Name	City of Albuquerque
Settlement type	City
Nickname	The Duke City
Motto
Image seal	Albuquerque New Mexico logo.png
Map caption	Location in the state of New Mexico
Pushpin map	USA
Pushpin map caption	Location in the United States
Coordinates region	US-NM
Subdivision type	Country
Subdivision type1	State
Subdivision type2	County
Subdivision name	United States
Subdivision name1	New Mexico
Subdivision name2	Bernalillo County
Government type	Mayor-council government
Leader title	Mayor
Leader name	Richard J. Berry
Leader title1	City Council
Leader name1
Leader title2	State House
Leader name2
Leader title3	State Senate
Leader name3
Leader title4	U.S. House
Leader name4
Established title	Founded
Established date	1706 ''as: Alburquerque''
Established title2	Incorporated
Established date2	1891 ''as: Albuquerque''
Unit pref	US
Area magnitude	1 E9
Area total km2	469.5
Area total sq mi	181.3
Area land km2	467.9
Area land sq mi	180.6
Area water km2	1.7
Area water sq mi	0.6
Population density km2	1126.9
Population density sq mi	3010.7
Population as of	2010
Population total	545852 (32nd)
Population metro	907755 (MSA)
Population demonym	Albuquerquean
Population blank1 title	Ethnicities
Population blank1	42.5% Caucasian 44.9% Hispanic 4.6% American Indian 4.6% Multiracial 3.3% African American 2.6% Asian 15% Others
Timezone	MST
Utc offset	-7
Timezone dst	MDT
Utc offset dst	-6
Postal code type	Zip Code(s)
Postal code	87101–87125, 87131, 87151, 87153, 87154, 87158, 87174, 87176, 87181, 87184, 87185, 87187, 87190–87199
Area code	505
Elevation m	1619.1
Elevation ft	5312
Website	http://www.cabq.gov/
Blank name	FIPS code
Blank info	35-02000
Blank1 name	GNIS feature ID
Blank1 info	0928679 ----
Blank2 name	Primary Airport
Blank2 info	Albuquerque International Sunport- ABQ (Major/International)
Blank3 name	Secondary Airport
Blank3 info	Double Eagle II Airport- KAEG (Public)
Footnotes	}}

Albuquerque () is the largest city in the state of New Mexico, United States. It is the county seat of Bernalillo County and is situated in the central part of the state, straddling the Rio Grande. The city population was 545,852 as of the 2010 Census and ranks as the 32nd-largest city in the U.S. As of June 2007, the city was the sixth fastest-growing in America. It has a metropolitan population of 907,775 as of 2011. Albuquerque is the 57th-largest United States metropolitan area. The Albuquerque MSA population includes the city of Rio Rancho.

Albuquerque is home to the University of New Mexico (UNM), Kirtland Air Force Base, Sandia National Laboratories, Lovelace Respiratory Research Institute, and Petroglyph National Monument, and is the seat of the Episcopal Diocese of the Rio Grande. The Sandia Mountains run along the eastern side of Albuquerque, and the Rio Grande flows through the city, north to south.

History

Etymology

thumb|150px|left|Francisco Fernández de la Cueva It is generally believed that the growing village was named by the provincial governor Don Francisco Cuervo y Valdes in honor of Don Francisco Fernández de la Cueva, viceroy of New Spain from 1653 to 1660. One of de la Cueva's aristocratic titles was Duke of Alburquerque, referring to the Spanish town of Alburquerque.

The Alburquerque family name dates from pre-12th century Iberia (Spain and Portugal) and is habitational in nature (''de Alburquerque'' = from Alburquerque). The Spanish village of Alburquerque is within the Badajoz province of Extremadura region, and located just fifteen miles (24 km) from the Portuguese border. Cork trees dominate the landscape and Alburquerque is a center of the Spanish cork industry. Over the years, this region has been alternately under both Spanish and Portuguese rule. The name of the New Mexico city of Albuquerque follows the Portuguese spelling with only one 'r'. Historically, the land around Alburquerque was invaded and settled by the Moors (711 AD) and the Romans (218 BC) before them. Thus, the word Alburquerque may be rooted in the Arabic (Moorish) 'Abu al-Qurq', which means "father of the cork oak", or "land of the cork oak" (the land as father – fatherland). Alternatively, it may be Latin (Roman) in origin and from 'alba quercus' or "white oak" (the wood of the cork oak is white after the bark has been removed). The seal of the Spanish village of Alburquerque is a white oak tree, framed by a shield, topped by a crown.

Western folklore offers a different explanation, tracing the name Alburquerque to the Arabic 'Al-Barquq', meaning "the plum", and the derivative Galician (Galicia = northwest Spanish Province) word 'albaricoque', the "apricot". The apricot was brought to New Mexico by Spanish settlers, possibly as early as 1743. As the story goes, the settlement of La Ciudad de Albaricoque was established near an apricot tree. As frontiersmen were unable to correctly pronounce the Spanish (Galician) word, they pronounced it as "Albuquerque."

Early settlers

thumb|left|Old Town Albuquerque Plaza Albuquerque was founded in 1706 as the Spanish colonial outpost of ''Ranchos de Alburquerque'', 18 families had resided in the area. Present-day Albuquerque retains much of its historical Spanish cultural heritage.

Albuquerque was a farming community and strategically located military outpost along the Camino Real. The town was also the sheep-herding center of the West. Spain established a presidio (military garrison) in Albuquerque in 1706. After 1821, Mexico also had a military garrison there. The town of Alburquerque was built in the traditional Spanish village pattern: a central plaza surrounded by government buildings, homes, and a church. This central plaza area has been preserved and is open to the public as a museum, cultural area, and center of commerce. It is referred to as "Old Town Albuquerque" or simply "Old Town." "Old Town" was sometimes referred to as "La Placita" ("little plaza" in Spanish).

After the American occupation of New Mexico, Albuquerque had a federal garrison and quartermaster depot, the Post of Albuquerque, from 1846 to 1867. During the Civil War Albuquerque was occupied in February 1862 by Confederate troops under General Henry Hopkins Sibley, who soon afterward advanced with his main body into northern New Mexico. During his retreat from Union troops into Texas he made a stand on April 8, 1862, at Albuquerque and fought the Battle of Albuquerque against a detachment of Union soldiers commanded by Colonel Edward R. S. Canby. This daylong engagement at long range led to few casualties.

When the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad arrived in 1880, it bypassed the Plaza, locating the passenger depot and railyards about 2 miles (3 km) east in what quickly became known as New Albuquerque or New Town. Many Anglo merchants, mountain men, and settlers slowly filtered into Albuquerque creating a major mercantile commercial center which is now Downtown Albuquerque. Due to a rising rate of violent crime, gunman Milt Yarberry was appointed the town's first marshal that year. New Albuquerque was incorporated as a town in 1885, with Henry N. Jaffa its first mayor, and it was incorporated as a city in 1891. Old Town remained a separate community until the 1920s when it was absorbed by the city of Albuquerque. Old Albuquerque High School, the city's first public high school, was established in 1879.

Early 20th century

New Albuquerque quickly became a tidy southwestern town. By 1900, it boasted a population of 8,000 inhabitants and all the modern amenities, including an electric street railway connecting Old Town, New Town, and the recently established University of New Mexico campus on the East Mesa. In 1902, the famous Alvarado Hotel was built adjacent to the new passenger depot, and it remained a symbol of the city until it was torn down in 1970 to make room for a parking lot. In 2002, the Alvarado Transportation Center was built on the site in a manner resembling the old landmark. The large metro station functions as the downtown headquarters for the city's transit department. It also serves as an intermodal hub for local buses, Greyhound buses, Amtrak passenger trains, and the Rail Runner commuter rail line.

New Mexico's dry climate brought many tuberculosis patients to the city in search of a cure during the early 20th century, and several sanitaria sprang up on the West Mesa to serve them. Presbyterian Hospital and St. Joseph Hospital, two of the largest hospitals in the Southwest, had their beginnings during this period. Influential New Deal-era governor Clyde Tingley and famed Southwestern architect John Gaw Meem were among those brought to New Mexico by tuberculosis.

Decades of growth

The first travelers on Route 66 appeared in Albuquerque in 1926, and before long, dozens of motels, restaurants, and gift shops had sprung up along the roadside to serve them. Route 66 originally ran through the city on a north-south alignment along Fourth Street, but in 1937 it was realigned along Central Avenue, a more direct east-west route. The intersection of Fourth and Central downtown was the principal crossroads of the city for decades. The majority of the surviving structures from the Route 66 era are on Central, though there are also some on Fourth. Signs between Bernalillo and Los Lunas along the old route now have brown, historical highway markers denoting it as ''Pre-1937 Route 66.''

