As Black Sabbath’s singer for their first decade, Ozzy Osbourne helped shape the direction of a number of heavy genres in the ‘70s. After going solo in the ‘80s, he continued to inspire artists who liked their music loud, hard and with a side of darkness. After making eight, groundbreaking albums with Sabbath, Osbourne left the warring group for a solo career with 1980’s ‘Blizzard of Ozz,’ which picked up where he left off with Sabbath. His next few albums – like 1981’s ‘Diary of a Madman’ and 1983’s ‘Bark at the Moon’ – made him a star all over again in the ‘80s, as he helped launch the career of some of rock’s most in-demand musicians. While continuing to release records in the ‘90s and ‘00s, Osbourne started a popular music festival and became an unlikely TV star (along with the rest of his real-life family). In 2013, he reunited with his Black Sabbath bandmates for a successful album and tour.
- Birthday: Dec. 3, 1948
- Selected Discography: ‘Blizzard of Ozz’ (1980), ‘Diary of a Madman’ (1981), ‘Bark at the Moon’ (1983)
- Related Artists: Black Sabbath, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler
- Further Reading: Top 10 Ozzy Osbourne Songs, Top 10 Randy Rhoads Guitar Solos, ‘Crazy Train’ – Top 100 Classic Rock Songs