February 2022 Nonconformist of the Month – Ozzy Osbourne

John Michael “Ozzy” Osbourne was born on December 3, 1948 in a suburb of Birmingham, England.  His family was poor, as his parents worked manual labor jobs.  Ozzy suffered from dyslexia and anxiety, which were made worse by frequent bullying.  He was an outcast who didn’t have many friends and was often seen dragging around a shoe on a string.  But he had a passion for music and at age 14 after hearing The Beatles, he decided he wanted to be a musician.

He played in his first band in 1967, but it broke up soon after it formed.  He and his bandmate Geezer Butler joined forces with Tony Iommi and Bill Ward to form a new band.  After several name changes, they became Black Sabbath, a band that has often been credited with the invention of heavy metal.  The unique sound the band created was considered frightening by listeners at first.  Ozzy’s vocals meshed perfectly with the ominous sound and the dark lyrical themes.

The band is well-known for their substance use over the years and many crazy antics have been published about the band and Ozzy himself.  I will not elaborate on them here.  Ozzy was fired from the band in 1979.  He apparently had more of a problem with substances than the other members, as that is the reason they gave him when they fired him.  In interviews he has said that he thought his career was over when this happened.  However, he was able to form a new band when he teamed up with guitar great Randy Rhoads and found a new manager…his future wife Sharon.

As a solo artist, Ozzy has released twelve albums and has toured the world many times over.  He made many attempts at sobriety over the years and has managed to remain mostly sober for the past several years.  He has had several setbacks over the years as well, particularly the sudden death of Randy Rhoads in a plane crash.  He has also weathered many health scares, including a near-fatal ATV accident, a bout of pneumonia, a severe hand infection, and a fall that dislodged rods and pins from his ATV accident.  Then in 2019 he was diagnosed with a form of Parkinson’s.  In spite of all this, Ozzy continues making music and hopes to return to touring, which is what he loves to do most.

Ozzy’s vision and determination and his love for rock music endear him to me.  I’ve been lucky enough to see him perform with Black Sabbath and as a solo artist and to have met him during a book signing a few years ago.   Ozzy overcame his meager beginnings.  He went from being a bullied outcast from a poor family to being one of the most famous, and infamous, rock stars in the world.  That same determination and love of music is what keeps him busy creating new music and what gives him hope for returning to the stage.

Thank you for the music, Ozzy.  Keep rocking!