The establishment of Kirtland Air Force Base in 1939, Sandia Base in the early 1940s, and Sandia National Laboratories in 1949, would make Albuquerque a key player of the Atomic Age. Meanwhile, the city continued to expand outward onto the West Mesa, reaching a population of 201,189 by 1960. In 1990, it was 384,736 and in 2007 it was 518,271. In June 2007, Albuquerque was listed as the sixth fastest-growing city in America by CNN and the U.S. Census Bureau.

Albuquerque's downtown entered the same phase and development (decline, "urban renewal" with continued decline, and gentrification) as nearly every city across the United States. As Albuquerque spread outward, the downtown area fell into a decline. Many historic buildings were razed in the 1960s and 1970s to make way for new plazas, high-rises, and parking lots as part of the city's urban renewal phase. As of 2010, only recently has downtown come to regain much of its urban character, mainly through the construction of many new loft apartment buildings and the renovation of historic structures such as the KiMo Theater, in the gentrification phase.

New millennium

During the 21st century, the Albuquerque population has continued to grow rapidly. The population of the city proper is estimated at 528,497 in 2009, up from 448,607 in the 2000 census. The Albuquerque metropolitan area has 907,775 residents, and it is projected to increase to 2 million people by 2030, according to projections from the University of New Mexico's Bureau of Business and Economic Research. During 2005 and 2006, the city celebrated its tricentennial with a diverse program of cultural events.

Urban trends and issues

Alvarado Station provides convenient access to other parts of the city via the city bus system, ABQ RIDE. And the city plans to provide better public transportation opportunities to ease the city's growing traffic woes. A streetcar system is being considered, as of 2009. It would initially extend up the Central Avenue corridor from the West Side, through downtown, past UNM and the Nob Hill district, and into the Uptown Area.

The passage of the Planned Growth Strategy in 2002–2004 was the community's strongest effort to create a framework for a more balanced and sustainable approach to urban growth.

A critical finding of the study is that many of the 'disconnects' between the public's preferences and what actually is taking place are caused by weak or non-existent implementation tools -- rather than by inadequate policies, as contained in the City/County Comprehensive Plan and other already adopted legislation.

Urban sprawl is limited on three sides—by the Pueblo of Sandia to the north, the Pueblo of Isleta and Kirtland Air Force Base to the south, and the Sandia Mountains to the east. Suburban growth continues at a strong pace to the west, beyond Petroglyph National Monument, once thought to be a natural boundary to sprawl development.

Because of less-costly land and lower taxes, much of the growth in the metropolitan area is taking place outside of the city of Albuquerque itself. In Rio Rancho to the northwest, the communities east of the mountains, and the incorporated parts of Valencia County, population growth rates approach twice that of Albuquerque. The primary cities in Valencia County are Los Lunas and Belen, both of which are home to growing industrial complexes and new residential subdivisions. The mountain towns of Tijeras, Edgewood, and Moriarty, while close enough to Albuquerque to be considered suburbs, have experienced much less growth compared to Rio Rancho, Bernalillo, Los Lunas, and Belen. Limited water supply and rugged terrain are the main limiting factors for development in these towns. The Mid Region Council of Governments (MRCOG), which includes constituents from throughout the Albuquerque area, was formed to ensure that these governments along the middle Rio Grande would be able to meet the needs of their rapidly rising populations. MRCOG's cornerstone project is the New Mexico Rail Runner Express.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, Albuquerque has a total area of . of it is land and of it (0.35%) is water.

Albuquerque lies within the northern, upper edges of the Chihuahuan Desert ecoregion, based on long-term patterns of climate, associations of plants and wildlife, and landforms, including drainage patterns. Located in central New Mexico, the city also has noticeable influences from the adjacent Colorado Plateau Semi-Desert, Arizona-New Mexico Mountains, and Southwest Plateaus and Plains Steppe ecoregions, depending on where one is located. Its main geographic connection lies with southern New Mexico, while culturally, Albuquerque is a crossroads of most of New Mexico.

Albuquerque has one of the highest elevations of any major city in the United States, though the effects of this are greatly tempered by its southwesterly continental position. The elevation of the city ranges from 4,900 feet (1,490 m) above sea level near the Rio Grande (in the Valley) to over 6,700 feet (1,950 m) in the foothill areas of Sandia Heights and Glenwood Hills. At the airport, the elevation is 5,352 feet (1,631 m) above sea level.

The Rio Grande is classified, like the Nile, as an 'exotic' river because it flows through a desert. The New Mexico portion of the Rio Grande lies within the Rio Grande Rift Valley, bordered by a system of faults, including those that lifted up the adjacent Sandia and Manzano Mountains, while lowering the area where the life-sustaining Rio Grande now flows.

Albuquerque is located at (35.110703, -106.609991).

Climate

Albuquerque's climate is classified as arid (''BWk'' or ''BWh'', depending on the particular scheme of the Köppen climate classification system one uses), meaning average annual precipitation is less than half of evaporation, and no month averages below freezing.

Albuquerque's climate is usually sunny and dry, with low relative humidity, with an average of 3,420 sunshine hours per year. Brilliant sunshine defines the region, averaging more than 300 days a year; periods of variably mid and high-level cloudiness temper the sun at other times. Extended cloudiness is rare. The city has four distinct seasons, but the heat and cold are mild compared to the extremes that occur more commonly in other parts of the country.

Winters are rather brief but definite; daytime highs range from the mid 40s to upper 50s Fahrenheit, while the overnight lows drop into the low 20s to near 30 by sunrise; nights are often colder in the valley and uppermost foothills by several degrees, or during cold frontal passages from the Great Basin or Rocky Mountains. The occasional snowfall, associated with low pressure areas, fronts and troughs, often melts by the mid-afternoon; over half of the scant winter moisture occurs in the form of light rain showers, usually brief in duration. In the much higher and colder Sandia Mountains, moisture falls as snow; many years have enough snow to create decent skiing conditions at the local ski area.

Spring time starts off windy and cool, sometimes unsettled with some rain and even light snow, though spring is usually the driest part of the year in Albuquerque. March and April tend to see many days with the wind blowing at , and afternoon gusts can produce periods of blowing sand and dust. In May, the winds tend to subside, as temperatures start to feel like summer.

Summer daytime highs range from the upper 80s to the upper 90's, while dropping into the low 60s to low 70s overnight; the valley and uppermost foothills are often several degrees cooler than that. The heat is quite tolerable because of low humidity, except during the late summer during increased humidity from surges in the monsoonal pattern; at that time, daytime highs drop slightly but the extra moisture in the air can cause nighttime temperatures to increase.

Fall sees mild days and cool nights with less rain, though the weather can be more unsettled closer to winter.

The city was one of several in the region experiencing a severe winter storm on December 28–30, 2006, with locations in Albuquerque receiving between of snow.

Only the wettest areas of the Sandia foothills are barely semi-arid, where precipitation is more than half of, but still less than, evaporation; such areas are localized and usually lie above in elevation and often in arroyo drainages, signified by a slightly denser, taller growth of evergreen oak–juniper–pinon chaparral and rarely, woodland, often mixed with taller desert grasses. These elevated foothill areas still border arid areas, best described as desert grassland or desert shrub, on their west sides.

Traveling to the west, north and east of Albuquerque, one quickly rises in elevation and leaves the sheltering effect of the valley to enter a noticeably cooler and slightly wetter environment. One such area is still considered part of metro Albuquerque, commonly called the "East Mountain" area; it is covered in savannas or woodlands of low juniper and pinon trees, reminiscent of the lower parts of the southern Rocky Mountains, which do not actually contact Albuquerque proper.

Those mountains and highlands beyond the city create a "rain shadow" effect, due to the drying of descending air movements; the city usually receives very little rain or snow, averaging 8–9 inches (216 mm) of precipitation per year. Valley and west mesa areas, farther from the mountains are drier, averaging 6–8 inches of annual precipitation; the Sandia foothills tend to lift any available moisture, enhancing precipitation to about 10–17 inches annually. Most precipitation occurs during the summer monsoon season (also called a chubasco in Mexico), typically starting in early July and ending in mid-September.

Geology

The Sandia Mountains are the predominant geographic feature visible in Albuquerque. "Sandía" is Spanish for "watermelon", and is popularly believed to be a reference to the brilliant coloration of the mountains at sunset: bright pink (melon meat) and green (melon rind). The pink is due to large exposures of granodiorite cliffs, and the green is due to large swaths of conifer forests. However, Robert Julyan notes in ''The Place Names of New Mexico'', "the most likely explanation is the one believed by the Sandia Pueblo Indians: the Spaniards, when they encountered the Pueblo in 1540, called it Sandia, because they thought the squash growing there were watermelons, and the name Sandia soon was transferred to the mountains east of the pueblo." He also notes that the Sandia Pueblo Indians call the mountain ''Bien Mur'', "big mountain."

The Sandia foothills, on the west side of the mountains, have soils derived from that same rock material with varying sizes of decomposed granite, mixed with areas of clay and caliche (a calcareous clay common in the arid southwestern USA), along with some exposed granite bedrock.

