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Tonight in a special FreeForm show, we will pay tribute to Ozzie Osborne, a musician who was a major part of the birth and success of heavy metal. We will be focusing on his early years with Black Sabbath.
John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne (3 December 1948 – 22 July 2025) was an English singer, songwriter, and media personality. He rose to prominence during the 1970s as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Black Sabbath, during which period he adopted the nickname "Prince of Darkness".[4]
Osbourne became a founding member of Black Sabbath in 1968, providing lead vocals from their eponymous debut studio album in 1970 to Never Say Die! in 1978. The band was highly influential in the development of heavy metal music, in particular their critically acclaimed releases Paranoid (1970), Master of Reality (1971), and Sabbath Bloody Sabbath (1973). Osbourne was fired from Black Sabbath in 1979 due to his problems with alcohol and other drugs. He then began a successful solo career with Blizzard of Ozz in 1980 and released 13 studio albums, the first seven of which received multi-platinum certifications in the United States. He reunited with Black Sabbath on several occasions. He rejoined in 1997 and helped record the band's final studio album, 13 (2013), before they embarked on a farewell tour that ended with a 2017 performance in their native Birmingham.
Osbourne sold over 100 million albums, including his solo work and Black Sabbath releases.[5][6] He was 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 inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame both solo and with Black Sabbath in 2005. He was honoured with stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and Birmingham Walk of Stars. At the 2014 MTV Europe Music Awards, he received the Global Icon Award. In 2015, he received the Ivor Novello Award for Lifetime Achievement from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors.
In the early 2000s, Osbourne became a reality television star when he appeared in the MTV reality show The Osbournes alongside his wife and manager Sharon and two of their children, Kelly and Jack. He co-starred with Jack and Kelly in the television series Ozzy & Jack's World Detour.
On 5 July 2025, Osbourne performed his final show at the Back to the Beginning concert event amid ongoing health issues, having announced earlier in the year that this would be his last live performance, though he intended to continue recording music.[7] He died later that month on 22 July.
Early life
John Michael Osbourne was born at Maternity Hospital in Marston Green on 3 December 1948,[8] and grew up in the Aston area of Birmingham.[9][10] His mother, Lilian (née Unitt; 1916–2001), was a non-observant Catholic who worked at a Lucas factory.[11][12][13] His father, John Thomas "Jack" Osbourne (1915–1977), worked night shifts as a toolmaker at the General Electric Company.[14][15] Osbourne had three older sisters named Jean, Iris, and Gillian, and two younger brothers named Paul and Tony.[16] The family lived in a small two-bedroom home at 14 Lodge Road in Aston. Osbourne gained the nickname "Ozzy" as a child.[17] He dealt with dyslexia at school.[18] His accent has been described as a "hesitant Brummie".[19] At the age of 11, he suffered sexual abuse from school bullies.[20] He said he attempted suicide multiple times as a teenager.[21][22]
Osbourne left school at the age of 15 and was employed as a construction site labourer, trainee plumber, apprentice toolmaker, car factory horn-tuner, and slaughterhouse worker. At the age of 17, he was convicted of robbing a clothes shop, but was unable to pay the fine; his father also refused to pay it to teach him a lesson, resulting in Osbourne spending six weeks in Winson Green Prison.[23][14] He participated in school plays, including Gilbert and Sullivan's The Mikado and HMS Pinafore.[24] Upon hearing the first hit single of the Beatles at age 14, he became a fan of the band and credited their 1963 song "She Loves You" with inspiring him to become a musician.[15][25] In the 2011 documentary God Bless Ozzy Osbourne, Osbourne said that the Beatles made him realise that "[he] was going to be a rock star the rest of [his] life".[26]
Career
Black Sabbath
In late 1967, Geezer Butler formed his first band, Rare Breed, and recruited Osbourne to be the singer.[17] The band played two shows and broke up. Osbourne and Butler reunited in another band, Polka Tulk Blues, which included guitarist Tony Iommi and drummer Bill Ward, whose band Mythology recently broke up. They renamed the band Earth. But after being accidentally booked for a show instead of a different band with the same name, they decided to change the band's name again, settling on the name Black Sabbath in August 1969. The band's name was inspired by the film of the same title.[27] Black Sabbath noticed how people enjoyed being frightened during their appearances, which inspired their decision to play a heavy blues style of music laced with gloomy sounds and lyrics.[9] While recording their first album, Butler read an occult book and woke up seeing a dark figure at the end of his bed. Butler told Osbourne about it, and together they wrote the lyrics to "Black Sabbath", their first song in a darker vein.[28][29]
The band's US record label, Warner Bros. Records, invested only modestly in it, but Black Sabbath met with swift and enduring success. Built around Tony Iommi's guitar riffs, Geezer Butler's lyrics, Bill Ward's dark tempo drumbeats, and topped by Osbourne's eerie vocals, their debut album Black Sabbath and Paranoid were commercially successful and also gained considerable radio airplay. Osbourne recalls, however, that, "in those days, the band wasn't very popular with the women".[17]
At about this time, Osbourne first met his future wife, Sharon Arden.[17] After the unexpected success of their first album, Black Sabbath were considering her father, Don Arden, as their new manager, and Sharon was at that time working as Don's receptionist.[17] Osbourne admits he was attracted to her immediately but assumed that "she probably thought I was a lunatic".[17] Osbourne later recalled that the best thing about eventually choosing Don Arden as manager was that he got to see Sharon regularly, though their relationship was strictly professional at that point.[17]
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Just five months after the release of Paranoid, the band released Master of Reality. The album reached the top ten in both the United States and UK, and was certified gold in less than two months.[30] In the 1980s, it received platinum certification[30] and went Double Platinum in the early 21st century.[30] Reviews of the album were unfavourable. Lester Bangs of Rolling Stone famously dismissed Master of Reality as "naïve, simplistic, repetitive, absolute doggerel", although the very same magazine would later place the album at number 298 on their 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list, compiled in 2003.[31]
