
Craig Goldy came of age as a guitarist in the ‘80s, a time when hot-rodded shred antics were standard. And to be fair, as a low-key virtuoso himself, Goldy didn’t shy from that model during his stints with Rough Cutt, Giuffria, David Lee Roth, Budgie, and Dio.
But there was—and is—something special about Goldy, as he had a knack for coming in behind established superstar players and succeeding. He did it in Rough Cutt after coming in behind Jake E. Lee. And in Giufrria (in a roundabout way), becoming the apple of Gregg Giufrria’s eye in his post-Punky Meadows world.
But Goldy wasn’t done! With Dio, he replaced Vivian Campbell, and with David Lee Roth, in a studio capacity, he worked with the vocalist to write a hit record, which is no small feat, as Roth was used to working with players like Eddie Van Halen and Steve Vai.
These days, Goldy is still at it. He’s got plans to put together a proper solo band, reissue his debut record, and, most importantly, is passing on his wealth of six-string knowledge to the next wave of players through his teaching.
With that said, during a break in the action, Craig Goldy beamed in with ClassicRockHistory.com to provide a post-to-post account of his journey alongside some of the more iconic personalities in hard rock and heavy metal music.
What inspired you to pick up the guitar?
The Deep Purple album Burn. I was supposed to be an artist because I could draw like a photograph as far back as tenth grade. I was in search mode for my favorite music. I couldn’t decide between rock, classical, blues, R&B, and jazz.
What drew you to Burn?
The Burn album had all of those attributes all rolled up into one band and one album. David Coverdale had a rock-meets-bluesy voice, while Glenn Hughes sounded similar to Stevie Wonder; Glenn’s basslines were somewhat funky and outside the box.
And Jon Lord had a classical foundation, and Ian Paice was jazz-based. And Ritchie Blackmore was from a different planet, and his staccato style was surgically precise. I really was impressed by that so much that I wanted to learn how to play like that or die trying!
Can you remember your first guitar, and did a career in music choose you?
It was a Gibson SG copy. In the early 1970s, rock music was growing stronger and stronger, evolving into “hard rock.” Oh, it definitely chose me! I was supposed to use my artwork as my means of support.
What led to your replacing Jake E. Lee in Rough Cutt?
Sadly, as my heart still breaks regarding how this occurred in the first place, it was that our dearest Randy Rhoads died, so Jake left Rough Cutt to join Ozzy [Osbourne]. I was homeless and living on the streets of San Diego, CA, at that time, and my demo got into the hands and ears of Ronnie James Dio [who was producing Rough Cutt], who said, “We gotta get this kid up here!”
From there, you joined Giuffria. How did that happen?
As each member of Rough Cutt was more and more interested in their hidden agendas, we were playing a concert in LA, where Gregg Giuffria had been looking for a guitarist to replace Punky Meadows in the reformation of Angel with David Glenn Eisley on vocals. Gregg asked me to come to his place to watch a video of Dave and him, and I knew it was going to be big, and had to leave Rough Cutt to see that materialize.
What was it like recording Giuffria’s self-titled debut?
Rough Cutt had just gotten signed to Warner Bros., and Gregg had just approached me with his idea of the reformation of Angel. Once I saw and heard that video with that sound of Gregg and David Glenn Eisley together, I knew it was going to be big. I get “visions” once in a while, and I just “saw it!”
However, it meant walking away from Warner Bros. and Ronnie James Dio as the producer to join a band without a record deal, initially without any money. And Gregg had a bad reputation around town, but I had to follow my vision and my gut. Everyone thought I was crazy… except for Ronnie!
What are your memories of putting together “Call to the Heart, and did Gregg expect you to play like Punky Meadows?
That era was a really great time. We had a song called “Say it Ain’t So,” but Gregg wanted to change the chorus, so Dave, Gregg, and I met up at Gregg’s home. That’s where that song became “Call to the Heart” in less than a couple of hours. Luckily, Gregg just wanted me to be me!
What’s the story behind the supergroup you formed with Jeff Scott Soto and Rudy Sarzo?
Rudy Sarzo and Tommy Aldridge had just left Ozzy and had Jeff on vocals, and wanted me as their guitarist. And the band members of Giuffria began to try to divide and conquer through hidden agendas, while Rudy and Tommy had a very clear vision for what they wanted their band to sound like. It was right up my alley, and so much closer to the kind of music I really wanted to do: the darker, heavier stuff!
