OBITUARY – OZZY OSBOURNE
Music Instrument News is sad to report the death of legendary vocalist Ozzy Osbourne.
Although known to a much wider section of the population who have never heard a single Black Sabbath or Ozzy Osbourne solo album, for his off-stage exploits including the accidental ingestion of the head of a bat thrown on stage in 1981, and biting the heads off two doves the previous year in order to shock the executives of his record label, it is Ozzy Osbourne’s influence as a musician that should remain his most vital legacy. His family’s inclusion on one of the very first ‘reality’ TV series following family life for the Osbournes in their Los Angeles mansion drew stark attention to the alcoholism and drug dependency that had featured through Osbourne’s life and career since his early twenties.
But it’s Ozzy Osbourne’s, and his band Black Sabbath’s creation, almost single-handedly, of the genre of Heavy Metal, that is their greatest gift to modern music. Almost every Heavy Metal band, major and minor, throughout the world, can trace their lineage and influence back to the first Black Sabbath albums. The slow doomy songs with their unique guitar sounds (the result of guitarist Tony Iommi tuning down his strings to loosen then and give more access to his fingers, damaged in an industrial accident) were unique and ground-breaking. The sound instantly created the genre of ‘Heavy Metal’, based on the industrial atmosphere of the band created in their personal experience of working in heavy industry in the Black Country area of The Midlands.
Almost from the start of their career, Sabbath were doomed to be tied to the genres of the occult and devil worship, which they continuously and strenuously denied. But it was the combination of fearsome and intensive guitar sounds, coupled with the bottom-end bass and thundering drums that gave Ozzy Osbourne a platform for his unique and massively influential vocal style. Coupled with an equally intense and manic stage presence, fuelled almost from the beginning by excessive ingestions of alcohol and narcotics, that made Black Sabbath world megastars in the genre they had created.
The road for Black Sabbath was not always smooth, in 1979, the three other members sacked Osbourne who was becoming increasingly dysfunctional through his intake of drink and drugs. Ironically, his subsequent solo career was to send Osbourne’s fame into the stratosphere and enhance his legend and influence on Heavy Metal even further. His Blizzard Of Ozz album in 1980 remains one of the seminal Metal albums. Guided by his wife and manager Sharon, Osbourne was astute enough to pick up on the new influence of MTV, and his videos, and mischievous ‘Prince Of Darkness’ pantomime-esque persona, helped him to connect with a new and younger audience, especially in the US.
Once again catching the wave of a new influence in music, Ozzy Osbourne’s travelling Ozzfest music festival which began in 1996, gave a platform for a number of new bands, and revived the careers of others – Slipknot and Lamb Of God among others.
Although his health problems led to very obvious physical deterioration in his later years, Osbourne’s Parkinson’s Disease became more obvious with the passing of time, Ozzy continued to record and release music. In a twelve-album solo career, Ozzy’s latest offering, Patient Number 9, came out in 2022. In fact, his Parkinson’s diagnosis was made in 2003, although it was only made public in 2020. In interviews, Osbourne spoke frankly and honestly about the effects of the disease on his mobility and speech, but refused to allow it to define him as a person, or as an artist. Ozzy finally retired from touring in 2023 due to his declining mobility.
It’s entirely appropriate that finally, all grievances were shelved, all arguments put away for the day, and the original line-up of Black Sabbath played a final farewell concert in their native Birmingham on July 5. A huge all-day event featuring some of the bands who owe their sounds, images, and careers, to the path forged by Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath, more than fifty years ago. Ozzy was confined to an appropriately elaborate Black throne for the performance, but his voice, and stage presence were intact to the very end.
Family and friends will ponder whether Ozzy waited long enough to put the final seal on his legend as a musician, artist, and genuine innovator in the field of Rock music. His legend and his influence will never be forgotten.
OZZY OSBOURNE 03.09.48 – 22.07.25.
ANDY HUGHES
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Source: musicinstrumentnews.co.uk