In September 1972, Black Sabbath released Black Sabbath Vol. 4. Critics were dismissive of the album; however, it reached gold status in less than a month and was the band's fourth consecutive album to sell over one million copies in the United States.[32][33]
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In November 1973, Black Sabbath released the critically acclaimed Sabbath Bloody Sabbath. For the first time, the band received favourable reviews in the mainstream press. Gordon Fletcher of Rolling Stone called the album "an extraordinarily gripping affair" and "nothing less than a complete success".[34] Decades later, AllMusic's Eduardo Rivadavia called the album a "masterpiece, essential to any heavy metal collection", while also claiming the band displayed "a newfound sense of finesse and maturity".[35] The album marked the band's fifth consecutive platinum selling album in the US.[36] Sabotage was released in July 1975. Again there were favourable reviews. Rolling Stone stated, "Sabotage is not only Black Sabbath's best record since Paranoid, it might be their best ever."[37] In a retrospective review, AllMusic was less favourable, noting that "the magical chemistry that made such albums as Paranoid and Volume 4 so special was beginning to disintegrate".[38] Technical Ecstasy, released on 25 September 1976, was also met with mixed reviews. AllMusic gives the album two stars, and notes that the band was "unravelling at an alarming rate".[39]
Dismissal
Between late 1977 and early 1978,[40] Osbourne left the band for three months to pursue a solo project called Blizzard of Ozz,[41] a title which had been suggested by his father.[42] Three members of the band Necromandus, who had supported Sabbath in Birmingham when they were called Earth, backed Osbourne in the studio and briefly became the first incarnation of his solo band.[43]
At the request of the other band members, Osbourne rejoined Sabbath.[44] The band spent five months at Sounds Interchange Studios in Toronto, where they wrote and recorded their next album, Never Say Die! "It took quite a long time", Iommi said of Never Say Die! "We were getting really drugged out, doing a lot of dope. We'd go down to the sessions, and have to pack up because we were too stoned; we'd have to stop. Nobody could get anything right; we were all over the place, and everybody was playing a different thing. We'd go back and sleep it off, and try again the next day."[45]
In May 1978, Black Sabbath began the Never Say Die! Tour with Van Halen as an opening act. Reviewers called Sabbath's performance "tired and uninspired" in stark contrast to the "youthful" performance of Van Halen, who were touring the world for the first time.[46] The band recorded their concert at Hammersmith Odeon in June 1978, which was released on video as Never Say Die. The final show of the tour and Osbourne's last appearance with Black Sabbath for another seven years, until 1985, was in Albuquerque, New Mexico on 11 December.[47]
In 1979, Black Sabbath returned to the studio, but tension and conflict arose between band members. Osbourne recalls being asked to record his vocals over and over, and tracks were manipulated endlessly by Iommi.[48] The relationship between Osbourne and Iommi became contentious. On 27 April 1979, at Iommi's insistence but with the support of Butler and Ward, Osbourne was ejected from Black Sabbath.[17] The reasons provided to him were that he was unreliable and had excessive substance abuse issues compared to the other members. Osbourne claims his use of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs at that time was neither better nor worse than that of the other members.[49]
The band replaced Osbourne with former Rainbow singer Ronnie James Dio.[29] In a 21 August 1987 interview with Tommy Vance on BBC Radio 1's Friday Rock Show, Dio said, "I was not, and never will be, Ozzy Osbourne. He was the vocalist and songwriter in that era who helped create that band and make it what it was, and what it is in its classic form."[50]
The conflict between Iommi and Osbourne commenced almost immediately in their working collaboration. Responding to a 1969 flyer that read, "Ozzy Zig Needs Gig- has own PA",[51] which was posted by Osbourne in a record store, Iommi and Ward arrived at the listed address to speak with Ozzy Zig, as he then called himself. When Iommi saw Osbourne emerge from another room of the house, he recalled that he knew him as a "pest" from their school days.[17] Following Black Sabbath's formation, Iommi reportedly "punched out" Osbourne several times over the years when the singer's drunken antics became too much to take.[52] Iommi recalls one incident in the early 1970s in which Osbourne and Butler were fighting in a hotel room. Iommi pulled Osbourne off Butler in an attempt to break up the drunken fight, and the vocalist proceeded to turn around and take a wild swing at him. Iommi responded by knocking Osbourne unconscious with one punch to the jaw.[53]
Black Sabbath reunions
In 1997, Osbourne, Iommi and Butler formally reunited as Black Sabbath for the 1997 Ozzfest shows.[54] Ward was absent due to health issues.[54] In December 1997, all four members of the band reunited to record the album Reunion, with Osbourne also touring with band again from 1997 to 1999 for the album's concert tour.[32][55][56][57] The album proved to be a commercial success upon its release in October 1998.[56]
The original Black Sabbath line-up of Ozzy, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Bill Ward reunited in November 2011 for a world tour and new album.[58] Ward had to drop out for contractual reasons, so the project continued with Rage Against the Machine's Brad Wilk stepping in for Ward on drums. They played their first reunion concert in May 2012, at the O2 Academy in their hometown Birmingham.[59] The album, entitled 13, was released on 11 June 2013,[60] and topped both the UK Albums Chart and the US Billboard 200.[61][62]
In January 2016, the band began a farewell tour, titled "The End", signifying the final performances of Black Sabbath.[63][64] The final shows of The End tour took place at the Genting Arena in their home city of Birmingham on 2 and 4 February 2017, with Tommy Clufetos replacing Bill Ward as the drummer for the final show.[65][66]
On 8 August 2022, Osbourne and Iommi made a surprise appearance, during the closing ceremony of the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. This marked Osbourne's first live performance in three years, following a period of ill health.[67][68]
Osbourne played his final show, billed as "Back to the Beginning", alongside the original line-up of his band Black Sabbath, at Villa Park in Birmingham on 5 July 2025.[69] The band and Osbourne each played a short set, watched by a crowd of over 40,000 spectators and a peak livestream audience of 5.8 million. Having been rendered unable to stand from Parkinson's disease, Osbourne performed seated on a black throne.[70] All proceeds from the event will be donated equally to The Cure Parkinson's Trust, Birmingham Children's Hospital, and Acorn Children's Hospice.[71]
