During a recent appearance on Detroit’s WRIF radio with host Meltdown, former Whitesnake and Dio guitarist Doug Aldrich, now a member of The Dead Daisies, opened up about a powerful early experience that left a lasting impact on his life.

Aldrich shared a story from more than 40 years ago when he met one of his biggest guitar heroes—Ozzy Osbourne’s legendary guitarist Randy Rhoads—in Los Angeles.

“I had the opportunity to meet Randy Rhoads when I was a kid, when I was 18,” Aldrich said. “I first came to L.A., and a guy I met at the Troubadour called me and said, ‘Hey, Randy’s gonna be playing a couple songs down at the Whisky [A Go Go] tonight. Do you wanna go see that?'”

At the time, Aldrich was living in a modest studio apartment and had only recently moved to Los Angeles to pursue music. The phone call came just in time—his service was about to be cut off.

“I’m, like, ‘Randy? Randy who?’ And he’s, like, ‘Randy Rhoads.’ I go, ‘You mean the English guy from Ozzy’s band?’ He goes, ‘He’s not from England. He’s from Burbank.'”

Aldrich was stunned to learn that the blonde-haired, Les Paul-wielding guitarist he admired wasn’t British but a local California musician.

After attending the show and meeting Rhoads in person, Aldrich had another chance encounter just a week later.

“My buddy calls me back and he goes, ‘Hey, Randy’s playing again. He’s gonna play again with Kevin DuBrow. Do you wanna come see him?’ I go, ‘Hell yeah.'”

What happened next left a young Aldrich speechless.

“I walked in the Whisky. And I had met him and told him how much I was blown away… but when I walked in a week later, he goes, ‘Hey, Doug. How’re you doing, man?’ I was just, like, ‘Whoa, whoa, Randy. Wow.'”

The moment that Rhoads remembered his name hit Aldrich on a deeply personal level.

“It blew me away. I mean, I was just a kid, and he remembered my name. And I was just out of my mind with that.”