John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne (born 3 December 1948) is an English rock vocalist, songwriter, and television personality. Osbourne rose to prominence in the early 1970s as the lead vocalist of the pioneering band Black Sabbath, whose dark and heavy sound has often been cited as key to the development of the heavy metal genre. Osbourne left Black Sabbath in 1979 and has since had a successful solo career, releasing 11 studio albums, the first seven of which were all awarded multi-platinum certifications in the US, though he has reunited with Black Sabbath on several occasions, most recently in 2011 to record the album 13, which was released in 2013. Osbourne's longevity and success have earned him the informal title of "Godfather of Heavy Metal".

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John Michael Osbourne was born to John Thomas Osbourne and his wife Lillian on December 3rd, 1948. His residence was located at 14 Lodge Road, Aston, Birmingham, England. John Thomas was a professional tool maker and Lillian worked at the Lucas car factory.

John was one of 3 brothers and 3 sisters. His two brothers were named Paul, and Tony, and his 3 sisters were named Jean, Iris, and Gillian. While in grammar school, John Osbourne was nicknamed "Ozzy", short for his last name "Osbourne".

Ozzy was born into a very poor family. He barely had any clothes. In fact, in a recent interview he said he only had one shirt, one pair of pants, and one jacket. His apartment had no indoor plumbing and no indoor bathroom. He slept in one bed with all 5 of his brothers and sisters. At the young age of 15, Ozzy quits school and begins work as a plumbers mate. This job didn't last too long, and Ozzy moved on to a slaughter house. This is where Ozzy learned to like killing 250 cattle a day and cutting sheep guts out. That lasted a few months, before he got tired of that, and he wound up getting a job with his mother, Lillian (maiden name "Unit") testing car horns at the Lucas factory. This is where Ozzy's first musical influence started.

Dissatisfied with the low income Ozzy is earning, he turns to a life of crime. He begins robbing small clothes stores and private home. The cops keep catching him though, because he wears gloves but the fingers are cut out! His fingerprints are left all over the place. Ozzy's longest sentence was 6 weeks in the Winson Green Prison, for burglary. During this 6 week sentence, armed with a needle and a slab of graphite, Ozzy places the now famous tattoos on his body. O-Z-Z-Y across his knuckles, needles on his arms, the word "thanks" on his palm, and a happy face on each knee to cheer him up when he wakes up in the morning.

1967 - 1968 As a child, Ozzy loved the Beatles and always was admired by the way they commanded an audience. He made up his mind, he wanted to be just like the Beatles.

Walking the streets in search of something to do, Ozzy meets and old friend who had just put a band together named "Approach". This band had no singer, so Ozzy said "I'm a singer!" Ozzy ran home and some how got his father to buy him a $50 amp and microphone. Approach was a rhythm type band and Ozz didn't like it too much, so he quit and joined another band named "Music Machine". That band didn't last long either. Ozzy and old time friend Terrance Butler (now known as "Geezer") then formed a band named "Rare Breed". Rare Breed really wasn't going any where so Ozzy put an ad in a local paper which said:

OZZY ZIG - VOCALIST - REQUIRES BAND - OWNS OWN P.A.

Ozzy's 6th grade class picture: Teacher Wil Parry Williams, of Tregarth, near Bethesda, who before his retirement was headmaster of Ysgol Treborth, Bangor. Ozzy is pictured at the right in his three-buttoned jacket.

Now, on the other side of town, two young men by the names of Bill Ward and Tony Iommi had created a band named "The Rest" which had later changed their name to "Mythology". So Tony sees this ad in the paper reading "Ozzy Zig", and he thinks to himself, "This can't be the same Ozzy I used to beat up on the playground when I was younger", so he goes to the address on the ad, and sure enough, it's the same Ozzy. They all hook up and create "Polka Tulk". Polka Tulk was derived from a can of talcum powder that Ozzy found in a bathroom. The band now consists of 6 people: Ozzy Osbourne, Bill Ward, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, Jimmy Phillips and Clark. It was a blues/jazz type of music with a hard edge, but Phillips and Clark didn't like that hard edge so they both quit. Polka Tulk then became "Earth".