Below the foothills, the area usually called the "Heights" consists of a mix of clay and caliche soils, overlain by a layer of decomposed granite, resulting from long-term outwash of that material from the adjacent mountains. This bajada is quite noticeable when driving into Albuquerque from the north or south, due to its fairly uniform slope from the mountains' edge downhill to the valley. Sand hills are scattered along the I-25 corridor and directly above the Rio Grande valley, forming the lower end of the Heights.

The Rio Grande valley, due to long-term shifting of the actual river channel, contains layers and areas of soils varying between caliche, clay, loam, and even some sand. It is the only part of Albuquerque where the water table often lies close to the surface, sometimes less than .

The last significant area of Albuquerque geologically is the West Mesa: this is the elevated land west of the Rio Grande, including the sandy terrace immediately west and above the river, and the rather sharply defined volcanic escarpment above and west of most of the developed city. The west mesa commonly has soils often referred to as "blow sand", along with occasional clay and caliche and even basalt, nearing the escarpment.

Hydrology

Albuquerque's drinking water presently comes from a delicate aquifer that was once described as an "underground Lake Superior". The Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority (ABCWUA) has developed a water resources management strategy, which pursues conservation and the direct extraction of water from the Rio Grande for the development of a stable underground aquifer in the future.

The aquifer of the Rio Puerco is too saline to be cost-effectively used for drinking purposes.

Much of the rainwater that Albuquerque receives does not recharge its aquifer. It is diverted through storm drains called arroyos, to the Rio Grande.

Of the per year of the water in the upper Colorado River basin entitled to municipalities in New Mexico by the Upper Colorado River Basin Compact, Albuquerque owns 48,200. The water is delivered to the Rio Grande by the San Juan–Chama Project. The project's construction was initiated by legislation enacted by President John F. Kennedy in 1962, and completed in 1971. This diversion project transports water under the continental divide from Navajo Lake to Lake Heron on the Rio Chama, a tributary of the Rio grande. Presently, this water is resold to downstream owners in Texas. These arrangements will end in 2008 with the completion of the ABCWUA's Drinking Water Supply Project.

This project will, using a system of adjustable height dams, skim water from the Rio Grande into sluices which will lead to water treatment facilities for direct conversion to potable water. Some water will be allowed to flow through central Albuquerque, mostly to protect the endangered Rio Grande Silvery Minnow. Treated effluent water will be recycled into the Rio Grande to the South of the city. The ABCWUA expects river water to comprise up to seventy percent of its water budget in 2060. Groundwater will still be used. One of the policies of the ABCWUA's strategy is the acquisition of additional river water.

Cityscape

Tallest buildings

{| cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 0 1em 1em 0; font-size: 90%;" |- style="background:#ccc;" !Rank||Building||Height||Floors||Built|| |- |1 || Bank of Albuquerque Tower || || 22 || 1990 || |- style="background:#efefef;" |2 ||Hyatt Regency Albuquerque || || 21 || 1990 || |- |3 || Compass Bank Tower || || 18 || 1968 || |- style="background:#efefef;" |4 ||Bank of the West Tower, West || || 15 || 1986 || |- |5 || Bank of the West Tower, East || || 17 || 1963 || |- style="background:#efefef;" |6 || Gold Building || || 14 || 1967 || |- |7 || Dennis Chavez Federal Building || || 13 || 1972 || |- style="background:#efefef;" |8 || PNM Resources Tower || || 12 || 1974 || |- |9 || Simms Building || || 13 || 1954 || |- style="background:#efefef;" |10 || Pete V. Domenici U.S. Courthouse || || 7 || 1997 || |}

Architecture

John Gaw Meem, credited with developing and popularizing the Pueblo Revival style, was based in Santa Fe but received an important Albuquerque commission in 1933 as the architect of the University of New Mexico. He retained this commission for the next quarter-century and developed the University's distinctive Southwest style.

Due to the nature of the soil in the Rio Grande Valley, the skyline is lower than might be expected in a city of comparable size elsewhere.

thumb|left|Many buildings from the 19th century remain in downtown today. Albuquerque boasts a unique nighttime cityscape. Many building exteriors are illuminated in vibrant colors such as green and blue. The Wells Fargo Building is illuminated green. The DoubleTree Hotel and the Compass Bank building are illuminated blue. The rotunda of the county courthouse is illuminated yellow, while the tops of the Bank of Albuquerque and the Bank of the West are illuminated reddish-yellow.

Albuquerque has expanded greatly in area since the mid 1940s. During those years of expansion, the planning of the newer areas has considered that people drive rather than walk. The pre-1940s parts of Albuquerque are quite different in style and scale from the post 1940s areas. These older areas include the North Valley, the South Valley, various neighborhoods near downtown, and Corrales. The newer areas generally feature four to six lane roads in a 1 mile (1.61 km) grid. Each 1 square mile (2.59 km²) is divided into four neighborhoods by smaller roads set 0.5 miles (0.8 km) between major roads. When driving along major roads in the newer sections of Albuquerque, one sees strip malls, signs, and cinderblock walls. The upside of this planning style is that neighborhoods are shielded from the worst of the noise and lights on the major roads. The downside is that it is virtually impossible to go anywhere from home without driving.

Quadrants

Albuquerque is geographically divided into four quadrants which are officially part of the mailing address. They are NE (northeast), NW (northwest), SE (southeast), and SW (southwest). The north-south dividing line is Central Avenue (the path that Route 66 took through the city) and the east-west dividing line is the BNSF Railway tracks.

Northeast Quadrant

This quadrant has been experiencing a housing expansion since the late 1950s. It abuts the base of the Sandia Mountains and contains portions of the foothills neighborhoods, which are significantly higher, in elevation and price range, than the rest of the city. Running from Central Avenue and the railroad tracks to the Sandia Peak Aerial Tram, this is the largest quadrant both geographically and by population. The University of New Mexico, the Maxwell Museum of Anthropology, the Uptown area which includes two shopping malls (Coronado Center and ABQ Uptown), Journal Center, Balloon Fiesta Park, and Albuquerque Academy are all located in this quadrant.

Some of the most affluent neighborhoods in the city are located here, including Tanoan, High Desert, Sandia Heights, and North Albuquerque Acres. (Parts of Sandia Heights and North Albuquerque Acres are outside the city limits proper.) A few houses in the farthest reach of this quadrant lie in the Cibola National Forest, just over the line into Sandoval County.

Northwest Quadrant

This quadrant contains historic Old Town Albuquerque, which dates back to the 18th century, as well as the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center. The area has a mixture of commercial districts and low- to middle-income neighborhoods. Northwest Albuquerque includes the largest section of downtown, the Rio Grande Nature Center State Park and the Bosque ("woodlands"), the Petroglyph National Monument, Double Eagle II Airport, Martineztown, the Paradise Hills neighborhood, and Cottonwood Mall.

Additionally, the "North Valley" area, which has some expensive homes and small ranches along the Rio Grande, is located here. The City of Albuquerque engulfs the village of Los Ranchos de Albuquerque and borders Corrales in the North Valley. The rapidly developing area on the west side of the river is known as the "West Mesa" or "Westside" and consists primarily of traditional residential subdivisions. Newer developments include Ladera West, Grande Heights, La Luz, Rancho Sereno, Eagle Ranch, Volcano Cliffs, Ventana Ranch, Paradise Greens, Seville, Skies West, Stonebridge Pointe, and Cottonwood Heights. The city proper is bordered on the north by the City of Rio Rancho.

thumb|Lobo Theater at Nob Hill

Southeast Quadrant

The Sandia Science and Technology Park, Eclipse Aerospace, Kirtland Air Force Base, Sandia National Laboratories, the Central New Mexico Community College main campus, the Albuquerque International Sunport, Mesa del Sol, Albuquerque Studios, Albuquerque Veloport, University Stadium, Isotopes Park, and The Pit are all located in the Southeast (SE) quadrant.

The upscale neighborhood of Four Hills and the Four Hills Country Club are located in the farthest reach of this quadrant, near the foothills. Nob Hill lies along Central Avenue and Carlisle Boulevard. The historic Ridgecrest neighborhood is located just south of Nob Hill. Several popular attractions can be found in Southeast Albuquerque, such as the Hard Rock Casino, The Pavilion, Veterans' Memorial, and Talin Market. The area near Central Avenue and Louisiana Boulevard has the highest concentration of Asian-owned businesses in the city.

Southwest Quadrant

Traditionally consisting of agricultural and rural areas, the Southwest quadrant is often referred to as the "South Valley." Although the city limits of Albuquerque do not include all of the area, the South Valley is considered to extend all the way to the Isleta Indian Reservation. This includes the old communities of Atrisco, Los Padillas, Kinney, Westgate, Mountainview, and Pajarito. The south end of downtown Albuquerque, the Bosque ("woodlands"), the Barelas neighborhood, the National Hispanic Cultural Center, and the Albuquerque Biological Park are also located here.

