| Carlos Cavazo | |
| Birth Date: | 8 July 1957 |
| Birth Place: | Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. |
| Genre: | Glam metal,[1] hard rock, heavy metal |
| Occupation: | Guitarist |
| Current Member Of: | King Kobra, Hurricane |
| Past Member Of: | Quiet Riot, Hear 'n Aid, Ratt, Snow, Big Noize |
| Associated Acts: | Speed of Light, Snow, Quiet Riot, Heat, Black Plague, 3 Legged Dogg, Big Noise, Hollywood Allstarz, The Dirty Rats, Ratt, Hear 'n Aid |
| Years Active: | 1973–present |
Carlos Cavazo (born July 8, 1957) is an American musician best known as the guitarist for heavy metal band Quiet Riot during their commercial peak. He has also played with Snow, 3 Legged Dogg, Hollywood Allstarz, and Ratt.
Cavazo was born in Mexico City, 1957 to a Mexican father and an American mother. He formed the band Speed of Light with his older brother Tony in 1973 in Anaheim (Hills), Orange County, California. Carlos would have been part of the 1st graduating at Canyon High School, however, he left school his senior year to pursue music. The band would evolve into Snow by 1978 with the addition of vocalist Doug Ellison and drummer Stephen Quadros. Snow built up a loyal following on the L.A. club circuit over the next couple of years and in 1980 released a self-financed eponymous 5-song EP, re-issued as part of the At Last archives release in 2017.[2] [3] Snow played a reunion show at the Whisky a Go Go on November 8, 2017 (with Amargo, Stonebreed, Angeles and, Pancho Villa's Skull) to celebrate the release of At Last.[4]
Replacing Randy Rhoads in the reformed Quiet Riot in 1982 he remained with the band into the 2000s until the band split up. However, when vocalist Kevin DuBrow reformed the band to record the 2006 album Rehab, Cavazo was not included.[5]
Cavazo was a founding member of 3 Legged Dogg, a supergroup made up of drummer Vinny Appice (Black Sabbath, Dio, Heaven & Hell), bassist Jimmy Bain (Rainbow, Dio), vocalist Chas West (Bonham, Foreigner) and guitarist Brian Young (David Lee Roth). They released one album, Frozen Summer in 2006.
Until spring of 2018, he was a member of Ratt, replacing John Corabi in 2008.[6]
Carlos is currently a member of the bands King Kobra and Hurricane, which he joined in 2021 and 2023, respectively.