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Ozzy Osbourne
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Ozzy is third from left
John Michael
Osbourne (born December 3, 1948, in Aston, a suburb of Birmingham,
England.), better known as Ozzy Osbourne, was the lead singer of the
rock band Black Sabbath and later a popular solo artist.
Introduction
Osbourne was forced
out of the group in 1979 by guitarist Tony Iommi at the height of Black
Sabbath's popularity. Devastated, he continued his drug/alcohol abuse
for the next two years. He divorced his first wife, Thelma, and became
more strongly manic depressive over the years.
His saving grace was
the woman who would become his wife and manager, Sharon, and a young
guitarist named Randy Rhoads from the band Quiet Riot. Randy's flashy,
classical-inspired lead-guitar work was a huge innovation, at a time
when bluesy leads were the norm in rock. Osbourne produced a number of
albums with Rhoads, being known for their live shows involving raw
meat, dead/fake animals, and much negative press. Osbourne's most
famous album to date, Blizzard of Ozz, was the pinnacle of their
partnership.
Osbourne's antics
continued to worsen, his alcohol and drug abuse continuing. He famously
bit off the head of a dove during a meeting with his newly signed
record company, CBS and was hospitalized for rabies vaccinations after
biting the head off of a stunned bat (which he later claimed to have
thought was a rubber toy) thrown on stage by a fan. He was arrested
after urinating on the Alamo while wearing one of his wife's dresses,
for which he was banned from San Antonio, Texas for the next 10 years.
He later underwent a number of treatments for alcoholism and drug
abuse.
Osbourne fell into a
deep depression after Rhoads, along with with another tour-mate and the
pilot, was killed when the drunken pilot crashed the plane in which
they were showing off to friends on the ground.
During the 1990s,
his career was a two-fold effort, continuing to make music without
Rhoads, and getting clean. Rhoads's first replacement was Bernie Torme'
shortly followed by Brad Gillis. Next came Jake E. Lee who also played
for the band Rough Cutt. Rhoads's more permanent replacement was a
guitarist named Zakk Wylde, plucked from a New Jersey bar.
His biggest success
of the 1990s was his venture named Ozzfest a venture created by his
wife Sharon and managed loosely by his son Jack. Ozzfest was a quick
hit with metal fans, allowing groups like Incubus and Papa Roach during
the same decade. Some even had the pleasure to play with a reformed,
yet much older Black Sabbath.
Osbourne's first new-material album in 7 years, "Down to Earth" met with only mediocre success.
Osbourne returned to
celebrity status by the unlikely success of his own bizarre brand of
reality television. The Osbournes, a program featuring the domestic
life of Osbourne and his family (wife Sharon, children Jack and Kelly ,
but not daughter Aimee, who declined to participate), has turned into
one of MTV's greatest hits.
During 2003, a member of Birmingham City Council campaigned for him to be given freedom of the City.
On December 8, 2003,
Osbourne was rushed into emergency surgery when he was involved in a
very serious accident involving the use of his all-terrain vehicle on
his estate in Chalfont St Peter, Buckinghamshire, UK. Osbourne
broke his collar bone, eight ribs and a vertebra in his neck. An
operation was performed to lift the collarbone, which was believed to
be resting on a major artery and interrupting blood flow to the arm.
Solo discography
Blizzard Of Ozz - 1981
Diary of a Madman - 1981
Speak of the Devil - 1982
Bark at the Moon - 1983
The Ultimate Sin - 1986
Tribute - 1987
No Rest for the Wicked - 1988
Just Say Ozzy - 1990
No More Tears - 1991
Live and Loud - 1993
Ozzmosis - 1995
The Ozzman Cometh - 1997
Down to Earth - 2001
Live At Budokan - 2002
External links
Official website
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