Demographics

{{USCensusPop |1890=3785 |1900= 6238 |1910=11020 |1920=15157 |1930=26570 |1940=35449 |1950=96815 |1960=201189 |1970=244501 |1980=332920 |1990=384736 |2000=448607 |2010=545852 |estimate= |estyear= |estref=

There were 239,116 households out of which 33.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.6% were married couples living together, 12.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.5% were non-families. 30.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 3.02.

The age distribution was 24.5% under 18, 10.6% from 18 to 24, 30.9% from 25 to 44, 21.9% from 45 to 64, and 12.0% who were 65 or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 94.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $38,272, and the median income for a family was $46,979. Males had a median income of $34,208 versus $26,397 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,884. About 10.0% of families and 13.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.4% of those under age 18 and 8.5% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

{|class="infobox" style="font-size: 90%; border: 1px solid #999; float: right; margin-left: 1em; width: 260px;" |- style="background:#f5f5f5;" ! colspan="2" | Largest Employers in Albuquerque |- | 1|| style="text-align: left;" |Kirtland Air Force Base |- | 2|| style="text-align: left;" |University of New Mexico |- | 3|| style="text-align: left;" |Albuquerque Public Schools |- | 4 || style="text-align: left;" |Sandia National Laboratories |- | 5 || style="text-align: left;" |Presbyterian Health System |- | 6 || style="text-align: left;" |State of New Mexico (Government) |- | 7 || style="text-align: left;" |Lovelace Health System |- | 8 || style="text-align: left;" |Intel Corporation |- | 9 || style="text-align: left;" |PNM Resources |- | 10 || style="text-align: left;" |Bank of Albuquerque (BOK Financial) |}

Albuquerque lies at the center of the New Mexico Technology Corridor, a concentration of high-tech private companies and government institutions along the Rio Grande. Larger institutions whose employees contribute to the population are numerous and include Sandia National Laboratories, Kirtland Air Force Base, and the attendant contracting companies which bring highly educated workers to a somewhat isolated region. Intel operates a large semiconductor factory or "fab" in suburban Rio Rancho, in neighboring Sandoval County, with its attendant large capital investment. Northrop Grumman is located along I-25 in northeast Albuquerque, and TempurPedic is located on the West Mesa next to I-40.

The solar energy and architectural-design innovator Steve Baer located his company, Zomeworks, to the region in the late 1960s; and Los Alamos National Laboratory, Sandia, and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory cooperate here in an enterprise that began with the Manhattan Project. In January 2007, Tempur-Pedic opened an mattress factory in northwest Albuquerque. SCHOTT Solar, Inc., announced in January 2008 they will open a facility manufacturing receivers for concentrated solar thermal power plants (CSP) and 64MW of photovoltaic (PV) modules.

Forbes Magazine rated Albuquerque the best city in America for business and careers in 2006 and the 13th best (out of 200 metro areas) in 2008.

Arts and culture

thumb|Albuquerque Botanical Gardens Albuquerque is home to 300 visual arts, music, dance, literary, film, ethnic, and craft organizations, museums, festivals and associations.

Points of interest

Albuquerque contains a variety of museums, galleries, shops and other points of interest. Some of these include the Albuquerque Biological Park, Museum of Natural History and Science, and Old Town Albuquerque. The majority of locally owned boutiques and fine dining establishments are scattered throughout Downtown, Old Town, and Uptown. Old Town features ghost tours performed by the Southwest Ghosthunters Association.

The Sandia and Manzano Mountains to the east offer trails, open spaces, and rock climbing. Climbs from one to ten pitches can be found at all ability levels. The Sandia Peak Tramway, located adjacent to Albuquerque is the world's second-longest passenger aerial tramway. It also has the world's third-longest single span. It stretches from the Northeast edge of the city to the crestline of the Sandia Mountains.

Sports

The Albuquerque Isotopes are a minor league affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers, having derived their name from ''The Simpsons'' episode "Hungry Hungry Homer", which involves the Springfield Isotopes baseball team considering relocating to Albuquerque. Prior to 2002, the Albuquerque Dukes served as the city's minor league team, they played at the Albuquerque Sports Stadium. The stadium was torn down to make room for the current Isotopes Park.

!Club	!Sport	!League	!Venue	!Capacity
Albuquerque Isotopes	Baseball		Isotopes Park	12,500
New Mexico Mustangs	Ice hockey		Santa Ana Star Center	7,500
	Division I (NCAA)#Football Bowl Subdivision	[[Mountain West Conference		42,000
University of New Mexico Lobos (New Mexico Lobos men's basketball		[[Mountain West Conference		17,126

Parks and recreation

Albuquerque has numerous parks, bike paths, and hiking areas scattered throughout the metro area. Most of the city's best biking and hiking areas are concentrated in and around the Sandia and Manzano foothills.

The city was ranked #1 as the fittest city in the United States, according to a March 2007 issue of Men's Fitness magazine. The critera used in the study included the availability of gyms and bike paths, commute times, and federal health statistics on obesity-related injuries and illnesses.

Bicycle trails and lanes

Available recreation activities

List of parks in the area

Petroglyph National Monument

Sandia Tramway

Balloon Fiesta Park

Government

{|class="infobox" style="font-size: 90%; border: 1px solid #999; float: right; margin-left: 1em; width: 260px;" |- style="background:#f5f5f5;" ! colspan="2" | Albuquerque City Council |- | Richard J. Berry || style="text-align: center;" |Mayor |- | Kenneth Sánchez || style="text-align: center;" |1st District |- | Debbra O'Malley || style="text-align: center;" |2nd District |- | Isaac Benton || style="text-align: center;" |3rd District |- | Bradley Winter || style="text-align: center;" |4th District |- | Daniel Lewis || style="text-align: center;" |5th District |- | Rey Garduño || style="text-align: center;" |6th District |- | Michael D. Cook || style="text-align: center;" |7th District |- | Trudy Jones || style="text-align: center;" |8th District |- | Don Harris || style="text-align: center;" |9th District |}

Albuquerque is a charter city City government is divided into an executive branch, headed by a Mayor and a nine-member Council that holds the legislative authority. The form of city government is therefore mayor-council government. The mayor is Richard J. Berry, a former state legislator, who was elected in 2009.

The Mayor holds a full-time paid elected position with a four-year term. The Council members hold part-time paid positions and are elected from the nine Council districts for four-year terms, with four or five Councilors elected every two years. Elections for Mayor and Councilor are nonpartisan. Each year in December one of the Council members is elected by the members of the Council to be the Council President, and one is elected to be the Vice-President. On December 1, 2008, Isaac Benton was elected President of the Council for the next year and Sally Mayer was elected Vice-President.

The Council is the legislative authority of the city, and has the power to adopt all ordinances, resolutions, or other legislation. The Council meets two times a month, with meetings held in the Vincent E. Griego Council Chambers in the basement level of Albuquerque/Bernalillo County Government Center. Ordinances and resolutions passed by the Council are presented to the Mayor for his approval. If the Mayor vetoes an item, the Council can override the veto with a vote of two-thirds of the membership of the Council.

Each year, the Mayor submits a city budget proposal for the year to the Council by April 1, and the Council acts on the proposal within the next 60 days.

Education

Albuquerque is home to the University of New Mexico, the largest public flagship university in the state. UNM includes a School of Medicine which was ranked in the top 50 primary care-oriented medical schools in the country. Albuquerque is also home to the National American University, Trinity Southwest University, and the University of St. Francis College of Nursing and Allied Health Department of Physician Assistant Studies. The Central New Mexico Community College serves most of the area, as do several technical schools including ITT Technical Institute and the University of Phoenix. Furthermore, The Art Center Design College offers bachelor's degrees in Graphic and Interior Design, animation, illustration, Photography as well as several other disciplines. Albuquerque is also home to the Ayurvedic Institute, one of the first Ayurveda colleges specializing in Ayurvedic medicine outside of India. Albuquerque Public Schools, one of the largest school districts in the nation, provides educational services to over 87,000 children across the city.

Media

The city is served by one major newspaper, the ''Albuquerque Journal'', and several smaller daily and weekly papers, including the alternative ''Weekly Alibi''. Albuquerque is also home to numerous radio and television stations that serve the metropolitan and outlying rural areas.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Main highways

Some of the main highways in the city include:

Pan-American Freeway – More commonly known as Interstate 25 or "I-25", it is the main north–south highway on the city's eastern side of the Rio Grande. It is also the main north–south highway in the state (by connecting Albuquerque with Santa Fe and Las Cruces) and a plausible route of the eponymous Pan American Highway. Since Route 66 was decommissioned in the 1980s, the only remaining US highway in Albuquerque, unsigned US-85, shares its alignment with I-25. US-550 splits off to the northwest from I-25/US-85 in Bernalillo. Coronado Freeway – More commonly known as Interstate 40 or "I-40", it is the city's main east–west traffic artery and an important transcontinental route. The freeway's name in the city is in reference to 16th century conquistador and explorer Francisco Vazquez de Coronado.