Solo career
Signing to Jet records
After leaving Black Sabbath, Osbourne recalled, "I'd got £96,000 for my share of the name, so I'd just locked myself away and spent three months doing coke and booze. My thinking was, 'This is my last party, because after this I'm going back to Birmingham and the dole."[72] However, Don Arden signed him to Jet Records with the aim of recording new material. Arden dispatched his daughter Sharon to Los Angeles to "look after Ozzy's needs, whatever they were", to protect his investment.[73] Arden initially hoped Osbourne would return to Sabbath, who he was personally managing at that time, and later attempted to convince the singer to name his new band "Son of Sabbath", which Osbourne hated.[17] Sharon attempted to convince Osbourne to form a supergroup with guitarist Gary Moore.[17] "When I lived in Los Angeles", Moore recalled, "[Moore's band] G-Force helped him to audition musicians. If drummers were trying out, I played guitar, and if a bassist came along, my drummer would help out. We felt sorry for him, basically. He was always hovering around trying to get me to join, and I wasn't having any of it."[74]
Blizzard of Ozz
In late 1979, under the management of the Ardens, Osbourne formed the Blizzard of Ozz,[75] featuring drummer Lee Kerslake (of Uriah Heep), bassist-lyricist Bob Daisley (of Rainbow and, later, Uriah Heep), keyboardist Don Airey (of Rainbow and, later, Deep Purple), and guitarist Randy Rhoads (of Quiet Riot). The record company eventually titled the group's debut album Blizzard of Ozz, credited simply to Osbourne, thus commencing his solo career. Co-written with Daisley and Rhoads, it brought Osbourne considerable success on his first solo effort. Though it is generally accepted that Osbourne and Rhoads started the band, Daisley later claimed that he and Osbourne formed the band in England before Rhoads officially joined.[76]
Blizzard of Ozz is one of the few albums among the 100 best-sellers of the 1980s to have achieved multi-platinum status without the benefit of a top-40 single. As of August 1997, it had achieved quadruple platinum status, according to RIAA.[77] "I envied Ozzy's career..." remarked former Sabbath drummer Bill Ward. "He seemed to be coming around from whatever it was that he'd gone through, and he seemed to be on his way again; making records and stuff… I envied it because I wanted that... I was bitter. And I had a thoroughly miserable time."[78]
Diary of a Madman
Osbourne's second album, Diary of a Madman, featured more songs co-written with Lee Kerslake. For his work on this album and Blizzard of Ozz, Rhoads[27] was ranked the 85th-greatest guitarist of all time by Rolling Stone magazine in 2003.[79] This album is known for the singles "Over the Mountain" and "Flying High Again" and, as Osbourne explains in his autobiography, is his personal favourite.[17] Tommy Aldridge and Rudy Sarzo soon replaced Kerslake and Daisley. Aldridge had been Osbourne's original choice for drummer, but a commitment to Gary Moore had made him unavailable.[73]
On 19 March 1982, the band was in Florida for its Diary of a Madman tour, a week away from playing Madison Square Garden in New York City. A light aircraft piloted by Andrew Aycock, the band's tour bus driver, carrying Rhoads and Rachel Youngblood, the band's costume and make-up designer, crashed while performing low passes over the band's tour bus. The left wing of the aircraft clipped the bus, causing the plane to graze a tree and crash into the garage of a nearby mansion, killing Rhoads, Aycock, and Youngblood. The crash was ruled the result of "poor judgement by the pilot in buzzing the bus and misjudging clearance of obstacles".[80] Experiencing firsthand the horrific death of his close friend and bandmate, Osbourne fell into a deep depression. The tour was cancelled for two weeks while Osbourne, Sharon, and Aldridge returned to Los Angeles to take stock while Sarzo remained in Florida with family.[81]
Gary Moore was the first to be approached to replace Rhoads, but refused.[81] With a two-week deadline to find a new guitarist and resume the tour, Robert Sarzo, brother of the band's bassist Rudy Sarzo, was chosen to replace Rhoads. Former Gillan guitarist Bernie Tormé, however, flew to California from England with the promise from Jet Records that he had the job. Once Sharon realised that Jet Records had already paid Tormé an advance, he was reluctantly hired instead of Sarzo. The tour resumed on 1 April 1982, but Tormé's blues-based style was unpopular with fans. After a handful of shows he informed Sharon that he would be returning to England to continue work on a solo album he had begun before coming to America.[82] At an audition in a hotel room, Osbourne selected Night Ranger's Brad Gillis to finish the tour. The tour culminated in the release of the 1982 live album Speak of the Devil, recorded at the Ritz in New York City.[83][84] A live tribute album for Rhoads was also later released. Despite the difficulties, Osbourne moved on after Rhoads' death. Speak of the Devil, known in the United Kingdom as Talk of the Devil, was originally planned to consist of live recordings from 1981, primarily from Osbourne's solo work. Under contract to produce a live album, it ended up consisting entirely of Sabbath covers recorded with Gillis, Sarzo and Tommy Aldridge.[85]
In 1982, Osbourne appeared as lead vocalist on the Was (Not Was) pop dance track "Shake Your Head (Let's Go to Bed)". Remixed and rereleased in the early 1990s for a Was (Not Was) hits album in Europe, it reached number four on the UK Singles Chart.[86] In 1983, Jake E. Lee, formerly of Ratt and Rough Cutt, joined Osbourne to record Bark at the Moon. The album, cowritten with Daisley, featured Aldridge and former Rainbow keyboard player Don Airey. The album contains the fan favourite "Bark at the Moon". The music video for "Bark at the Moon" was partially filmed at the Holloway Sanitorium outside London, England. Within weeks the album became certified gold. It has sold three million copies in the US.[87] 1986's The Ultimate Sin followed (with bassist Phil Soussan[88] and drummer Randy Castillo), and touring behind both albums with former Uriah Heep keyboardist John Sinclair joining prior to the Ultimate Sin tour. At the time of its release, The Ultimate Sin was Osbourne's highest-charting studio album. The RIAA awarded the album Platinum status on 14 May 1986, soon after its release; it was awarded Double Platinum status on 26 October 1994.[89]
Jake E. Lee and Osbourne parted ways in 1987. Osbourne continued to struggle with chemical dependency. That year, he commemorated the fifth anniversary of Rhoads' death with Tribute, a collection of live recordings from 1981. In 1988, Osbourne appeared in The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years and told the director Penelope Spheeris that "sobriety fucking sucks". Meanwhile, Osbourne found Zakk Wylde, who was the most enduring replacement for Rhoads to date.[90] Together, they recorded No Rest for the Wicked with Castillo on drums, Sinclair on keyboards, and Daisley co-writing lyrics and playing bass. The subsequent tour saw Osbourne reunited with erstwhile Black Sabbath bandmate Geezer Butler on bass. A live EP (entitled Just Say Ozzy) featuring Geezer was released two years later. In 1988, Osbourne performed on the rock ballad "Close My Eyes Forever", a duet with Lita Ford, reaching No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100.[91] In 1989, Osbourne performed at the Moscow Music Peace Festival.[92]
