Ozzy Osbourne is a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductee: “Not Bad for a Guy Who Was Fired from His Last Band”
Though he’s already been inducted as a member of Black Sabbath, Ozzy Osbourne got the nod over the weekend that he’ll be among the 16 people to make it to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame this year. This time around, he’s going in for his solo career.
Though he at one point felt induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame was “meaningless,” the “Prince of Darkness” is singing a different tune now that he’s a two-time inductee. While speaking with Billboard following the announcement that he was heading in by himself, Ozzy said he felt something like this could be in the cards in recent years — especially after the late Randy Rhoads was inducted back in 2021.
“I definitely wouldn’t say I was confident… [but Rhoads’ induction] made me feel we could be on to something. With every new music venture there’s always a certain amount of surprise that comes when you see the fans embrace it, because no one wants to make a record and have it flop. I feel like I was invited to a party in 1980, and it hasn’t stopped. Not bad for a guy who was fired from his last band.”
Looking back at his past induction, Ozzy said this one “feels different” since so much of his career is tied up in his solo work. Aside from the Black Sabbath hits that put that band on the map, Ozzy’s perhaps more known for songs like “Bark At The Moon,” “Crazy Train,” “Shot In The Dark,” and “Mama, I’m Comin’ Home,” among others.
His induction also comes off the heels of his wife and manager Sharon effectively berating the Rock Hall for not already inducting Ozzy for his solo career, even though he’d been eligible since 2006.
“I will never beg, and I will never ask for favors. I’ve never asked anyone for a favor. So, my thing is fuck you if you don’t realize that somebody really deserves to be here. And you don’t recognize that? Then, see ya…
“We went to a dinner last year for the people who had been inducted in last year. They invited us to the dinner and we went. And people were saying to Ozzy, ‘Oh, you’ve been inducted in,’ and we were, like, ‘No, actually. We were just invited for the food, so we’re here.’ That’s as near as we’ve got, but no.
“They know that Ozzy deserves to be there. They know he’s been a solo artist. You’ve gotta be doing it for 25 years. He’s been 43 years as a solo artist. He sold nearly a hundred million albums as a solo artist. So where is he? Induct him.”
The Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame induction ceremony will take place on October 19 at the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, Ohio. It’s unclear whether or not Ozzy will perform at his own induction ceremony, but if there was any time to muscle through the pain or sing while sitting down, it would be this one. Here’s hoping to a healthy and happy Ozzy for that to happen.