Paseo del Norte – Concurrent with State Highway 423, Paseo del Norte connects two parts of Albuquerque that are separated by the North Valley and by Los Ranchos de Albuquerque. Paseo del Norte is a freeway from Tramway Boulevard to Eagle Ranch Road, as it crosses the Rio Grande. A controversial extension of this road through Petroglyph National Monument was finally opened in 2007. Roughly parallel to Interstate 40 and approximately five miles to the north, Paseo Del Norte connects Interstate 25 and Coors Boulevard.

Coors Boulevard – Coors is the main north-south artery to the west of the Rio Grande in Albuquerque. There is one full interchange where it connects with Interstate 40. The rest of the route has stoplights, sidewalks and bike lanes. To the north of Interstate 40, part of the route is numbered as State Highway 448, while to the south, part of the route is numbered as State Highway 45.

Central Avenue – Central is one of the historical routings of Route 66, it is no longer a main through highway, its usefulness having been supplanted by Interstate 40.

Tramway Boulevard – Serves as a bypass around the northeastern quadrant, the route is designated as NM-556. Tramway Boulevard starts at I-25 near Sandia Pueblo, and heads east as a two-lane road. It turns south near the base of the Sandia Peak Tramway and becomes a divided highway until its terminus near I-40 and Central Avenue by the western entrance to Tijeras Canyon.

The interchange between I-40 and I-25 is known as the "Big I". Originally built in 1966, it was rebuilt in 2002.

Bridges

There are six road bridges that cross the Rio Grande and serve the municipality on at least one end if not both. The eastern approaches of the northernmost three all pass through adjacent unincorporated areas, the Village of Los Ranchos de Albuquerque, or the North Valley. In downstream order they are:

Alameda Bridge

Paseo del Norte Bridge

Montano Bridge

I-40 Bridge

Old Town Bridge

Barelas Bridge

Two more bridges serve urbanized areas contiguous to the city's perforated southern boundary.

Rio Bravo Bridge (NM 500)

I-25 Bridge (near Isleta Pueblo)

Rail

The state owns most of the city's rail infrastructure which is used by a commuter rail system, long distance passenger trains, and the freight trains of the BNSF Railway.

Intercity rail

Amtrak's Southwest Chief, which travels between Chicago and Los Angeles, serves the Albuquerque area daily with one stop in each direction at the Alvarado Transportation Center in downtown.

Commuter rail

The New Mexico Rail Runner Express, a commuter rail line, began service between Sandoval County and Albuquerque in July 2006 using an existing BNSF right-of-way which was purchased by New Mexico in 2005. Service expanded to Valencia County in December 2006 and to Santa Fe on December 17, 2008. Rail Runner now connects Santa Fe, Sandoval, Bernalillo, and Valencia Counties with twelve station stops, including three stops within Albuquerque. The trains connect Albuquerque to downtown Santa Fe with eight roundtrips per weekday. The section of the line running south to Belen is served less frequently.

====Local mass transit====

ABQ RIDE is the local transit agency in the city. ABQ RIDE operates a variety of bus routes, including the Rapid Ride express bus service.

In 2006 the City of Albuquerque under the mayorship of Martin Chavez had planned and attempted to "fast track" the development of a "Modern Streetcar" project. Funding for the US$270 million system was not resolved as many citizens vocally opposed the project. The city and its transit department maintain a policy commitment to the streetcar project. The project would run mostly in the southeast quadrant on Central Avenue and Yale Boulevard.

Albuquerque was one of two cities in New Mexico to have had electric street railways. Albuquerque's horse-drawn streetcar lines were electrified during the first few years of the 20th century. The Albuquerque Traction Company assumed operation of the system in 1905. The system grew to its maximum length of during the next ten years by connecting destinations such as Old Town to the west and the University of New Mexico to the east with the town's urban center near the former Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway depot. The Albuquerque Traction Company failed financially in 1915 and the vaguely named City Electric Company was formed. Despite traffic booms during the first world war, and unaided by lawsuits attempting to force the streetcar company to pay for paving, that system also failed later in 1927, leaving the streetcar's "motorettes" unemployed.

Bicycle transit

Albuquerque has a well-developed bicycle network. In and around the City there are trails, bike routes, and paths that provide the residents and visitors with alternatives to motorized travel. The city was recently reviewed as having a major up and coming bike scene in North America. The City of Albuquerque also recently opened its first Bicycle Boulevard on Silver Avenue. There are plans for more investment in bikes and bike transit by the city in the coming years.

Walkability

A 2011 study by Walk Score ranked Albuqueque 28th most walkable of fifty largest U.S. cities.

Airports

Albuquerque is served by two airports, the larger of which is Albuquerque International Sunport. It is located 3 miles (5 km) southeast of the central business district of Albuquerque. The Albuquerque International Sunport served over 6,000,000 passengers in 2008. Double Eagle II Airport is the other airport. It is primarily used as an air ambulance, corporate flight, military flight, training flight, charter flight, and private flight facility.

Utilities

Energy

PNM Resources, New Mexico's largest electricity provider, is based in Albuquerque. They serve about 487,000 electricity customers statewide.

New Mexico Gas Company provides natural gas services to more than 500,000 customers in the state, including the Albuquerque metro area.

Sanitation

The Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority is responsible for the delivery of drinking water and the treatment of wastewater.

Healthcare

Albuquerque is the medical hub of New Mexico, hosting numerous state-of-the-art medical centers. Some of the city's top hospitals include the VA Medical Center, Presbyterian Hospital, Heart Hospital of New Mexico, and Lovelace Women's Hospital. University of New Mexico Hospital is the only level I trauma center in the state.

Notable people

Sister cities

Albuquerque has ten sister cities, as designated by Sister Cities International:

{| |- | valign="top" |  – Alburquerque, Spain  – Aşgabat, Turkmenistan  – Chihuahua, Chihuahua, Mexico  – Gijón, Spain  – Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico | valign="top" |  – Helmstedt, Germany  – Hualien, Republic of China  – Lanzhou, People's Republic of China  – Rehovot, Israel  – Sasebo, Japan |}

Pop culture

Albuquerque has featured in Hollywood movies such as Sunshine Cleaning and Brothers and television shows including Breaking Bad and In Plain Sight. Songs about Albuquerque have been recorded by Neil Young,The Partridge Family and Atmosphere.

The humorous song "Albuquerque" by Weird Al Yankovic tells the epic tale of a man moving to the city, and his many absurd misadventures while living there. Albuquerque is also mentioned in the songs "By the Time I Get to Phoenix" by Glen Campbell, "Everywhere" by country music singer Tim McGraw, "Bring Em Out" by rapper T.I and "The King of Rock 'n' Roll" by the British alternative rock band Prefab Sprout.

Many Bugs Bunny cartoon shorts have featured Bugs traveling around the world by burrowing underground. He often gets lost while traveling and remarks, while consulting a map, "I knew I should have taken that left turn at Albuquerque!"

See also

National Old Trails Road

References

External links

Official government website

1905 Magazine Article with historical photos

Category:Article Feedback Pilot Category:Populated places established in 1706 Category:Cities in New Mexico Category:Communities on U.S. Route 66 Category:County seats in New Mexico Category:Albuquerque metropolitan area Category:Populated places in Bernalillo County, New Mexico

ar:ألباكركي، نيومكسيكو an:Albuquerque (Nuevo Mexico) ast:Albuquerque zh-min-nan:Albuquerque bs:Albuquerque bg:Албакърки ca:Albuquerque (Nou Mèxic) cs:Albuquerque da:Albuquerque de:Albuquerque nv:Beeʼeldííl Dahsinil et:Albuquerque el:Αλμπουκέρκη es:Albuquerque eo:Albuquerque (Nov-Meksiko) eu:Albuquerque fa:آلبوکرکی fr:Albuquerque gl:Albuquerque, Novo México ko:앨버커키 hy:Ալբուկերկե hr:Albuquerque, Novi Meksiko id:Albuquerque, New Mexico ia:Albuquerque, New Mexico os:Альбукерке it:Albuquerque he:אלבקרקי pam:Albuquerque, New Mexico ka:ალბუკერკე sw:Albuquerque, New Mexico lv:Albukerke lb:Albuquerque lt:Albukerkė hu:Albuquerque mk:Албакерки (Ново Мексико) mr:आल्बुकर्की ms:Albuquerque, New Mexico mrj:Альбукерке nl:Albuquerque ja:アルバカーキ no:Albuquerque pl:Albuquerque pt:Albuquerque ro:Albuquerque, New Mexico ru:Альбукерке sco:Albuquerque, New Mexico simple:Albuquerque, New Mexico sk:Albuquerque sl:Albuquerque, Nova Mehika sr:Албукерки sh:Albuquerque fi:Albuquerque sv:Albuquerque tl:Albuquerque, New Mexico ta:ஆல்புகெர்க்கி (நியூ மெக்சிகோ) th:แอลบูเคอร์คี (รัฐนิวเม็กซิโก) chy:Albuquerque tr:Albuquerque uk:Альбукерке ug:Albukwér kwé vec:Albuquerque (Novo Messico) vi:Albuquerque, New Mexico vo:Albuquerque war:Albuquerque, New Mexico zh:阿布奎基 (新墨西哥州)

