Written by Jon Williams
On February 1, the legendary hard rocker announced his
retirement from touring, citing spinal injuries that have left him unable to
endure the necessary travel. While Ozzy said the announcement was “one
of the hardest things I’ve ever had to share,” at least it was followed up
rather quickly with some good news. On February 5, he won two Grammy Awards:
Best Metal Performance for the song “Degradation Rules,” and Best Rock Album
for his most recent, Patient
Number 9—a star-studded affair featuring contributions from Jeff Beck,
Eric Clapton, Zakk Wylde, and the late Taylor Hawkins, to name just a few.
Ozzy’s career began in the late 1960s when he joined up with
guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Geezer Butler, and drummer Bill Ward in a band
that went through many names before finally settling on Black Sabbath, after
the film of the same
name. Inspired by that movie, they decided to take on a heavier sound and
explore darker themes in their music. As a result, their self-titled debut album,
released in 1970, is generally considered to be the birth of the heavy metal
genre.
They refined that sound on their second album, Paranoid
(currently unavailable on CD), released later in 1970 (early 1971 in the US).
Propelled by now-iconic hits like “Iron Man,” “War Pigs,” and the title track,
it is regularly cited among the best (and most influential) rock and metal
albums of all time. The band followed that up with Master of Reality
in 1971, their third album in quick succession, then took a quick break before returning
with Black Sabbath
Vol. 4 in 1972, incorporating new sounds. They would go on to put out
four further albums—Sabbath
Bloody Sabbath (1973, currently unavailable on CD), Sabotage
(1975), Technical
Ecstasy (1976), and Never Say Die!
(1978)—before internal conflicts drove Ozzy from the band. He later reunited
with most of the original members to tour and record the 2013 album 13.
After leaving Black Sabbath, Ozzy’s musical career would go
on to reach even greater heights. Forming a new band including guitarist Randy
Rhoads, his 1979 debut solo album, Blizzard of Ozz,
contained the rock classics “Crazy Train,” “I Don’t Know,” and “Goodbye to
Romance.” His second, 1981’s Diary of a Madman,
included “Flying High Again.” Sadly, those were the only two albums to feature
the guitar work of Rhoads, who was killed in a plane crash (along with two
members of the band’s touring crew) early in 1982; the album Tribute,
featuring a collection of songs recorded live, was released in 1987 in his
honor.
Saddened by his friend’s passing, Ozzy nevertheless
soldiered on. Jake E. Lee came on as guitarist for 1983’s Bark at the Moon
and 1986’s The Ultimate Sin (currently unavailable on CD). He then
teamed with Zakk Wylde for the first time on 1988’s No Rest for the Wicked,
a partnership that has endured, in various forms, through to now. He was the
primary guitarist on four more Ozzy studio albums—No More Tears
(1991), Ozzmosis
(1995), Down to
Earth (2001), and Black Rain
(2007)—in addition to several live albums, and has performed and recorded with
him ever since.
Heavy metal is something of a niche genre, but Ozzy’s
outlandish persona and antics gave many people at least a passing familiarity
with him. He became a full-fledged household name with the 2002 debut of the
MTV reality series The Osbournes (currently unavailable on DVD). Depicting
the regular daily life of Ozzy, his wife and manager Sharon, and their kids
Jack and Kelly, the
show ran for four seasons and brought the singer even further into the
spotlight.
Ozzy is no stranger to accolades—his two wins this year give
him five Grammy Awards for his career. And Black Sabbath was enshrined in the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006. While his touring days may be over, he has
indicated that he would like to find a way to perform without the rigors of
travel. In the meantime, music fans everywhere will continue to enjoy and
discover his music. Use the links above to put his music on your shelves for
patrons, or SmartBrowse his name on our website for all we have to offer,
including concert videos, books by and about him, and so much more.
Written by Jon Williams
Legendary
rock singer Ronnie James Dio passed away in 2010 at the age of 67. Before that,
his powerful and distinctive voice led him through a career fronting a number
of notable hard rock and metal outfits. He got his start with a band called the
Vegas Kings in 1957, a band that would change names several times over the next
several years. His big break came when his band Elf
started touring with Deep
Purple.
On that
tour, Dio’s voice caught the attention of guitarist Ritchie Blackmore, who was
on the verge of leaving Deep Purple. The two teamed up to form the band
Rainbow, which would release three albums with Dio as the lead singer. The
first, Ritchie
Blackmore’s Rainbow in 1975, contained the rock staple “Man on the
Silver Mountain.” Rainbow
Rising followed in 1976, with Long
Live Rock ‘n’ Roll coming in 1978. When Blackmore decided at that point
that he wanted to take the band in a more mainstream, radio-friendly direction,
Dio began to contemplate his own departure.
Dio got his
chance in 1979 when he met guitarist Tony Iommi of the band Black Sabbath, who
had just fired their own singer, Ozzy
Osbourne. Dio soon joined up, and their first album, Heaven
and Hell, was released in April of 1980. Mob Rules (currently out of print), which came out in 1981, was Dio’s
second and last studio album with the band. While they were touring in support
of that album, they recorded the live set Live
Evil, which features Dio performing classic Sabbath hits like “War Pigs”
and “Iron Man.” However, during the production of that album, discord set in
and Dio once again set out on his own.
This time, he
decided to form his own band, named, fittingly enough, Dio. He brought along
drummer Vinnie Appice from Sabbath and bassist Jimmy Bain from Rainbow, then
added guitarist Vivian Campbell (now of Def
Leppard). In May of 1983, they released their debut album, Holy
Diver. The title track and the single “Rainbow in the Dark” received
heavy airplay on rock radio and MTV, propelling the band to popularity during
the rock/metal heyday of the 1980s. Although it would undergo a number of
lineup changes, Dio fronted the band through 2004, releasing ten studio albums
in that time.
In 2006, Dio
rejoined the members of Black Sabbath under the name Heaven & Hell. It
started out as just a reunion tour with no other projects planned, but it soon
grew beyond that. They released The
Devil You Know in 2009 and toured to support it. Plans for further touring
and a follow-up album were never realized due to Dio’s illness and eventual
passing.
After Dio’s
death, the Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund was created to support research in
hopes of ending the disease. Now, a new album is slated to pay tribute to Dio’s
life and legacy, with proceeds going to the Fund. Ronnie
James Dio – This Is Your Life will be released on April 1. Among the
acts to be included are Anthrax,
Tenacious
D (featuring actor Jack Black), Motorhead,
the
Scorpions, and Rob Halford of Judas
Priest. The jewel of the album, though is the “Ronnie Rising Medley,” a
nine-minute track combining the Rainbow songs “A Light in the Black,” “Tarot
Woman,” “Stargazer,” and “Kill the King,” which will be performed by heavy
metal superstars Metallica.
Ronnie James
Dio may be gone, but he hasn’t been forgotten, as this all-star tribute clearly
shows. In today’s music world, his voice is as important as it ever was. Share
his work, and that of these other artists, with your rock-loving patrons.
SmartBrowse Ronnie James Dio or any of these other bands on our website for
albums not mentioned here, as well as concert films, soundtrack appearances,
and much more.
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