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Craig Goldy on the Call to Replace John Sykes in Whitesnake, “I’m more of a Blackmore kind of guy”

full in bloom | September 25, 2026



This is a full in bloom interview with guitarist Craig Goldy.

Craig talks about Whitesnake, John Sykes, David Lee Roth, Vivian Campbell, Steve Vai, John Kalodner, Adrian Vandenberg, David Coverdale, Carmine Appice, Bob Ezrin, Blue Murder.

-LINKS-

Craig Goldy’s Official YouTube Channel (under Thomas Goldy):
https://www.youtube.com/user/TCraigGoldy

Craig Goldy on Ronnie James Dio’s Moment of Doubt Before Releasing Holy Diver, “I’m almost in tears” https://youtu.be/meLZ_p0qiDg

Craig Goldy’s Friday the 13th Stories:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmrl4_TQJOc

Interview: Craig Goldy on Dio’s Vivian Campbell Money Feud, “It was his turn to make the lion’s share”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6_EwOuRqtA

Story: Craig Goldy on Ronnie James Dio’s Ritchie Blackmore Warning, Giuffria / Deep Purple Tour
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rl9fhV14tFM

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Outro by FOOL OF FATE

#whitesnake #vanhalen #dio #johnsykes #stevevai

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , .

Written by full in bloom

Comments

This post currently has 35 comments.

  1. @Zakkarath

    September 25, 2026 at 1:19 am

    Craig is an incredibly unique and talented player…. whilst as he says 'I'm not one of those guys that can play anything' the important thing is you play something special, something 'you'. All due respect to Steve, Slip of the Tongue sounds like 'Steve Vai in Whitesnake', which is… ok as both are great. However, as band it is more of a project than a band… an AWESOME project don't get me wrong… but… a project non the less. Craig in Dio still sounded like Dio…. To me Craig gave the vibe 'yep you're the new guitar player in Dio, you're the new Axe warrior in the Dio 'dreamscape'…. not 'it's Dio and Vai or Yngwie etc. … it was stil….. Dio…. that's the main thing.

  4. @500erider

    September 25, 2026 at 1:19 am

    Funny, he says he's not a guy who can just play anything, but Campbell and Vandenberg sure as hell didn't play John's solos live. Nowhere even close. Craig could've done the job just fine, based on that. Because as far as Coverdale was concerned, the average AOR mainstream fan didn't know the difference, one way or the other. But those of us who are real music fans, could certainly tell the difference. Vai didn;t touch John's work, either. Just played a bunch of mumbo jumbo, where Sykes' solos would've been. SMH. Sykes was irreplaceable, but Coverdale couldn't see that.

  6. @steveo13

    September 25, 2026 at 1:19 am

    Nothing Whitesnake ever put out came remotely close to Sykes work on that 87 album. It stands heads above the rest! Coverdale was a f'g fool for letting him go! He was jealous AF of him!!

  7. @LilaHikes

    September 25, 2026 at 1:19 am

    Saw in interview with John Sykes back in '89, as the first Blue Murder album was released, and according to Sykes, he said he didn't want to sing lead but all the good singers were taken.

  8. @mikelachey824

    September 25, 2026 at 1:19 am

    Steve Vai can play anything…..except Whitesnake. Saw him with them 3 times and it was just awful. Everything was great, but this guy is trying to do that bizarre solo style of his to classic bluesy Whitesnake. Vai is a gimmick, not even remotely a blues guy, like a Sykes. With Roth doing his thing it was great. It matches Roth's flamboyant style. In Whitesnake he was just awful

  10. @martheczkafelix5342

    September 25, 2026 at 1:19 am

    I know C.Goldy from the group DIO – he played there 3 times. He looked a lot like Rudy Sarzo when he was young. They played together in the last line-up of Dio. But today Goldy looks different. Even though Rudy is 11 years older – he looks great.

  12. @r.g.armstrong2688

    September 25, 2026 at 1:19 am

    I love Craig, but he’s off the track here. He made a lot of confusion with the events happening. Anyway, i think he was the perfect man for Dio. Dream Evil sounds like an evil version of Blackmore🤘🏻

  15. @TravisBickle212

    September 25, 2026 at 1:19 am

    It’s totally endless how many close calls there were and bands that were hugely competitive almost having the same guys at one time or another. Mind blowing. Whitesnake alone must have a family tree the size of CT.