Name	Ozzy Osbourne
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	John Michael Osbourne
Born	December 03, 1948Aston, Birmingham, England
Instrument	Vocals, Harmonica
Genre	Heavy metal, hard rock, blues-rock
Occupation	Musician, songwriter, actor
Years active	1968–present
Label	Epic, CBS, Jet
Associated acts	Black Sabbath, Kelly Osbourne, Black Label Society, Alice Cooper, Iommi, Rob Zombie, Slash, Firewind
Website	}}

John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne (born December 3, 1948) is an English singer-songwriter and occasional actor, whose musical career has spanned over 40 years. Osbourne rose to prominence as lead vocalist of the pioneering English heavy metal band Black Sabbath, a band whose radically different, intentionally dark, harder sound spawned the heavy metal genre. In his subsequent solo career Osbourne achieved a multi-platinum status in addition to the one he had earned with Black Sabbath. These things are what led Osbourne to become known as the "Godfather of Heavy Metal". It was during his Sabbath days that, due to their dark style of music, Osbourne became known as the "Prince of Darkness". Osbourne has over 15 tattoos, the most famous of which are the letters O-Z-Z-Y across the knuckles of his left hand. This was his first tattoo, created by himself as a teenager with a sewing needle and pencil lead.

In the early 2000s, Osbourne's career expanded to a new medium when he became a star in his own reality show, ''The Osbournes'', alongside wife/manager Sharon and two of their three children, Kelly and Jack. A documentary about his life and career, ''God Bless Ozzy Osbourne'', premiered in April 2011 at the Tribeca Film Festival and will be released on DVD in November 2011. As of December 2010, Osbourne has sold over 100 million albums worldwide.

Early life

John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne was born in Aston, Birmingham, England, on 3 December 1948. His father Jack worked shifts as a toolmaker at GEC. His mother Lillian worked for the car components firm Lucas. John was the fourth of six children. Ozzy had 2 brothers (Paul and Tony) and 3 sisters (Jean, Iris and Gillian); they lived in a small two bedroom home at 14 Lodge Road in Aston, England. The nickname "Ozzy" was first used when he was in primary school. Although called "John" by his first wife Thelma, Osbourne states that it has been a long time since he's recognised himself when called by his formal name. Osbourne grew up dealing with dyslexia and other learning disabilities. General abuse from teachers at Prince Albert Road Junior School, and Birchfield Road Secondary Modern School in Perry Barr made his childhood difficult for him. Drawn to the stage, Osbourne took part in school plays such as ''The Pirates of Penzance.'' Upon hearing their first hit single at age 14, he became a great fan of The Beatles. He left school at 15 and was then employed as a construction site labourer, trainee plumber, apprentice toolmaker, car factory horn-tuner and slaughterhouse worker. He spent six weeks in Winson Green Prison when he was unable to pay a fine after being found guilty of burglary of a clothes shop.

In late 1967, Geezer Butler formed his first band "Rare Breed" with Osbourne. The band played two shows then broke up. Separated for a time, Osbourne and Butler reunited in ''Polka Tulk Blues'' along with guitarist Tony Iommi and drummer Bill Ward. They renamed themselves ''Earth,'' but after being booked in error instead of a small-time English circuit band with the same name, they decided to change their name again. They finally chose the name ''Black Sabbath'' in early 1969 based on a film directed by Mario Bava, starring Boris Karloff. The band had noticed how people enjoyed being frightened, and, inspired, Iommi and his partners decided to play a heavy blues style of music laced with gloomy sounds and lyrics. While recording their first album in a castle, Geezer read an occult book and had a dream of a dark figure at the end of his bed. Butler told Osbourne about the dream and together they wrote the lyrics to "Black Sabbath", one of their first songs in a darker vein.

Musical career

Black Sabbath

Despite only a modest investment from their US record label Warner Bros. Records, Black Sabbath met with swift and enduring success. Built around Tony Iommi's guitar riffs, Geezer Butler's lyrics, Bill Ward's dark tempo drumbeats, and topped by Osbourne's eerie vocals, early records such as their debut album ''Black Sabbath'' and ''Paranoid'' sold huge numbers, as well as getting considerable airplay. Osbourne recalls a band lament, "in those days, the band wasn't very popular with the women."

Just five months after the release of ''Paranoid'' the band released ''Master of Reality.'' The album reached the top ten in both the US and UK, and was certified gold in less than two months. In the 1980s it received platinum certification and went Double Platinum in the early 21^st century. Reviews of the album were unfavorable. Lester Bangs of ''Rolling Stone'' dismissed ''Master of Reality'' as "naïve, simplistic, repetitive, absolute doggerel", although the very same magazine would later place the album at number 298 on their 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list, compiled in 2003. Black Sabbath's ''Volume 4'' was released in September 1972. Critics were again dismissive of the album, yet it achieved gold status in less than a month. It was the band's fourth consecutive release to sell a million copies in the US. In November 1973, Black Sabbath released the critically acclaimed ''Sabbath Bloody Sabbath''. For the first time, the band received favourable reviews in the mainstream press. Gordon Fletcher of ''Rolling Stone'' called the album "an extraordinarily gripping affair", and "nothing less than a complete success". ''AllMusic's'' Eduardo Rivadavia call the album a "masterpiece, essential to any heavy metal collection," while also claiming the band displayed "a newfound sense of finesse and maturity". The album marked the band's fifth consecutive platinum selling album in the US, ''Sabotage'' was released in July 1975. Again there were favourable reviews. ''Rolling Stone'' stated, "''Sabotage'' is not only Black Sabbath's best record since ''Paranoid'', it might be their best ever." ''Allmusic'' was not so favorable. They noted that "the magical chemistry that made such albums as ''Paranoid'' and ''Volume 4'' so special was beginning to disintegrate". ''Technical Ecstasy'', released on 25 September 1976, was also met with mixed reviews. ''AllMusic'' gave the album two stars, and noted that the band was "unravelling at an alarming rate".

Departure from Black Sabbath

In 1978, Osbourne left the band for three months to pursue interest in a solo project he called ''Blizzard of Ozz.'' Three members of the band ''Necromandus'', who had supported Black Sabbath in Birmingham back in the day when they were called ''Earth,'' did backup for Osbourne in the studio and briefly became the first incarnation of his solo band. At the request of the other members, Osbourne rejoined Sabbath. The band spent five months at Sounds Interchange Studios in Toronto, Canada, writing and recording what would become ''Never Say Die!'' "It took quite a long time," Iommi said. "We were getting really drugged out, doing a lot of dope. We'd go down to the sessions, and have to pack up because we were too stoned, we'd have to stop. Nobody could get anything right, we were all over the place, everybody's playing a different thing. We'd go back and sleep it off, and try again the next day." Touring in support of ''Never Say Die!'' began in May 1978 with openers Van Halen. Reviewers called Black Sabbath's performance "tired and uninspired," in stark contrast to the "youthful" performance of Van Halen, who were touring the world for the first time. The band filmed a performance at the Hammersmith Odeon in June 1978, which was later released on DVD as ''Never Say Die''. The final show of the tour, and Osbourne's last appearance with the band (until later reunions) was in Albuquerque, New Mexico on 11 December.

In 1979, back in the studio tensions and conflict were present continually. Osbourne recalls being asked to record his vocals over and over, and tracks being manipulated endlessly by Iommi. This was a point of contention between Osbourne and Iommi. With the support of Geezer and Bill Ward, Osbourne was again fired from Black Sabbath. The reasons provided to him were that he was unreliable and had excessive substance abuse issues as compared to the other band members. Osbourne claims his drug use and alcohol consumption at that time were no better nor worse than that of the other band members.

Conflict of a sort had existed between Iommi and Osbourne from the beginning. When responding to a flyer reading "Ozzy Zig Needs Gig- has own PA" posted in a record store, Iommi and Ward arrived at the address listed to speak with ''Ozzy Zig.'' When Osbourne answered the door, Iommi left upon discovering it was him. He knew of and disliked Osbourne from back in their school days. The band replaced him with former Rainbow singer Ronnie James Dio.

