Randy Oda

Randy Oda (born 1953) is a composer and musician who performed with Tom Fogerty and the band Ruby, producing the albums Ruby, Rock & Roll Madness, Precious Gems, and Sidekicks. He composed the 1982 hit song, "Think I'm in Love", which Arnold Schwarzenegger also used on an exercise video. His "BART" instrumental was used by BBC School Music during intervals. His latest band is 'OPO.

Randy Oda
Born
Randall Keith Oda

1953
El Cerrito, California
OccupationGuitarist, composer

Early life and education

Randall Keith Oda was born in 1953 in Alameda County, California.[1] He attended Kennedy High School in Richmond, California.[2] Oda married Jean Nugent in 1985.[3]

Career

Beginning in late 1971, Randy Oda, his brother Kevin Oda, Art Pantoja, and Kyle Schneider formed the band "Oda", producing two albums on the Loud Phonograph Albums label.[4][5] A local Bay Area band, they played gigs in Berkely.[6][7][8][9] They also played a reunion benefit at Concord in 2015.[10]

In the early 1970's, Oda joined Tom Fogerty in the band Ruby, with Oda on guitar, Anthony Davis on bass, and Bobby Cochran on drums. Reviewer Phillip Elwood of the San Francisco Examiner wrote, "...when Randy Oda, nominally the band's solo guitar, gets into an extended theme the band backs him with all the flair of a seasoned jazz-blues-rock orchestra."[11]

A 1978 Santa Cruz Sentinel review of Ruby said Oda was:

...a session musician prior to joining Ruby, playing on television and radio commercials, including those for McDonald's. His sounds transcends the Big Mac, though, as he is a sensitive and hot guitarist. His instrumental composition "BART" (after Bay Area Rapid Transit) immediately picked up the show and shook up the crowd Friday night. Oda's instrumental compositions are not unlike Jeff Beck or Pablo Cruise in the way they build up to a whining crescendo.

— Greg Beese[12]

Oda's "BART" instrumental was used by the BBC during school intervals in the 1970s and 1980s.[13]

Ruby released two studio albums, Ruby in 1976[14] and Rock & Roll Madness in 1978,[15] and then disbanded. They released Precious Gems, a compliation album, in 1984. Oda and Fogerty's Sidekicks was released in 1992 after Fogerty died,[16] with Oda's credits on the album listed as "Arranger, Composer, Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric), Keyboards, Primary Artist, Producer".[17]

Oda composed the 1982 single, "Think I'm in Love", recorded by Eddie Money, which reached #1 on the Billboard Top Tracks chart.[18] It appeared on Money's 1983 album, No Control,[19] as well as Arnold Schwarzenegger's Total Body Workout video,[20] and multiple compilation albums.[21]

Oda joined his brother Kevin Oda on drums and Michael Politeau (bass) in the band 'OPO, an acronym for its members (Oda, Politeau, Oda), which also means "to lay a foundation" in Hawaiian.[16] 'OPO produced the album Getaway in 2011.[22][23]

References
  1. Oda, Randall Keith (1983). "California Birth Index, 1905-1995". www.ancestry.com. Retrieved 2020-01-15. Name: Randall Keith Oda - Birth: 1953 - Gender: Male - Mother's Maiden Name: Harada - Birth County: Alameda
  2. "Tom Fogerty Invites You to Dance". The Berkeley Gazette. 1976-10-23. p. 20. Retrieved 2020-04-14.
  3. "California Marriage Index". www.ancestry.com. Retrieved 2020-04-14.
  4. "Oda Likes Its Records Loud". 1973-03-17. p. 24. Retrieved 2020-01-13.
  5. "Oda (4)". Discogs. Retrieved 2020-04-20.
  6. "Keystone Date". 1980-08-29. p. 19. Retrieved 2020-01-13.
  7. "Oda Joy of It". The Berkeley Gazette. 1983-01-14. p. 19. Retrieved 2020-01-13.
  8. "Rocker Randy Oda plays at Keystone Wednesday". The Berkeley Gazette. 1981-12-25. p. 48. Retrieved 2020-02-05.
  9. "Oda headlines Keystone Friday". The Berkeley Gazette. 1983-02-03. p. 14. Retrieved 2020-02-05.
  10. "Chris Treadway: World Series trophies, Playland reading benefit and garage band reunion". East Bay Times. 2015-01-21. Retrieved 2020-01-12.
  11. "Ruby Is a Futuristic Gem of Electric Rock". The San Francisco Examiner. 1976-01-09. p. 25. Retrieved 2020-01-13.
  12. "Ruby Pleasant Surprise for Civic". Santa Cruz Sentinel. 1978-04-02. p. 17. Retrieved 2020-01-13.
  13. "BBC Schools Music Bart By Ruby On Pages From Ceefax 18th November 2005". viralhub.video. Retrieved 2020-04-20.
  14. Ruby - Ruby | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic, retrieved 2020-04-20
  15. Rock'n'Roll Madness - Ruby | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic, retrieved 2020-04-20
  16. "Rockin' island style". Rapid City Journal. 2015-06-18. p. 32. Retrieved 2020-02-05.
  17. Sidekicks - Tom Fogerty | Credits | AllMusic, retrieved 2020-04-20
  18. Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 8th Edition (Billboard Publications), page 433.
  19. No Control - Eddie Money | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic, retrieved 2020-04-20
  20. "Arnold Schwarzenegger's Total Body Workout - Arnold Schwarzenegger | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2020-04-14.
  21. "Randy Oda | Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2020-04-14.
  22. "Getaway - 'Opo | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2020-04-14.
  23. "Getaway - 'Opo Releases". AllMusic. Retrieved 2020-04-14.
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