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
45 Years Ago: Scorpions Release Their Debut Album, ‘Lonesome Crow’
Germany's Scorpions have been rocking like a hurricane for so long now, there are actually legions of fans who know them only by their hit '80s albums.
When Sammy Hagar Got His Jimmy Buffett On With ‘Livin’ It Up’
This LP made it plain hat he'd been having quite a time at his Mexican retreat at Cabo Wabo.
50 Years Ago: Spinal Tap Begins Journey to Stardom as the Thamesmen
The Thamesmen, featuring future members of Spinal Tap, released "Gimme Some Money" b/w "Cups and Cakes" as their first – and only – single.
The Story of the Ramones’ First Show
Their eponymous debut was so immediate that it was hard to believe they'd already been around for about two years.
When Ozzy Osbourne Bit Off the Heads of Two Doves
An event intended to promote goodwill with his label went horribly wrong.
How Judas Priest Came Into Their Own With ‘Sad Wings of Destiny’
Heavy metal may have first roared into existence circa 1970, but this group ushered in the second wave.
When Kiss Rushed Out ‘Dressed to Kill’ Amid Career Uncertainty
The Wall Street finery on this album cover wasn't representative of the very modest state of their personal finances.
The Night Cliff Burton Played His First Show With Metallica
A scruffy crew of acne-afflicted youths took a major step toward becoming the kings of thrash metal.
How Metallica Crafted a Metal Masterpiece in ‘Master of Puppets’
Heavy metal effectively came of age in the '80s, as it coalesced into a bona fide rock 'n' roll subgenre.
When Whitesnake Played Their First Concert
Collapse of David Coverdale's former band Deep Purple had been one of the most spectacular of the '70s.