Eduardo Rivadavia (aka Ed Rivadavia) was born in São Paulo, Brazil, and by his late teens had already toured the world (and elsewhere), learning four languages on three continents. Having also accepted the holy gospel of rock & roll as his lord and savior, Eduardo became infatuated with the New Wave of British Heavy Metal and all things heavy, crude, and obnoxious while living in Milan, Italy, during the mid-1980s. At this time, he also made his journalistic debut as sole writer, editor, publisher, and, some would claim, reader of his high school's heavy metal fanzine, earning the scorn of jocks and nerds alike, but uniting the small hardcore music-loving contingent into a frenzied mob that spent countless hours exchanging tapes, talking shop, and getting beat up at concerts. Upon returning home to Brazil, Eduardo resumed a semi-normal existence, sporadically contributing music articles to local papers and magazines while earning his business degree. Finally, after years of obsessive musical fandom and at peace with his distinct lack of musical talent, Eduardo decided the time had come to infiltrate the music industry by the fire escape. He quit his boring corporate job, relocated to America, earned his master's degree while suffering the iniquities of interning for free (anything for rock & roll!), and eventually began working for various record labels, accumulating mountains of records and (seemingly) useless rock trivia in the process. This eventually led him back to writing, and he has regularly contributed articles to multiple websites since 1999, working with many different rock genres but specializing, as always, in his personal hobby: hard rock and heavy metal. To quote from the insightful 'This Is Spinal Tap': "People should be jealous of me...I'm jealous of me...." Eduardo currently resides in Austin, TX, with his wife, two daughters, and far more records, CDs and MP3s than he'll ever have time to listen to.
Eduardo Rivadavia
How Black Sabbath’s ‘Headless Cross’ Began a Downward Spiral
This might be the most impressive set of songs on any LP not fronted by Ozzy Osbourne or Ronnie James Dio.
How ‘With a Little Help From My Friends’ Set Up Joe Cocker for Stardom
He would become known as one of the most imaginative and distinctive interpretative singers of his generation.
Revisiting Frank Zappa’s Experimental, Genre-Defying ‘Uncle Meat’
It was already evident that he was a prolific and adventurous force. Then came this format-defying endeavor.
When Black Sabbath Played Their First Tour With Ronnie James Dio
A solid reputation fronting Rainbow and the underrated Elf obviously preceded him.
How Judas Priest Polished ‘British Steel’ to Perfection
A significant turning point arrived when the metal veterans unveiled their aptly named sixth album.
Why Iron Maiden Ended Up Taking Over on Their Debut Album
Music fans found themselves confronted with a horrifying creature of leathery skin and spiky hair staring wide-eyed and gape-mouthed at them.
How Happenstance Originally Brought Brian Johnson to AC/DC
The seeds for his arrival had been planted years earlier – and under most serendipitous circumstances.
How Triumph Finally Broke Through in the U.S. With ‘Just a Game’
At this point, their career longevity was anything but certain.
The History of Metallica’s ‘No Life ‘Til Leather’
Metallica will celebrate Record Store Day 2015 by releasing their widely circulated and legendary 1982 demo tape No Life ‘Til Leather on cassette.
Why Frank Zappa Saved Up Material for His Blockbuster ‘Sheik Yerbouti’
On many levels — creative, personal, and business-related — 1979 would go down as a banner year in his long and storied career.
Why Black Sabbath’s Fortunes Turned With ‘Cross Purposes’
By this point, their inability to retain a lead singer had become something of a comedy of errors.
The Day Lynyrd Skynyrd Pianist Billy Powell Died
The band lost yet another seminal member when their longtime keyboard player passed away suddenly.