On 18 August 1980, after a show in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Bill Ward was also fired from Black Sabbath. "I was sinking very quickly", Ward later said. "I was an unbelievable drunk, I was drunk twenty-four hours a day. When I went on stage, the stage wasn't so bright. It felt like I was dying inside. The live show seemed so bare, Ron was out there doing his thing and I just went 'It's gone'. I like Ronnie, but musically, he just wasn't for me."

Blizzard of Ozz and ''Diary of a Madman''

In 1980, under the management of Osbourne's then girlfriend (later wife), Sharon Arden, the Ozzy Osbourne Band formed again as The Blizzard of Ozz. The first line-up of the band featured drummer Lee Kerslake (of Uriah Heep), bassist/lyricist Bob Daisley (of Rainbow and later Uriah Heep), keyboardist Don Airey, and guitarist Randy Rhoads (of Quiet Riot). The record company would eventually title the record ''Blizzard of Ozz'' credited simply under Osbourne's name. Co-written with Daisley and Rhoads, the album brought Osbourne considerable success on his first solo effort. The debut sold very well with hard rock/heavy metal fans. Blizzard of Ozz is one of the very few albums amongst the 100 best selling albums of the 1980s to have achieved multi-platinum status without the benefit of a Top 40 single. As of August 1997, it achieved Quadruple Platinum status according to RIAA. The album is known for the globally recognised singles "Crazy Train" and "Mr. Crowley," and fan favourites "Goodbye to Romance" and "Revelation (Mother Earth)". Although Kerslake and Daisley are credited as the studio musicians for The Blizzard of Ozz, the touring band in support of the album consisted of Osbourne, Rhoads, Rudy Sarzo (Bass) and Tommy Aldridge (Drums).

Osbourne's second album, ''Diary of a Madman'' featured more songs co-written with Bob Daisley. For his work on this album and Blizzard, Randy Rhoads, was ranked the 85th greatest guitarist of all time by ''Rolling Stone'' magazine in 2003. This album is known for the singles "Over the Mountain, "Flying High Again," "Believer," and of course "Diary of a Madman." Osbourne explains in his autobiography that ''Diary'' is his own personal favourite album.

On 19 March 1982 while Rhoads was in Florida for the follow-up ''Diary of a Madman'' tour, and a week away from playing Madison Square Garden in New York City, a light aircraft piloted by Andrew Aycock (the band's tour bus driver) carrying guitarist Randy Rhoads crashed while performing low passes over the band's tour bus. In a prank turned deadly, the right wing of the aircraft clipped the bus, grazed a tree, and crashed into the attached garage of a nearby mansion killing Rhoads, Aycock, and the band's hairdresser, Rachel Youngblood. On autopsy, cocaine was found to be present in Aycock's urine. Experiencing firsthand the horrific death of his close friend and band mate, Osbourne fell into a deep depression.

Ex-Gillan guitarist Bernie Torme was the first guitarist to replace Randy once the tour resumed. Torme's tenure with the band would last less than one month. During an audition for guitarists in a hotel room, Osbourne selected Brad Gillis (who went on to be one of two guitarists in Night Ranger) to finish the tour. The tour culminated in the release of the 1982 live album, ''Speak of the Devil'' recorded at the Ritz in New York City. A live tribute album for Rhoads was also later released. This album would also feature studio outtakes from a song by Randy taken from "Blizzard of Ozz" called "Dee." It was a song Randy had written for his mother.

''Speak of the Devil''

Despite the difficulties, Osbourne moved on after Rhoads' death. ''Speak of the Devil'', known in the United Kingdom as ''Talk of the Devil'', was originally planned to consist of live recordings from 1981, primarily from Osbourne's solo work. Under contract to produce a cover album of Black Sabbath material, however, the album ended up consisting entirely of Black Sabbath covers, recorded with Brad Gillis, bassist Rudy Sarzo, and drummer Tommy Aldridge. Osbourne later commented (inside the cover of "Tribute") "I don't give a fuck about that album. It was just a bunch of bullshit Sabbath covers."

In 1982, Osbourne appeared as lead vocalist on the Was (Not Was) pop dance track "Shake Your Head (Let's Go to Bed)." Madonna performed backing vocals. Osbourne's cut was remixed and re-released in the early 1990s for a Was (Not Was) greatest hits album in Europe, and it cracked the UK pop chart. Madonna asked that her vocal not be restored for the hits package, so new vocals by Kim Basinger were added to complement Osbourne's lead.

''Bark at the Moon'' and ''The Ultimate Sin''

In 1983 a new guitarist was recruited to play with Osbourne. Jake E. Lee, formerly of Ratt and Rough Cutt, joined the band to record ''Bark at the Moon''. The album, co-written with Bob Daisley, featured Tommy Aldridge, and former Rainbow keyboard player Don Airey. The album contains the fan favourite "Bark at the Moon." The music video for "Bark at the Moon" was partially filmed at the Holloway Sanitorium outside of London, England. Within weeks the album became certified gold. To date it has sold three million copies in the U.S.

1986's ''The Ultimate Sin'' followed (with bassist Phil Soussan and drummer Randy Castillo), and touring behind both albums with ex-Uriah Heep keyboardist John Sinclair joining prior to the Ultimate Sin tour. A rich, bold album, it features "Shot in the Dark" and fan favourites "Killer of Giants," "Lightning Strikes," and "Secret Loser." At the time of its release, ''The Ultimate Sin'' was Osbourne's highest charting studio album. The RIAA awarded the album Platinum status on 14 May 1986, soon after its release; it was awarded Double Platinum status on 26 October 1994.

Jake E. Lee and Osbourne parted ways in 1987. Osbourne continued to struggle with chemical dependency. That year he commemorated the fifth anniversary of Rhoads' death with ''Tribute'', live recordings from 1981 that had gone unreleased for years. In 1988, Osbourne appeared in ''The Decline of Western Civilization II: The Metal Years'' and told the director, Penelope Spheeris, that "sobriety fucking sucks." Meanwhile, Osbourne found Zakk Wylde, who was the most enduring replacement for Rhoads to date. Together they recorded ''No Rest for the Wicked'' with Castillo on drums, Sinclair on keyboards, and Daisley co-writing lyrics and playing bass. The subsequent tour saw Osbourne reunited with erstwhile Black Sabbath bandmate Geezer Butler on bass. A live EP (entitled ''Just Say Ozzy'') featuring Geezer was released two years later. Butler continued to tour with Osbourne for the subsequent four tours, and was a major stage presence throughout. In 1989, Ozzy Osbourne performed at the Moscow Music Peace Festival.

''No More Tears''

While very successful as a heavy metal act through the 1980s, Osbourne sustained commercial success into the 1990s, starting with 1991's ''No More Tears.'' The album enjoyed much radio and MTV exposure. It also initiated a practise of bringing in outside composers to help pen Osbourne's solo material instead of relying solely upon his recording ensemble to write and arrange the music. The album was mixed by veteran rock producer Michael Wagener. Osbourne was awarded his only Grammy for the track "I Don't Want to Change the World" from live album Live and Loud for Best Metal Performance of 1994.

Wagener also mixed the live album ''Live and Loud'' released in 28 June 1993. At the time, it was to be Osbourne's final album. The album went platinum four times over, and ranked at number 10 on that year's ''Billboard'' rock charts.

At this point Osbourne expressed his fatigue with the process of touring, and proclaimed his "retirement tour" (which was to be short-lived). It was comically called "No More Tours", a pun on his No More Tears album. Prior to the tour Mike Inez took over on bass and Kevin Jones on keyboards as Sinclair was touring with The Cult. Osbourne's entire CD catalogue was remastered and reissued in 1995.

''Ozzmosis''

In 1995, Osbourne released ''Ozzmosis'' and returned to touring, dubbing his concert performances "''The Retirement Sucks Tour''". The album reached number 4 on the US Billboard 200. The ''Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA)'' certified the album gold and platinum in that same year, and 2x platinum in April 1999. The album features the hard rocking fan favourites "Perry Mason," "Ghost Behind My Eyes," "Thunder Underground," and the power ballad "See You on the Other Side."

The line-up on "Ozzmosis" was Zakk Wylde, Geezer Butler (who had just quit ''Black Sabbath'' again) and ex-''Bad English'', Steve Vai and ''Hardline'' drummer Deen Castronovo, now in Journey. Keyboards were played by ''Yes'''s Rick Wakeman and producer Michael Beinhorn. The tour maintained Butler and Castronovo and saw Sinclair return, but a major line-up change was the introduction of ex-David Lee Roth guitarist Joe Holmes. Wylde was considering an offer to join ''Guns N' Roses.'' Unable to wait for a decision on ''Wylde's'' departure decision, Osbourne replaced him. In early 1996, Butler and Castronovo left. Mike Inez (''Alice In Chains'') and Randy Castillo (''Lita Ford'', ''Motley Crue'') filled in. Ultimately, ''Faith No More's'' Mike Bordin and ex-''Suicidal Tendencies'' bassist Robert Trujillo joined on drums and bass respectively. A greatest hits package, ''The Ozzman Cometh'' was issued in 1997.

