The one singer Ozzy Osbourne called “the greatest frontmen that has ever walked onstage”
The fact that Ozzy Osbourne managed to play for as long as he did feels like a miracle of modern science.
He was one of the wildest frontmen of all time when he first got onstage with Black Sabbath, and even when he seemed like a walking nightmare after he was booted from the band, his journey back to the top of the hit parade again is still one of the greatest redemption stories in music history. But even after spending years at the bottom, ‘The Prince of Darkness’ was out to prove that he should never be counted out, no matter which decade he found himself in.
Then again, it’s not like Osbourne didn’t get some help from his friends every time he made a record. Some of the greatest members of his band gave him a shot in the arm every step of the way, and when you look at the impact that Randy Rhoads had on guitar as a whole, we’d probably be here all day talking about him. But for as much trouble as he got into, ‘The Ozzman’ is still the reason why people lined up every single time he played a show.
Because if you think about it, Osbourne was the epitome of charm in his own twisted way. Sure, there are still some religious folks who think that he should be burned in hell for what he did, but he never had any true hatred in his heart whenever he performed. He thanked God for being able to play to those kids every single day, and when people saw him on The Osbournes, they got a much better look at the bumbling husband and father that he could be every single time he wasn’t onstage.
But even for as long as Osbourne was on top, there had to be a moment where even he thought that it was time to pack it in. You have to remember that he eventually went out on the No More Tours tour in the early 1990s, but the call of the wild always interested him when he went back on the road. And if his idols like Mick Jagger could manage to become one of the biggest rock stars in the world years after hitting 40, Osbourne felt that he could do it for the rest of his life as well.
Jagger was already a force of nature, and as far as Osbourne was concerned, there was no one better suited to be a rock and roll star than him, saying, “Everyone says, ‘Oh Mick Jagger’s 35, 45 or whatever.’ He’s still one of the greatest frontmen that has ever walked onstage. He doesn’t have to dye his hair a zillion colours, wear an eyepatch and all this junk to get himself recognised. He’s 45 and I think he could probably run most 21-year-olds around the block and bury them. There’s no age group.”
Granted, Jagger might be one of the biggest exceptions to the rule. From the 1980s onward, Jagger has practically turned himself into a machine whenever he performs, to the point where you’d have to wonder how many marathons he had run in his lifetime if you solely look at how many times he’s run across the stage with the rest of the group.
And while Osbourne was a lot more reserved by staying in one spot, that didn’t mean that he was totally lifeless. He was a true wild man every single time he played, and even when he was making more sentimental songs later in his career like ‘Mama I’m Coming Home’, he was still one of the finest hard rock singers that ever was even in an era that killed most of his contemporaries like grunge.
Osbourne might not have set out to become one of the biggest legends of his generation, but that distinction doesn’t come from someone wanting to turn themselves into a rock and roll giant. Those characters only come out when they genuinely have something to express when all of the fame and money goes away.