At one particular Earth gig, the band was asked by mistake to play at an upscale banquet. They were asked to perform in Tux's. The people that had hired them had mistaken them for another band named Earth. The show went on, but the richy rich people in the audience were mortified by this new sound.

1969

The band was getting a little recognition but not much. They were touring in a very beat up van making very little money. In fact, in a recent interview, Tony recounts a time where Ozzy walked to practice barefoot because he couldn't afford new shoes. One Day an old horror movie was playing at a local theatre by the name of "Black Sabbath". Geezer saw this and said to himself, why would people pay good money to get the crap scared out of them? He came back to the guys and talked it over with them and decided to change their image and their name to "Black Sabbath". Black Sabbath would now be a doomsy, dark and "new" band.

The band starts playing a lot more small clubs and gaining popularity. A man by the name of Jim Simpson steps in and becomes the bands new manager. Jim had the band record a special demo album, just for him named "For Jim". This album contains 5 songs, consisting of the only jazz session ever recorded by Black Sabbath. It features Tony Iommi playing with the style of Wes Montgomery and Bill Ward backing him up with bebop drums. Two of the songs on this album were named "A Song For Jim" and "The Rebel". Short samples of them can be heard on a video released in the early 90's called "The Black Sabbath Story, Vol 1".

Now playing a lot of clubs, the band gets very annoyed at the audience because people are talking to each other and not paying attention. One night Ozzy decides to paint himself purple to attract some attention, and the funny thing is....it didn't work! It took days to get off. So finally they decide to crank up the volume so loud, that the audience can't even hear themselves think and are force to listen.

1970

February, Friday the 13th, 1970, Black Sabbath's first album "Black Sabbath is released under the Vertigo label. It was recorded in 8 hours on two four track machines and cost about $1200 to make. Ozzy couldn't wait to bring the record home to show his father and say "Look dad, it's me on a piece of plastic!" After his dad listened to the record, he asked Ozzy "Are you sure you're only smoking cigarettes?" On the gatefold of the album, the record company decided to put an upside down cross with a poem in the middle of it. The band had no idea they did this. The poem read as follows:

"Still Falls The Rain"

Still falls the rain, The veils of darkness shroud the blackened trees, Which, contorted by some unseen violence, Shed their tired leaves, and bend their boughs Toward a grey earth of severed bird wings.

Among the grasses, poppies bleed before a gesticulating death, and young rabbits, born dead in traps, stand motionless, as through guarding the silence, that surrounds

and threatens to engulf all those that would listen.

Mute birds, tired of repeating yesterdays terrors, huddle together in the recesses of dark corners, heads turned from the dead, black swan that floats upturned in a small pool in the hollow.

There emerges from this pool a faint, sensual mist, That traces its way upwards to caress the feet Of the headless martyr's statue Whose only achievement was to die too soon, and who couldn't wait to lose.

The cataract of darkness forms fully, The long black night begins, Yet still by the lake, a young girl waits, Unseeing she believes herself unseen, she smiles faintly at the distant tolling bell, and the still rain falling.

With the release of this first album, the bands audience begins to grow rapidly attracting all walks of life, including self proclaimed witches and Satanists. One night the band was asked by a witch to play at a satanic ceremony. The band declined and the witch cast an evil spell over the band. Being totally freaked out by this, Ozzy had his father make aluminum crosses for all four members of the band to keep evil spirits away from them. In a recent interview, Bill Ward said he is the only one that still has the original cross. Ozzy now has 14 karat crosses!

In October 1970, the band releases their second album, "Parnoid". This album was made in 4 days. It was originally supposed to be named "War Pigs" but at the last minute was changed to Paranoid by the record company due to the Vietnam war. The very popular song "Paranoid" was actually recorded as just a filler song at the last minute in the studio and was never intended to become such an anthem to the group. The album hits #1 status. At this same time they decide to let Jim Simpson go as their manager. Jim was keeping to much profit. Patrick Meehan and Wilf Pine take over.