No More Tears and Ozzmosis
Successful through the 1980s, Osbourne sustained commercial success into the 1990s, starting with 1991's No More Tears, featuring "Mama, I'm Coming Home". The album enjoyed much radio and MTV exposure. It also initiated a practice of bringing in outside composers to help pen Osbourne's solo material instead of relying on his recording ensemble. The album was mixed by veteran rock producer Michael Wagener. Osbourne was awarded a Grammy Award for the track "I Don't Want to Change the World" from Live & Loud, for Best Metal Performance of 1994.[93] Wagener also mixed the live album Live & Loud released on 28 June 1993. Intended to be Osbourne's final album, it went platinum four times over,[94] and had a peak ranking of number 22 on the Billboard 200 chart.[95]. In 1992, Osbourne expressed his fatigue with touring, and proclaimed his "retirement tour" (which was to be short-lived). It was called "No More Tours", a pun on No More Tears.[96] Alice in Chains' Mike Inez took over on bass and Kevin Jones played keyboards as Sinclair was touring with the Cult.[97]
Osbourne's entire CD catalogue was remastered and reissued in 1995. In 1995, Osbourne released Ozzmosis and returned to touring, dubbing his concert performances "The Retirement Sucks Tour". The album reached number 4 on the US Billboard 200. The RIAA certified the album gold and platinum in that same year, and double platinum in April 1999.[98]
The line-up on Ozzmosis was Wylde, Butler (who had just quit Black Sabbath again), Steve Vai, and Hardline drummer Deen Castronovo, who later joined Journey. Keyboards were played by Rick Wakeman and producer Michael Beinhorn.[99] The tour maintained Butler and Castronovo and saw Sinclair return, but a major line-up change was the introduction of former David Lee Roth guitarist Joe Holmes. Wylde was considering an offer to join Guns N' Roses. Unable to wait for a decision on Wylde's departure, Osbourne replaced him.[100] In early 1996, Butler and Castronovo left. Inez and Randy Castillo (Lita Ford, Mötley Crüe) filled in.[101] Ultimately, Faith No More's Mike Bordin and former Suicidal Tendencies and future Metallica bassist Robert Trujillo joined on drums and bass respectively. A greatest hits package, The Ozzman Cometh, was issued in 1997.[102]
Down to Earth
Down to Earth, Osbourne's first album of new studio material in six years, was released on 16 October 2001. A live album, Live at Budokan, followed in 2002. Down to Earth, which achieved platinum status in 2003, featured the single "Dreamer", a song which peaked at number 10 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Tracks.[103] In June 2002, Osbourne was invited to participate in the Golden Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II, performing the Black Sabbath anthem "Paranoid" at the Party at the Palace concert in the grounds of Buckingham Palace.[104] In 2003, Osbourne recruited former Metallica bassist Jason Newsted, though his time with Osbourne would be short. Osbourne's former bassist Robert Trujillo replaced Newsted in Metallica during this same period.[105]
On 8 December 2003, Osbourne was rushed into emergency surgery at Slough's Wexham Park Hospital when he had an accident with his quad bike on his estate in Jordans, Buckinghamshire.[106] Osbourne broke his collar bone, eight ribs, and a neck vertebra.[106] 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. Sharon later revealed that Osbourne had stopped breathing following the crash and was resuscitated by Osbourne's then personal bodyguard, Sam Ruston. While in hospital, Osbourne achieved his first ever UK number one single, a duet of the Black Sabbath ballad, "Changes" with daughter Kelly.[107] In doing so, he broke the record of the longest period between an artist's first UK chart appearance (with Black Sabbath's "Paranoid", number four in August 1970) and their first number one hit: a gap of 33 years.[107] He recovered from the quad accident and went on to headline the 2004 Ozzfest, in the reunited Black Sabbath.[108]
Box set release and Black Rain
In March 2005, Osbourne released a box set called Prince of Darkness. The first and second discs are collections of live performances, B-sides, demos and singles. The third disc contained duets and other odd tracks with other artists, including "Born to Be Wild" with Miss Piggy. The fourth disc, is entirely new material where Osbourne covers his favourite songs by his biggest influences and favourite bands, including the Beatles, John Lennon, David Bowie and others.[109] In November 2005, Osbourne released the covers album Under Cover, featuring 10 songs from the fourth disc of Prince of Darkness and 3 more songs.[110] Osbourne's band for this album included Alice in Chains guitarist Jerry Cantrell,[111] bassist Chris Wyse[111] and Faith No More drummer Mike Bordin.[111]
Osbourne also helped judge the 2005 UK series of the X-Factor where his wife Sharon was one of the main judges.[112] In March 2006, he said that he hoped to release a new studio album soon with longtime on-off guitarist, Zakk Wylde of Black Label Society.[113] In October 2006, it was announced that Tony Iommi, Ronnie James Dio, Bill Ward, and Geezer Butler would be touring together again, though not as Black Sabbath but under the moniker "Heaven & Hell", the title of Dio's first Black Sabbath album.[114]
Osbourne's next album, titled Black Rain, was released on 22 May 2007. His first new studio album in almost six years, it featured a more serious tone than previous albums. "I thought I'd never write again without any stimulation... But you know what? Instead of picking up the bottle I just got honest and said, 'I don't want life to go [to pieces]'", Osbourne stated to Billboard magazine.[115]
Band changes and Scream
Osbourne revealed in July 2009 that he was currently seeking a new guitar player. While he states that he has not fallen out with Zakk Wylde, he said he felt his songs were beginning to sound like Black Label Society and fancied a change.[116] In August 2009, Osbourne performed at the gaming festival BlizzCon with a new guitarist in his line-up, Gus G.[117] Osbourne also provided his voice and likeness to the video game Brütal Legend character The Guardian of Metal.[118] In November, Slash featured Osbourne on vocals in his single "Crucify the Dead",[119] and Osbourne with wife Sharon were guest hosts on WWE Raw.[120] In December, Osbourne announced he would be releasing a new album titled Soul Sucka with Gus G, Tommy Clufetos on drums, and Blasko on bass.[121] Negative fan feedback was brought to Osbourne's attention regarding the album title. In respect of fan opinion, on 29 March Osbourne announced his album would be renamed Scream.[122]
