Ozzy Osbourne Reveals His Favorite Solo Career Guitarist
Black Sabbath was a metal dream band of players, but Ozzy Osbourne has maintained that commitment to musicianship and excellence, recording with some stellar players during his solo career. In a new interview from his press representatives SRO to promote the new See You on the Other Side box set, Osbourne discusses the legacy of the great guitarists to grace his solo records.
Osbourne minces no words on his favorite, explaining, "Well, Randy Rhoads was the best. If I had to say which one of the guitar players you'd rather work with, who was the most musically trained, it was Randy, because he could write, he could read, he could play, he taught at his mother's school and he had patience with me. And he would work with me, as opposed to me having to work on top of what he put down. It was fun!"
Osbourne then reflects, "He got tragically killed, and I'll never forget it as long as I live. That story, we all know now. But, I mean, he was only a young man. He was in his early twenties. It just doesn't seem right... I'm 70 years of age and it's so sad when you think the guy got killed so early."
Speaking further about Rhoads, he credits the musician with bringing joy back to the music process. "When I started working with Randy Rhoads, he was the first guy to go, 'Maybe you should do it in this key.' And I go, 'Oh!' He was a first guy to ever consider my opinion and give me a break. But I got an education working with Black Sabbath, it made it a little easier for me to work with other musicians. But with Randy, it was fun again!"
Osbourne also discussed two other key guitarists from his solo career. "There was Jake E. Lee, he was another great player, but then, Zakk [Wylde] is somewhere else, man! That guy gets faster and faster."
"Zakk has been with me longer than any guitar player ever," Osbourne continues. "He's been with me the longest and is one of the greatest friends I'll ever have. He is a family member to me. I mean, if I ever really needed him for anything, I could phone him up and he'd say, 'I'll be there in five minutes.' And vice-versa. Zakk's a hard-working guy. He works his balls off."
You can check out the work of all Ozzy's guitarists See You on the Other Side box set, which is on target for a Nov. 29 release via Sony Legacy. You can pre-order the collection here.
And after a difficult 2019, Osbourne expects to return to the road in 2020. Tour dates will begin May 27 in Atlanta. Get ticketing info on all his dates here.
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