In December, Black Sabbath's first album "Black Sabbath" is released in the U.S. by Warner Brothers as the band tours colleges. By now that album has already hit platinum status.

1971

Ozzy marries a woman by the name of Thelma Mayfair. Thelma already had a boy from a previous marriage named Elliot Kingsley who was 5 years old, so Ozzy decided to adopt him.

In march, the Paranoid album hits the #12 spot on the U.S. charts. This album goes on to sell over 4 million copies.

Late 1971, The "Master Of Reality" album is released. This album featured a few songs that had a reference to religion in a good way, but received bad press for putting down religion. In September it went to #5 on the U.K. charts and #8 on the U.S. It reached platinum status shortly thereafter.

1972 - 1973

Black Sabbath's 4th album is released entitled "Volume 4". This album was originally going to be named "Snowblind" (a reference to cocaine usage) but the record company once again stepped in and told them "No!" By November it had reached a peak of #8 on the U.K. charts and #13 in the U.S.

Ozzy's first offspring was born this year, a daughter by the name of Jessica Starshine Osbourne.

1974

The Album "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath" is released. This album featured the very first song which Ozzy wrote the lyrics and music to, "Who Are You?" (Geezer wrote 95% of lyrics to all Sabbath songs Ozzy sang.) In February it hit #4 on U.K. charts and #11 in the U.S. Within a year it had sold a million copies.

April 6th, the band performs at the Cal Jam in Ontario, CA. The band hadn't performed live for over 6 months and were given 1 days notice of this concert. The band gets paid $1000 each, but later learn that they really earned $250,000 which their manager screwed them out of.

1975

Once again, Black Sabbath fires their management and try to take things into their own hands. Sabbath is managementless!

"Sabotage" is released. This album featured a song entitle "The Writ" which told their true feelings against past management problems. It hit #7 on U.K. charts and #28 in the U.S.

Ozzy's first son is born, named Louis Jon Osbourne. (He is the little kid on Ozzy's solo album "Diary Of A Madman".)

1976

With all the bad management problems and constant touring, Ozzy took some time off. He went home and got rid of some of his frustration by shooting all the chickens around his house.

In April, a best of album entitled "We Sold Our Souls For Rock And Roll" and hits #35 in the U.K. and #48 in the U.S.

The band hires new management because they can't handle it all by themselves. They hire a man by the name of Don Arden. This was how Ozzy was introduced to Sharon Arden (now Sharon Osbourne). Don is Sharon's father.

In late 1976, the "Technical Ecstasy" album is released. It hits #13 on the U.K. charts and #51 in the U.S.

1977

Ozzy is fed up with Tony's control over the band and is also whacked out of his mind from excessive use of drugs and alcohol, as well as painful opiate withdrawal symptoms. On top of all of that his father dies and throws Ozzy into a deep emotional swell. He announces that he is quitting Black Sabbath. During this time period, Ozzy attempts to put together his own band. He recruits "Necromandus" guitarist Barry Dunnery, bass player Dennis McCarten and drummer Frank Hall, and records demos for a proposed album. These demos have never seen the light of day. Later this same year, Ozzy again makes another attempt at a solo project and recruits "Dirty Tricks" guitarist John Fraser-Binnie, bassist Terry Horbury and drummer Andy Bierne. However, it wasn't in the cards for this line-up either.

1978

Sabbath tries out a new singer by the name of Dave Walker (ex Fleetwood Mac). You can hear him singing a different version of "Junior's Eyes" on a well known bootleg entitled "The Archangel Rides Again". Ozzy gets back up on his feet and rejoins the band. All material written for the new album with Walker is destroyed because Ozzy didn't want to sing any of it.

Sabbath's last album with Ozzy "Never Say Die" is released. Ozzy dedicated a song entitled "Junior's Eyes" as a goodbye to his father.

Constant usage of narcotics and alcohol force the band to fire Ozzy. Bill Ward is put up to do the dirty deed. Ronnie James Dio would be his replacement. This marks the lowest point in Ozzy's life.

!SOURCE: http://www.ozzyhead.com/bio1.htm accessed on 10/2/2014