On 13 April 2010, Osbourne announced the release date for Scream would be 15 June 2010.[123] The release date was later changed to a week later. A single from the album, "Let Me Hear You Scream", debuted on 14 April 2010 episode of CSI: NY.[124]
On 9 August 2010, Osbourne announced that the second single from the album would be "Life Won't Wait" and the video for the song would be directed by his son Jack.[125] When asked of his opinions on Scream in an interview, Osbourne announced that he was "already thinking about the next album". Osbourne's current drummer, Tommy Clufetos, has reflected this sentiment, saying that "We are already coming up with new ideas backstage, in the hotel rooms and at soundcheck and have a bunch of ideas recorded".[126] In October 2014, Osbourne released Memoirs of a Madman, a collection celebrating his entire solo career. A CD version contained 17 singles from across his career, never before compiled together. The DVD version contained music videos, live performances, and interviews.[127]
New music and touring
In August 2015, Epic Records president Sylvia Rhone confirmed with Billboard that Osbourne was working on another studio album;[128][129][130][131] in September 2019, Osbourne announced he had finished the album in four weeks following his collaboration with Post Malone.[132][133] In April 2017, it was announced that guitarist Zakk Wylde would reunite with Osbourne for a summer tour to mark the 30th anniversary of their first collaboration on 1988's No Rest for the Wicked.[134] The first show of the tour took place on 14 July at the Rock USA Festival in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.[135]
On 6 November 2017, Osbourne was announced as the headline act for the Sunday of the 2018 Download Festival held annually at Donington Park in Leicestershire, England. Having previously graced the main stage in previous years fronting Black Sabbath, this will be his first-ever Download headline solo appearance. The Download Festival set comes as part of Osbourne's final world tour announcement that morning.[136]
On 6 February 2018, Osbourne announced that he would embark on his final world tour dubbed No More Tours II, a reference to his 1992 tour of the same name, with support from Stone Sour on the North American portion of the tour.[137] He later insisted that he would not retire, "It's 'No More Tours', so I'm just not doing world tours anymore. I'm still going to be doing gigs, but I'm not going on tour for six months at a time anymore. I'd like to spend some time at home."[138]
On 6 September 2019, Osbourne featured on the song "Take What You Want" by Post Malone. The song would peak on the Billboard Hot 100 charts at number 8, making it Osbourne's first US Top 10 single in 30 years since he was featured on Lita Ford's "Close My Eyes Forever".[139]
Ordinary Man
On 21 February 2020, Osbourne released his first solo album in almost ten years, Ordinary Man, which received positive reviews from music critics and debuted at number three on the UK Albums Chart.[140][141] A few days after the release, Osbourne told iHeartRadio that he wanted to make another album with Andrew Watt, the main producer of Ordinary Man.[142][143] One week after the release of the album, an 8-bit video game dedicated to Osbourne was released, called Legend of Ozzy.[144] Osbourne has started working on his follow up album, once again with Andrew Watt.[145] In November 2021, Sony announced that Osbourne's album would be released within six months;[146] it was also announced that Zakk Wylde will have full involvement in the album following his absence on Ordinary Man.[147] On 24 June 2022, Osbourne announced his thirteenth album would be titled Patient Number 9 and released the title track along with an accompanying music video that same day. The album was released on 9 September 2022.[148] Osbourne then had his first live performances in three-year with two brief concerts at sporting events: on 30 August, he performed "Iron Man" and "Paranoid" at the 2022 Commonwealth Games closing ceremony in Birmingham, joined by Iommi and former touring members of Black Sabbath Tommy Clufetos and Adam Wakeman;[149][150] and on 8 September, at the 2022 NFL Kickoff held at Inglewood's SoFi Stadium, Osbourne performed both "Patient Number 9" and "Crazy Train", with his backing band being Zakk Wylde, Tommy Clufetos, Chris Chaney and the album's producer Andrew Watt.[151]
No More Tours II tour
In January 2023, Osbourne announced that the European leg of the No More Tours II would be cancelled after almost two years of being postponed. Osbourne effectively retired from touring, citing his accident in 2019 which resulted in the singer suffering spinal damage, while affirming his plan to continue smaller-scale live performances as his health permitted.[152][153] In September 2023, he revealed that he was working on a new album with a planned 2024 release while also preparing to go on the road following a successful spinal surgery earlier that month.[154]
In 2023, Rolling Stone ranked Osbourne at number 112 on its list of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time.[155]
Other works
Ozzfest
Osbourne's biggest financial success of the 1990s was a venture named Ozzfest, created and managed by his wife/manager Sharon and assisted by his son Jack.[citation needed] The first Ozzfest was held in York, Pennsylvania on 20 September 2006,[156] The first Ozzfest was held in Phoenix, Arizona, on 25 October 1996 and in Devore, California, on 26 October.[citation needed][dubious – discuss] Ozzfest was an instant hit with metal fans, helping many up-and-coming groups who were featured there to broad exposure and commercial success.{[cn}} Some acts shared the bill with a reformed Black Sabbath during the 1997 Ozzfest tour, beginning in West Palm Beach, Florida. Osbourne reunited with the original members of Sabbath in 1997 and periodically performed with them thereafter.[citation needed]
Since its beginning, five million people have attended Ozzfest which has grossed over US$100 million. The festival helped promote many new hard rock and heavy metal acts of the late 1990s and early 2000s. Ozzfest helped Osbourne to become the first hard rock and heavy metal star to hit $50 million in merchandise sales. In 2005, Osbourne and his wife Sharon starred in an MTV competition reality show entitled "Battle for Ozzfest". A number of yet unsigned bands send one member to compete in a challenge to win a spot on the 2005 Ozzfest and a possible recording contract. Shortly after Ozzfest 2005, Osbourne announced that he will no longer headline Ozzfest. Although he announced his retirement from Ozzfest, Osbourne came back headlining the tour. In 2006 Osbourne closed the event for just over half the concerts, leaving the others to be closed by System of a Down. He also played the closing act for the second stage at Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, California on 1 July as well as Randalls Island, New York on 29 July. After the concert in Bristol, Virginia, Osbourne announced he would return for another year of Ozzfest in 2007.[citation needed]
