Largely written by Daisley and Rhoads, Osbourne met with considerable success on his first solo effort, the debut collection selling well with heavy metal fans. The record company would eventually title the record Blizzard of Ozz credited simply under Osbourne's name. The first line-up of the band featured drummer Lee Kerslake (of Uriah Heep), bassist/lyricist Bob Daisley (of Rainbow and later Uriah Heep), keyboardist Don Airey and guitarist Randy Rhoads (of Quiet Riot).
The Ozzy Osbourne Band began as The Blizzard of Ozz, formed by Osbourne's new manager and future wife, Sharon Arden. In the late 1970s, the band Necromandus rehearsed with Ozzy Osbourne and briefly became the first incarnation of his Blizzard of Ozz solo project.
He was replaced by former Rainbow singer Ronnie James Dio. All the members in the band did drugs, but Osbourne did them to a much greater extent than other members of the band. In 1979, Osbourne was fired from Black Sabbath largely for unreliability due to substance abuse. Built around Tony Iommi's guitar riffs, Geezer Butler's lyrics, and topped by Osbourne's eerie vocals, early records such as their eponymous debut album and Paranoid sold huge numbers, as well as getting airplay. Records, Black Sabbath met with swift and enduring success. It was the prototype of the songs that became their main style later in their career.ĭespite only a modest investment from US record label Warner Bros. Afterwards, Butler wrote the lyrics to "Black Sabbath", one of their first songs in a darker vein. After reading an occult book that Osbourne had let Butler borrow, Butler had a dream of a dark figure at the end of his bed. The film these fellows were waiting to see was the Mario Bava-directed Black Sabbath. One day during rehearsals, the band noticed people queueing up outside a cinema where a horror film was being shown, and bassist Geezer Butler observed how curious it is that people like to be frightened.
They later learned of another travelling band of the same name. Names for the band included Polka Tulk and Earth. To distinguish themselves from the norm, Iommi and his partners decided to play a heavy blues-inspired style of music laced with gloomy lyrics. During this time, psychedelic rock was enormously popular. Osbourne would later form a band with former Birchfield Road School classmate Tony Iommi after he auditioned for a lead singer. He also spent a few weeks in Winson Green Prison, when he was unable to pay a fine after being found guilty of burglary of a clothes shop. He left school at 15 and was then employed as a construction site labourer, trainee plumber, apprentice toolmaker, car factory worker and slaughterhouse worker. He also became a great fan of The Beatles from the age of 14 when he heard their first hit single. However, he did like music and took part in school plays. Osbourne reportedly suffered from learning difficulties (claiming to be dyslexic) making life at Prince Albert Road Junior School and Birchfield Road Secondary Modern School in Perry Barr difficult for him. His father Jack worked shifts as a toolmaker at GEC and his mother Lillian for the car components firm Lucas, to support him and his five siblings. 2.3 Remastering and print status of solo releases.1.5 Later Solo Career and Black Sabbath Reunion.