  16. @ThisUnderWorldOfDarkness

    September 25, 2026 at 1:19 am

    The original composers and songwriters on that Whitesnake album with “Still of the Night” was the sh-t. … The followup albums didn’t touch that album.

    It was Sykes fault he got canned.

    Coverdale had a sinus infection that lasted 3 to 6 months, and therefore, Coverdale did not want to record until his sinuses were clear, becaues it was messing up his voice.

    Sykes thought that no one could have a sinus infection that long, and he thought Coverdale was blowing smoke and avoiding the project, when in fact, some sinus infections, especially fungal infections of the sinus cavity can take 6 months to recover from.

    Coverdale said that what cured him was they went in and did some sinus scrapes in the sinus cavity, to remove the infected tissue. This is usually what they have to do to remove fungal infections of the sinus cavity.

    Because Sykes was playing doctor when he wasn’t one, he kept pushing at Coverdale until Coverdale had enough and wanted Sykes out of the band.

    Who knows if there was more to the story.

    But the Sykes version of Whitesnake in that time period was the shit.

  20. @TCraigGoldy

    September 25, 2026 at 1:19 am

    @Full in Bloom
    To those who doubt me and think I'm full of crap:

    I was sitting right next to Carmine at his house playing me the "Blue Murder" demos!
    That's how I found out first that Koladner didn't want John to be the lead Singer!
    Yes, John can sing and write like no one else….but Sykes is not a singer! He can sing but he is not the top grade of lead singers! John Sykes didn't want to battle lead singers anymore just to get his amazing ideas out there!
    It's the age old story…..guitarists fight with singers…..to get their guitar parts in as amazing as they currently are !
    But that makes it harder for amazing singers to do what they do best!
    But most guitarists……don't sing as well as John Sykes!
    But John Sykes is not among the world's best singers or front men…..period…..but John Sykes earned his place in the sun!
    But as a result of that…. "Blue Murder" did not set the world on fire!

    I have worked one on one with both Carmine and Tony Franklin…..and they have never tried to correct me!

    Mainly because…..I learned all this from them…..and not just Koladner!!

    I never once thought I was right for Whitesnake nor did I try to make it sound like that….if you listen….I say quite the opposite!!
    For those who met me and think I'm a "snob"….I'm the very last person to think highly of myself!!

    So if you had a bad interaction with me……you need to look in the mirror!!
    Period

  22. @RussUlmer

    September 25, 2026 at 1:19 am

    Sounds like he's making up the story as he goes along and being led by the interviewer. I met Goldy once in a club near Atlanta when he was playing in a band called Giuffria, and he was kind of a snob. I was also in a band and friends with a lot of local musicians who didn't really care for him either. To hear him talk smack about other famous and much more talented musicians makes me laugh, like anyone really knows who the hell he is anyway. 😄

  32. @TarynnElizabeth619

    September 25, 2026 at 1:19 am

    John Sykes was fired by David Coverdale. It doesn’t matter, because he laughs all the way to the bank. Since he owns part of the publishing to all the music on the Whitesnake slide it in, and the 87 album. 😊

  33. @MikeRoerick

    September 25, 2026 at 1:19 am

    HELP: I recently went through all my concert tickets during the 80s and remembered that I saw Whitesnake 3 times. The Texas Jam in 87, March of 88 and March of 90(Reunion Area). My recollection is that Vivian Campbell played the Texas Jam but now I'm starting to question it. My favorite guitarists at the time were EVH, George Lynch and Campbell until Nuno showed up. PLEASE FORGIVE ME but I didn't know who John Sykes was at the time. Since then I've become a HUGE Sykes and Doug Aldrich fan. Anyways, does anybody know the lineup of those three concerts, it's really bugging me now.

  34. @DeadShred9

    September 25, 2026 at 1:19 am

    You cannot compare players like this or guys in Warrant ect. to Vai & Satch they can adapt to whatever style while adding their signature stuff . I been a Guitarist for 40 yrs. or so and have heard and seen both of them several times , live through the years .

Comments are closed.

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