Tickets for the 2007 tour were offered to fans free of charge, which led to some controversy. In 2008, Ozzfest was reduced to a one-day event in Dallas, where Osbourne played, along with Metallica and King Diamond. In 2010, the tour opened with a Jersey Shore spoof skit starring Osbourne.[157] Osbourne appeared as the headliner closing the show after opening acts Halford and Mötley Crüe. The tour, though small (only six US venues and one UK venue were played), generated rave reviews.[158][159][160][161]
Production and television
Osbourne achieved greater celebrity status via his own brand of reality television. The Osbournes, a series featuring the domestic life of Osbourne and his family (wife Sharon, children Jack and Kelly, occasional appearances from his son Louis, but eldest daughter Aimee did not participate). The program became one of MTV's greatest hits. It premiered on 5 March 2002, and the final episode aired on 21 March 2005.[162]
The success of The Osbournes led Osbourne and the rest of his family to host the 30th Annual American Music Awards in January 2003.[163][164] The night was marked with constant "bleeping" due to some of the lewd and raunchy remarks made by Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne. Presenter Patricia Heaton walked out midway in disgust.[165] On 20 February 2008, Ozzy, Sharon, Kelly and Jack Osbourne hosted the 2008 BRIT Awards held at Earls Court, London.[166] Ozzy appeared in a TV commercial for I Can't Believe It's Not Butter! which began airing in the UK in February 2006.[167]
Osbourne appears in a commercial for the online video game World of Warcraft.[168] He was also featured in the music video game Guitar Hero World Tour as a playable character. He becomes unlocked upon completing "Mr. Crowley" and "Crazy Train" in the vocalist career. The 2002 dark fantasy combat flight simulator Savage Skies was initially developed under the title Ozzy's Black Skies and was to feature his likeness as well as songs from both his stint in Black Sabbath as well as his solo career,[169][170] but licensing issues forced developer iRock Interactive to re-tool the game and release it without the Osbourne branding.[171]
In October 2009, Osbourne published I Am Ozzy, his autobiography.[172] Osbourne says ghost writer Chris Ayres told the singer he has enough material for a second book. A movie adaptation of I Am Ozzy is also in the works,[needs update] and Osbourne says he hopes "an unknown guy from England" will get the role over an established actor, while Sharon stated she would choose established English actress Carey Mulligan to play her.[173]
A documentary film about Osbourne's life and career, entitled God Bless Ozzy Osbourne, premiered in April 2011 at the Tribeca Film Festival and was released on DVD in November 2011.[174] The film was produced by Osbourne's son Jack.[175] On 15 May 2013 Osbourne, along with the current members of Black Sabbath, appeared in an episode of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation titled "Skin in the Game". The History Channel premiered a comedy reality television series starring Ozzy Osbourne and his son Jack Osbourne on 24 July 2016, named Ozzy & Jack's World Detour.[176] During each episode Ozzy and Jack visit one or more sites to learn about history from experts, and explore unusual or quirky aspects of their background.
Osbourne appeared in a November 2017 episode of Gogglebox along with other UK celebrities such as Ed Sheeran, former Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher, and Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn as part of Channel 4 and Cancer Research UK's Stand Up to Cancer fundraising campaign.[177] In November 2017, Osbourne entered into a new realm of sponsorship as he signed on as an ambassador of a rock-themed online casino known as Metal Casino, which was founded by metal music fans in August 2017.[178] In February 2019, Osbourne's merchandising partner announced that Ozzy would have his own branded online slots game as part of the NetEnt Rocks music-themed portfolio.[179]
Controversies
Throughout his career, many religious groups accused Osbourne of being a negative influence on teenagers, stating that his genre of rock music has been used to glorify Satanism. Scholar Christopher M. Moreman compared the controversy to those levelled against the occultist Aleister Crowley. Both were demonised by the media and some religious groups for their antics. Although Osbourne tempts the comparison with his song "Mr. Crowley", he denied being a Satanist; conversely, it has been reported that Osbourne was a member of the Church of England and that he prayed before taking the stage each night before every concert.[180][181]
In 1981, after signing his first solo career record deal, Osbourne bit the head off a dove during a meeting with CBS Records executives in Los Angeles.[182] Apparently, he had planned to release doves into the air as a sign of peace, but due to intoxication, he instead grabbed a dove and bit its head off. He then spat the head out,[182][183] with blood still dripping from his lips. As security was escorting Osbourne out of the building, he grabbed a second dove and also bit its head off. Due to its controversy, the head-biting act has been parodied and alluded to several times throughout his career and is part of what made Osbourne famous.[184]
"I'm like the Dennis the Menace kind of crazy. Fun crazy, I hope."
On 20 January 1982, Osbourne bit the head off a bat[186] that he thought was rubber while performing at the Veterans Memorial Auditorium in Des Moines, Iowa. According to a 2004 Rolling Stone article, the bat was alive at the time;[187] however, 17-year-old Mark Neal, who threw it onto the stage, said it was brought to the show dead.[182] According to Osbourne in the booklet to the 2002 edition of Diary of a Madman, the bat was not only alive but managed to bite him, resulting in Osbourne being treated for rabies. On 20 January 2019, Osbourne commemorated the 37th anniversary of the bat incident by offering an "Ozzy Plush Bat" toy "with detachable head" for sale on his personal web-store. The site claimed the first batch of toys sold out within hours.[188]
Black Sabbath were an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler, and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. After adopting the Black Sabbath name in 1969 (the band were previously named Earth, and before that the Polka Tulk Blues Band), they distinguished themselves through occult themes with horror-inspired lyrics and down-tuned guitars. Their first three albums, Black Sabbath, Paranoid (both 1970), and Master of Reality (1971), were commercially successful, and are now cited as pioneering albums in the development of heavy metal music.[1] Subsequent albums Vol. 4 (1972), Sabbath Bloody Sabbath (1973), Sabotage (1975), Technical Ecstasy (1976), and Never Say Die! (1978) saw the band explore more experimental and progressive styles.
