On Saturday October 19 2024,Ozzy Osbourne was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inducted Ozzy Osbourne as a solo artist, marking the second time the institution recognized the singer, following his induction as a member of BLACK SABBATH in 2006.
Osbourne was inducted into the Rock Hall by actor and TENACIOUS D frontman Jack Black, who called Ozzy “the greatest frontman in the history of rock ‘n’ roll. He went on to say that the cover of Ozzy’s debut solo album, “Blizzard Of Ozz” “was the most metal thing I had ever seen, and I didn’t even know what metal was. Then I went back to Ozzy’s earlier albums, to BLACK SABBATH. And I was, like, unholy shit, this motherfucker invented heavy metal … the darkest, heaviest shit the world had ever heard.”
After Black’s induction speech, Osbourne accepted the award while seated on a throne. He told the crowd:
“Well, here we are. You know what? I can’t believe I’m here myself. Let me get the thank yous out of the way, because I’m not going to bore you with a long, drawn-out fucking monologue. I’d like to thank whoever voted me into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame for my solo work. A great thank you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. “My fans have been so loyal to me over the years, I cannot thank them enough. I’ve been fortunate over the years to play with some of the world’s greatest guitar players, drummers, bass players, and a few of them are here tonight. But I’ve got to say one thing for a guy by the name of Randy Rhoads. If I’d hadn’t have met Randy Rhoads, I don’t think I’d be sitting here now. And moreso more than that, my wife Sharon. Saved my life. And my grandbabies and my babies. I love them all.
An all-star performance followed, featuring a backing band of RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS drummer Chad Smith, METALLICA (and former Ozzy) bassist Robert Trujillo, producer and multi-instrumentalist Andrew Watt and keyboardist Adam Wakeman. They were joined by TOOL frontman Maynard James Keenan and Wolfgang Van Halen for the first song of the set, “Crazy Train”, before Zakk Wylde and country star Jelly Roll came up for the next song, “Mama I’m Coming Home”. Billy Idol took over on vocals for the third and final song of the set, “No More Tears”, with Billy’s longtime guitarist Steve Stevens joining in.
