Today we celebrate the birth of the Prince of Darkness Ozzy Osbourne!
The Godfather of Heavy Metal rose to the heights of rock as the singer of Black Sabbath, who ushered in the new rock sub-genre Heavy Metal, which donned him the nickname "Prince of Darkness".
The group broke out of Birmingham, England in 1968, and blazed a trail through the 70's with acclaimed releases Paranoid, Master of Reality, and Sabbath Bloody Sabbath. Their doom and gloom sound birthed Heavy Metal, inspiring future bands like Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, and Motorhead. By 1979, the grind of heavy touring and drug abuse, burned Osbourne out, and he was eventually fired from Black Sabbath.
At rock bottom Ozzy was ultimately saved by his eventual wife Sharon, who got Osbourne back on his feet and pushed him towards a solo career in the 80's, which lead to 13 albums, seven of which went multi-platinum. Backed at first by the genius of Randy Rhoads and the supergroup he assembled, Ozzy maintained his Ozzy Osbourne band swapping on and out some of of the best metal musicians of the time.
By the 90's he rejoined Sabbath in 1997 and eventually recorded the group's final album 13 in 2013, following that with a farewell tour that ended with a final performance in their native Birmingham. Osbourne has sold over 100 million albums, and has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Black Sabbath in 2006 and as a solo artist in 2024. He was also has been honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and received the Ivor Novello Award for Lifetime Achievement from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors.
Happy Birthday Ozzy, you changed the face of rock and roll forever!