Osbourne was fired from Black Sabbath in 1979 and replaced by former Rainbow vocalist Ronnie James Dio, who recorded three albums with the band, Heaven and Hell (1980), Mob Rules (1981), and their first authorised live album Live Evil (1983), the last two featuring drummer Vinny Appice replacing Ward. Following Dio and Appice's departures, Iommi and Butler recorded Born Again (1983) with Ward returning on drums, and Ian Gillan, then-formerly of Deep Purple, on vocals. By 1984, Butler, Ward, and Gillan had all departed, leaving Iommi to assemble a new version of Black Sabbath. For the next 13 years, the band endured many personnel changes that included vocalists Glenn Hughes (another former Deep Purple member, who sang on the 1986 album Seventh Star)[3] and Tony Martin, as well as several bassists and drummers. Of the vocalists during these years, Martin's tenure was the longest, joining in 1987 and recording three albums – The Eternal Idol (1987),[4] Headless Cross (1989),[5] and Tyr (1990) – before his initial departure in 1991.[6] That same year, Iommi reunited with Butler, Dio and Appice to record Dehumanizer (1992), though Dio and Appice both departed again by the end of 1992. Martin returned for two more studio albums, Cross Purposes (1994)[7] and Forbidden (1995),[8] and one live album, Cross Purposes Live (1995), before the band went on a one-year hiatus.
The original line-up of Iommi, Osbourne, Butler and Ward reunited in 1997, releasing a live album, Reunion (1998), and touring sporadically until 2005. The band went on hiatus in 2006 when the Mob Rules line-up (Iommi, Butler, Dio, Appice) reunited as Heaven & Hell, touring during the late 2000s and releasing one studio album, The Devil You Know (2009), before disbanding after Dio's death in 2010. The original line-up reunited again in 2011, though Ward departed prior to the recording of their final studio album 13 (2013). To conclude their farewell tour, Black Sabbath played its last concert for eight years in their home city in 2017.[9][10] Occasional partial reunions have occurred, most notably when Osbourne and Iommi performed at the closing ceremony of the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.[11] The original line-up reunited for a final show for both the band and Osbourne as a solo artist, titled Back to the Beginning, at Villa Park on 5 July 2025;[12] Osbourne died seventeen days after the performance.
Black Sabbath have sold over 70 million records as of 2013, making them one of the most commercially successful heavy metal bands. The band have been referred to as being part of the "unholy trinity of British hard rock and heavy metal in the early to mid-seventies", along with Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin.[13] Black Sabbath were ranked by MTV as the "Greatest Metal Band of All Time" and placed second on VH1's "100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock" list. Rolling Stone magazine ranked them 85 on its "100 Greatest Artists of All Time". They were inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2005 and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006. They have won two Grammy Awards for Best Metal Performance, and received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.[14]
History
1968–1969: Formation and early days
Following the break-up of their previous band, Mythology, in 1968, guitarist Tony Iommi and drummer Bill Ward sought to form a heavy blues rock band in Aston, Birmingham. They enlisted bassist Geezer Butler and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne, who had played together in a band called Rare Breed, Osbourne having placed an advertisement in a local music shop: "OZZY ZIG Needs Gig – has own PA".[2] The new group was initially named the Polka Tulk Blues Band, the name taken either from a brand of talcum powder[15] or an Indian/Pakistani clothing shop; the exact origin is confused.[16] The Polka Tulk Blues Band included slide guitarist Jimmy Phillips, a childhood friend of Osbourne's, and saxophonist Alan "Aker" Clarke. After shortening the name to Polka Tulk, the band again changed their name to Earth (which Osbourne hated)[17] and continued as a four-piece without Phillips and Clarke.[18][19] Iommi became concerned that Phillips and Clarke lacked the necessary dedication and were not taking the band seriously. Rather than asking them to leave, they instead decided to break up and then quietly reformed the band as a four-piece.[20] While the band was performing under the Earth moniker, they recorded several demos written by Norman Haines such as "The Rebel", "When I Came Down" and "Song for Jim",[21] the latter of which being a reference to Jim Simpson, who was a manager for the bands Bakerloo Blues Line and Tea & Symphony, as well as the trumpet player for the group Locomotive. Simpson had recently started a new club named Henry's Blueshouse at The Crown Hotel in Birmingham and offered to let Earth play there after they agreed to waive the usual support band fee in return for free T-shirts.[22] The audience response was positive and Simpson agreed to manage Earth.[23][24]
In December 1968, Iommi abruptly left Earth to join Jethro Tull.[25] Although his stint with the band would be short-lived, Iommi made an appearance with Jethro Tull on The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus TV show. Unsatisfied with the direction of Jethro Tull, Iommi returned to Earth by the end of the month. "It just wasn't right, so I left", Iommi said. "At first I thought Tull were great, but I didn't much go for having a leader in the band, which was Ian Anderson's way. When I came back from Tull, I came back with a new attitude altogether. They taught me that to get on, you got to work for it."[26]
While playing shows in England in 1969, the band discovered they were being mistaken for another English group named Earth, so they decided to change their name again (this name change would give rise to the well-known debate about the alleged aesthetic influence of Coven, which the British band always denied).[27][28] A cinema across the street from the band's rehearsal room was showing the 1963 Italian horror film Black Sabbath, starring Boris Karloff and directed by Mario Bava. While watching people line up to see the film, Butler noted that it was "strange that people spend so much money to see scary movies".[29] Following that, Osbourne and Butler wrote the lyrics for a song called "Black Sabbath", which was inspired by the work of horror and adventure-story writer Dennis Wheatley,[30][31] along with a vision that Butler had of a black silhouetted figure standing at the foot of his bed.[32] Making use of the musical tritone, also known as "the Devil's Interval",[33] the song's ominous sound and dark lyrics pushed the band in a darker direction,[34][35] a stark contrast to the popular music of the late 1960s, which was dominated by flower power, folk music and hippie culture. Judas Priest frontman Rob Halford has called the track "probably the most evil song ever written".[36] Inspired by the new sound, the band changed their name to Black Sabbath in August 1969,[37] and made the decision to focus on writing similar material in an attempt to create the musical equivalent of horror films.