Was Jeff looking for a personality and player on the other end of the spectrum from Yngwie Malmsteen after not getting along with him?
I think Jeff was mainly glad to work with guys who didn’t think the whole world revolved around them and that Jeff’s ideas mattered.
You knew Ronnie James Dio through Rough Cutt, but what led to your joining his band?
I met Ronnie at the auditions for Rough Cutt. He was the band’s producer, and after hearing my demo, which had the riff for the song “Taker” on it, he wanted to meet me and be there for the audition to oversee it.
We talked before I went on, and he and I just really hit it off and became friends before I even played my first note that night. Ronnie and Wendy [Dio] rented me an amplifier and cables for that night cause I was still homeless and only had a guitar.
Ronnie got so inspired during the audition that he sat in and we did [Rainbow’s] “Man on the Silver Mountain” and [Black Sabbath’s] “Heaven and Hell” together. And at the end of the night, I was in the band Rough Cutt and sitting on his couch just the two of us talking and watching old Rainbow videos.
It got late, and he got out a mattress, sheets, blankets, and a pillow to make me a bed and tucked me in like a father to a child, with headphones to listen to the early Holy Diver recordings before they were even finished.
Fast forward to a late-night recording session, while I was still in Rough Cutt, Ronnie turned to me and said, “Goldy, if Viv [Vivian Campbell] ever doesn’t work out, you’d be my first choice.”
Ronnie worked with many great players. What were his expectations of his guitarists?
He never put more on the shoulders of anyone that he wasn’t willing to carry himself. He wanted the best out of us, and he knew how to get it. Plus, I just wanted to give my best!
How did 1987’s Dream Evil come together, and what was your rig like?
At the time, my rig was actually a Fender London Reverb head, with a Yamaha Power Amp, Marshall Cabinets, and a B.C. Rich Warlock, which was used on the Intermission EP. I liked this guitar because of the look, and then the sound and feel. These guitars didn’t hinder me like others do.
That rig was very percussive and punchy, but Ronnie wanted me to use a Marshall JCM 800, which, at the time, just didn’t have the same punch, percussiveness, and power as on the studio version of the song “Time to Burn,” but he was very stubborn, and that was that.
Before we started writing, Ronnie said to me, “We usually start with [bassist] Jimmy [Bain] and I, then we bring in Viv, and then the rest of the band.” So, as I was waiting for my turn, I came up with over 136 ideas. [Laughs]
Ronnie called me one day and said, “I guess Jimmy isn’t very into it, so you’re up, kid.” We had a great time working and writing together in Rough Cutt, so we knew we would be just fine.
What led you to leave Dio?
One day, I will tell the story and the reason for leaving the first time. It has to be told right, and I need to be sure that I can control how it gets published. I remember what I did right and wrong, and I remember what Ronnie did right and wrong, and it has to be told fairly to him.
Too many musicians are now coming out with “the shocking truth behind…” and one side of the story isn’t the whole story. When someone dies, that’s usually when people are brave enough to tell their side, but it is just one side.
I’ll tell you one thing that is certain: I did not leave to pursue a solo career. That first solo album is all demos of my ideas that I made at that time, which Ronnie turned down, while waiting for Ronnie and me to talk. Plus, those demos were to show my true writing, playing, and tone at that time.
How did you end up working with David Lee Roth in 1991 on A Little Ain’t Enough?
During the Dio Dream Evil era, Warner Bros offered me a position as a songwriter for them for six years. It was at this time that one of my songs got into the hands of David Lee Roth. It started out with my songs getting turned down.
I had just written a hit song with Ronnie and didn’t understand what the problem was. So, I studied other hit songs and really dissected them to the point where I could re-create them, which told me what I was doing wrong. It took a few weeks to learn how to utilize my newly gained insight into writing a song on my own again.
So, when I finally figured it out, I submitted a new song, and the very next day, I got a call at home from David Lee Roth, while still working with the producer of Pink Floyd, before switching producers, inviting me to their private residences to write songs with them. And the song “Lady Luck” and a gold album A Little Ain’t Enough were born.
You rejoined Dio for Magica in 2000 and Master of the Moon in 2004. How did that happen?
After I left for the first time, Ronnie and I remained friends. He got his feelings hurt because no one leaves him; he leaves them. So, I chose not to squabble with statements made by him in public. Wendy was still my manager and got me the record deal for my first solo album, Hidden in Plain Sight.