1969–1971: Black Sabbath and Paranoid
The band's first show as Black Sabbath took place on 30 August 1969 in Workington, England.[20] They were signed to Philips Records in November 1969.[38] They recorded their first single, "Evil Woman" (a cover of a song by the band Crow), at Trident Studios. "Evil Woman" was released on 9 January 1970 through Philips subsidiary Fontana Records. Later releases were handled by Philips' newly formed progressive rock label, Vertigo Records. "Evil Woman" failed to chart. The band were afforded two days of studio time in November 1969 to record their debut album with producer Rodger Bain. Iommi recalls recording live: "We thought, 'We have two days to do it, and one of the days is mixing.' So we played live. Ozzy was singing at the same time; we just put him in a separate booth and off we went. We never had a second run of most of the stuff".[39] On 11 November 1969 Black Sabbath recorded a four-song session for John Peel's Top Gear radio show.[40] The four songs were "Black Sabbath", "N.I.B.", "Behind the Wall of Sleep" and "Sleeping Village". Broadcast on 29 November 1969, this gave them their first exposure to a UK wide audience.[20]
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Their debut album Black Sabbath was released on Friday the 13th, February 1970, and reached number eight in the UK Albums Chart. Following its US and Canadian release in May 1970 by Warner Bros. Records, the album reached number 23 on the Billboard 200, where it remained for over a year.[41][42] The album was given negative reviews by many critics. Lester Bangs dismissed it in a Rolling Stone review as "discordant jams with bass and guitar reeling like velocitised speedfreaks all over each other's musical perimeters, yet never quite finding synch".[43] It sold in substantial numbers despite being panned, giving the band their first mainstream exposure.[44] It has since been certified Platinum in both US by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and in the UK by British Phonographic Industry (BPI),[45][46] and is now generally accepted as the first heavy metal album.[47]
The band returned to the studio in June 1970, just four months after Black Sabbath was released. The new album was initially set to be named War Pigs after the song "War Pigs", which was critical of the Vietnam War; however, Warner changed the title of the album to Paranoid. The album's lead single, "Paranoid", was written in the studio at the last minute. Ward explains: "We didn't have enough songs for the album, and Tony just played the [Paranoid] guitar lick and that was it. It took twenty, twenty-five minutes from top to bottom."[48] The single was released in September 1970 and reached number four on the UK Singles Chart, remaining Black Sabbath's only top 10 hit.[42] The album followed in the UK in October 1970, where, pushed by the success of the "Paranoid" single, it reached number one on the UK Albums Chart.
The US release was held off until January 1971, as the Black Sabbath album was still on the chart at the time of Paranoid's UK release. The album reached No. 12 in the US in March 1971,[41] and would go on to sell four million copies in the US[45] with virtually no radio airplay.[42] Like Black Sabbath, the album was panned by rock critics of the era, but modern-day reviewers such as AllMusic's Steve Huey cite Paranoid as "one of the greatest and most influential heavy metal albums of all time", which "defined the sound and style of heavy metal more than any other record in rock history".[49] The album was ranked at number 131 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.[50] Paranoid's chart success allowed the band to tour the US for the first time – their first US show was at a club called Ungano's at 210 West 70th Street in New York City[51] – and spawned the release of the album's second single, "Iron Man". Although the single failed to reach the top 40, it remains one of Black Sabbath's most popular songs, as well as the band's highest-charting US single until 1998's "Psycho Man".[41]
1971–1973: Master of Reality and Vol. 4
In February 1971, after a one-off performance at the Myponga Pop Festival in Australia,[52] Black Sabbath returned to the studio to begin work on their third album. Following the chart success of Paranoid, the band were afforded more studio time, along with a "briefcase full of cash" to buy drugs.[53] "We were getting into coke, big time", Ward explained. "Uppers, downers, Quaaludes, whatever you like. It got to the stage where you come up with ideas and forget them, because you were just so out of it."[54]
Production completed in April 1971, and in July the band released Master of Reality, just six months after the US release of Paranoid. The album reached the top 10 in the US and the United Kingdom, and was certified Gold in less than two months,[45] eventually receiving Platinum certification in the 1980s and Double Platinum in the early 21st century.[45] It contained Sabbath's first acoustic songs, alongside fan favourites such as "Children of the Grave" and "Sweet Leaf".[55] Critical response of the era was generally unfavourable, with Lester Bangs delivering an ambivalent review of Master of Reality in Rolling Stone, describing the closing "Children of the Grave" as "naïve, simplistic, repetitive, absolute doggerel – but in the tradition [of rock 'n' roll] ... The only criterion is excitement, and Black Sabbath's got it".[56] (In 2003, Rolling Stone would place the album at number 300 on their 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list.[57]) Following the Master of Reality world tour in 1972, the band took their first break in three years. As Ward explained: "The band started to become very fatigued and very tired. We'd been on the road non-stop, year in and year out, constantly touring and recording. I think Master of Reality was kind of like the end of an era, the first three albums, and we decided to take our time with the next album."[58]
In June 1972, the band reconvened in Los Angeles to begin work on their next album at the Record Plant. With more time in the studio, the album saw the band experimenting with new textures, such as strings, piano, orchestration and multi-part songs.[59] Recording was plagued with problems, many as a result of substance abuse issues. Struggling to record the song "Cornucopia" after "sitting in the middle of the room, just doing drugs",[60] Ward was nearly fired. "I hated the song, there were some patterns that were just ... horrible," the drummer said. "I nailed it in the end, but the reaction I got was the cold shoulder from everybody. It was like, 'Well, just go home; you're not being of any use right now.' I felt like I'd blown it, I was about to get fired".[61] Butler thought that the end product "was very badly produced, as far as I was concerned. Our then-manager insisted on producing it, so he could claim production costs".[62]
The album was originally titled Snowblind after the song of the same name, which deals with cocaine abuse. The record company changed the title at the last minute to Black Sabbath Vol. 4. Ward observed, "There was no Volume 1, 2 or 3, so it's a pretty stupid title, really".[63] Vol. 4 was released in September 1972, and while critics were dismissive, it achieved Gold status in less than a month, and was the band's fourth consecutive release to sell a million in the US[45] "Tomorrow's Dream" was released as a single – the band's first since "Paranoid" – but failed to chart.[41] Following an extensive tour of the US, in 1973 the band travelled again to Australia, followed by a tour for the first time to New Zealand, before moving onto mainland Europe. "The band were definitely in their heyday", recalled Ward, "in the sense that nobody had burnt out quite yet".[64]
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