Nobody knows this, but I actually told Ronnie that I was sorry for hurting his feelings and that if he ever wanted to try again, I’m open to that. He agreed. During the tours with Tracy G Tracy Grijalva, the record company approached Ronnie about my rejoining.
Ronnie told me that he could feel that his fans wanted the Blackmore solos played like Blackmore, and the Viv solos to be played like I did them, so that was that! Ronnie offered a two-guitar band idea to Tracy G, but Tracy turned it down.
He wasn’t to be the second guitarist, as he had thought. It was supposed to be an equal thing, but Tracy wanted no part of it. Later, Ronnie told me that he knew it would turn out this way, but that it was the only way he could be fair to Tracy, since Dio had always been a one-guitar band.
How did you end up joining Budgie?
Dio and Budgie played an outdoor Festival together in 2005, and those guys remembered me from that. They originally just wanted someone to fill in until they found someone permanent because they had gigs lined up that they didn’t want to miss out on.
At the very first rehearsal, they were so happy that they stopped looking for anyone else. We were actually writing for a new Budgie album before Burke passed. And there was talk about putting out a live album with me on it, but I haven’t heard anything since.
What was it like working with Burke Shelley?
Working with Burke was a lot like working with Ronnie. They were so very similar that it fit just like a glove for me. I really loved working with them, and they all quickly became like family to me—another Dio similarity.
Which Budgie song was the toughest, and how do you measure their impact?
It wasn’t so much that any song was tough to play; it was the short length of time in which I had to learn 17 of them before our first concert. [Laughs] Those guys were so loved the world over. Their impact goes much deeper than I originally thought.
Many older and current musicians note how much Budgie influenced them. And many older musicians credit them for the beginnings of heavy metal alongside [Black] Sabbath. In fact, I saw a documentary about the origins of metal, and Budgie was mentioned quite frequently, with Burke’s interview included.
Do you have a secret weapon in terms of tone?
Yes, it took a very long time, but I finally found the right combination. First, the ESP M-II, alder wood body, ebony or rosewood fretboard, 24-fret, Dean Markley Gauge 10-46 signature series strings, Seymour Duncan ‘59 pickups in both positions, and the ENGL Powerball 100-watt head with practically any 4×12 speaker cabinet.
Many will say that the speaker cabinet is as important as the quality of your TV screen. And in most cases, they are correct. But if you have the best quality TV screen, but your cable company is not a 5G HD or greater provider, your TV screen will only look as great as what is being provided to view it with.
So, once I found the aforementioned right combo, I started looking into 4×12 cabinets. And unless the cabinet was faulty to begin with, there wasn’t a great difference that would become necessary to demand from the concert venue promoters. They will most likely be trying to save money on the backline and provide something less than requested, anyway, as I’ve found to be true.
This is especially true once we could no longer afford to travel with our own backline and depended upon the promoters to supply decent gear ahead of saving money. Saving money was always what they chose, so I had to come up with Plan B, C, and D, since I could always bring my guitars with me.
Are there any techniques that have been hardest to master?
Yes, the hardest one was to make vowel sounds consistently upon demand on my guitar. Music is communication. If I were to send you more than one sentence with only consonants in them, they might make for great Russian names, but would say nothing, no matter how clever they were constructed. Same for guitar. Therefore, vowels are necessary in order to communicate. Not just to communicate well, but to be able to communicate, period.
If you could scrap who you are as a player today, and build yourself as a model imagined in your head, would you do it?
Yes and no. I’m always going to want to do better and be better. But I’m finally at a place where I’m comfortable with who I am for the very first time.
Where do you go from here, and how do you plan to progress as a player?
I plan to re-release my first solo album, Hidden in Plain Sight, remastered and featuring four previously unheard tracks. I’m also working on new songs with the singer from Dream Child, Diego Valdez. The first album was based on my ideas; this time, since he has such great ideas, many of the new songs will be based on his ideas.
I plan on always improving my playing and my writing. I developed a method for this, but I can’t reveal it as it’s what I teach my students, and I plan on continuing to teach. I also do Zoom lessons. If any of your readers are interested, they can email me at craiggoldy@hotmail.com.
I plan on putting together another solo band and album soon as well. I’m currently working on finding a few special students to pass the torch to, just as Ronnie did for me.