Ozzfest

Osbourne's biggest financial success of the 1990s was a venture named Ozzfest, created and managed by his wife/manager Sharon and assisted by his son Jack. The first Ozzfest was held in Phoenix, Arizona on 25 October 1996 and in Devore, California on 26 October. Ozzfest was an instant hit with metal fans, spiralling many up-and-coming groups who were featured there to broad exposure and commercial success. Some acts shared the bill with a reformed Black Sabbath during the 1997 Ozzfest tour, beginning in West Palm Beach, Florida. Osbourne reunited with the original members of Sabbath in 1997 and has performed periodically with them ever since. Ozzfest reinstated the integrity of, and public familiarity with, the band name ''Black Sabbath.''

Since its start, five million people have attended Ozzfest, which has grossed over US$100 million. The festival also helped promote many new hard rock and heavy metal acts of the late 1990s and early 2000s. Ozzfest helped Osbourne to become the first hard rock and heavy metal star to hit $50 million in merchandise sales.

In 2005, Osbourne and his wife Sharon starred in an MTV competition reality show entitled "Battle for Ozzfest". A number of yet unsigned bands send one member to compete in a challenge to win a spot on the 2005 Ozzfest and a possible recording contract.

Shortly after Ozzfest 2005, Osbourne announced that he will no longer headline Ozzfest. Although he announced his retirement from Ozzfest, Osbourne came back for one more year, 2006, albeit only closing for just over half the concerts, leaving the others to be closed by System of a Down. He also played the closing act for the second stage at Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, CA on 1 July as well as Randall's Island, NY on 29 July. After the concert in Bristol, Virginia, Osbourne announced he would return for another year of Ozzfest in 2007. Tickets for the 2007 tour were offered to fans free of charge, which led to some controversy. In 2008, Ozzfest was reduced to a one-day event in Dallas, Texas, where Osbourne played, along with Metallica and King Diamond.

Osbourne says he is looking forward to the return of Ozzfest for six dates this summer and is also looking at an 18-month world tour starting at ''The Leas Cliff Hall'' in Folkestone on 29 June to promote his new album, "Scream."

''Down to Earth''

''Down to Earth'', Osbourne's first album of new studio material in seven years, was released on 16 October 2001. A live version filmed in Japan, ''Live at Budokan'' followed. ''Down to Earth'' went gold in 2001, and platinum in 2003. The album features the fan favourite "Dreamer," a song which peaked at number 10 on ''Billboard'''s Mainstream Rock Tracks. In 2003, Osbourne recruited former Metallica bassist Jason Newsted after he left the band in 2000 (and Trujillo replaced him on Metallica's line-up). Both Newsted and Osbourne were enthusiastic about recording an album together.

On 8 December 2003, Osbourne was rushed into emergency surgery at Wexham Park Hospital in Slough, England when he had an accident with his all-terrain vehicle on his estate in Chalfont St Peter in Buckinghamshire. Osbourne broke his collar bone, eight ribs, and a neck vertebra. An operation was performed to lift the collarbone, which was believed to be resting on a major artery and interrupting blood flow to the arm. Sharon later revealed that Osbourne had stopped breathing following the crash and was resuscitated by Osbourne's then personal bodyguard, Sam Ruston. While in hospital, Osbourne achieved his first ever UK number one single, a duet of the Black Sabbath ballad, "Changes" with daughter Kelly. In doing so, he broke the record of the longest period between an artist's first UK chart appearance (with Black Sabbath's "Paranoid", number four in August 1970) and their first number one hit: a gap of 33 years. Since the quad accident, aside from some short-term memory problems, he fully recovered and headlined the 2004 Ozzfest, in the reunited ''Black Sabbath''.

''Prince of Darkness''

In 2005, Osbourne released a box set called ''Prince of Darkness''. The first and second discs are collections of live performances, B-sides, demos and singles. The third disc contained duets and other odd tracks with other artists, including "Born to Be Wild" with Miss Piggy. The fourth disc is entirely new material where Osbourne covers his favourite songs by his biggest influences and favourite bands, including The Beatles, John Lennon, David Bowie and others.

''Black Rain''

In March 2006, he said that he hoped to release a new studio album soon with long time on-off guitarist, Zakk Wylde of Black Label Society. In October 2006, it was announced that Tony Iommi, Ronnie James Dio, Vinny Appice, and Geezer Butler would be touring together again, though not as Black Sabbath, but under the moniker Heaven and Hell (the title of Dio's first Black Sabbath album). The response to the news on Osbourne's website was that Osbourne wished Tony and Ronnie well and that there is only one Sabbath.

Osbourne's album, titled ''Black Rain'', was released on 22 May 2007. Osbourne's first new studio album in almost six years, it featured a more serious tone than previous albums. "I thought I'd never write again without any stimulation...But you know what? Instead of picking up the bottle I just got honest and said, 'I don't want life to go (to pieces)'", Osbourne stated in a ''Billboard'' interview.

''Scream''

Osbourne revealed in July 2009 that he was currently seeking a new guitar player. While he states that he has not fallen out with Zakk Wylde, he said he felt his songs were beginning to sound like Black Label Society and fancied a change. In August 2009, Osbourne performed at the gaming festival BlizzCon with a new guitarist in his line-up, Gus G (Firewind, ex-Nightrage, ex-Dream Evil). Osbourne also provided his voice and likeness to the video game ''Brütal Legend'' character The Guardian of Metal. In November, Slash featured Osbourne on vocals in his single "Crucify The Dead," and Osbourne with wife Sharon were guest hosts on WWE ''Monday Night Raw''. In December, Osbourne announced he would be releasing a new album titled ''Soul Sucka'' with Gus G, Tommy Clufetos (formerly supporting Rob Zombie, Ted Nugent, Alice Cooper) on drums, and Blasko (formerly supporting Rob Zombie) on bass. Negative fan feedback was brought to Osbourne's attention regarding the album title. In respect of fan opinion, on 29 March Osbourne announced his album would be renamed ''Scream''.

On 13 April 2010, Osbourne announced the release date for ''Scream'' would be 15 June 2010. The release date was later changed to 22 June. A single from the album, "Let Me Hear You Scream," debuted on 14 April 2010 episode of ''CSI: NY''. The song spent 8 weeks on the Billboard Rock Songs, peaking at #7. Other songs from the album include "Let it Die," "Digging Me Down," "Fearless," and "I Want it More."

Osbourne held a Meet-And-Greet album signing at the main branch of HMV in his home-town Birmingham, followed later that day by an intimate show in the Birmingham Town Hall. The first four hundred fans that arrived at the store earlier in the day were given wrist bands, enabling free access to the show.

On 9 August, Ozzy announced that the second single from the album would be "Life Won't Wait" and the video for the song would be directed by his son Jack.

When asked of his opinions on ''Scream'' in an interview, Osbourne announced that he is "already thinking about the next album". Osbourne's current drummer, Tommy Clufetos, has reflected this sentiment, saying that ""We are already coming up with new ideas backstage, in the hotel rooms and at soundcheck and have a bunch of ideas recorded"

Awards

Ozzy Osbourne has been awarded several times for his contributions to the music community.

In 1994, he was awarded a Grammy Award for the track "I Don't Want to Change the World" from ''Live & Loud'' for Best Metal Performance of 1994.

In 2004, he received an ''NME'' award for "godlike genius".

In 2005, he was inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame along with the other members of Black Sabbath. Osbourne mooned the crowd because of the poor reception given the band while they were playing.

In 2006 was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame with Black Sabbath band mates Tony Iommi, Bill Ward, and Geezer Butler.

In 2007, Osbourne was honoured at the second annual VH1 Rock Honors, along with Genesis, Heart, and ZZ Top. In addition, that year a bronze star honouring Osbourne was placed on Broad Street in Birmingham, England while Osbourne watched. On 18 May Osbourne had received notice that he would be the first inductee into The Birmingham Walk of Stars. He was presented the award by the Lord Mayor of Birmingham. "I am really honored," he said, "All my family is here and I thank everyone for this reception – I'm absolutely knocked out".

In 2008, Osbourne was crowned with the prestigious ''Living Legend'' award in the ''Classic Rock Roll of Honor''. Past recipients include ''Alice Cooper'', ''Lemmy'', ''Jimmy Page'' and ''Slash'', the former Guns N' Roses guitarist, presented the award.

In 2010, Osbourne won the "Literary Achievement" honour for his memoir, ''I Am Ozzy'', at the ''Guys Choice Awards'' at ''Sony Pictures Studio'' in Culver City, California. Osbourne was presented with the award by Sir Ben Kingsley. The book debuted at No. 2 on the New York Times' hardcover non-fiction best-seller list.

Osbourne was also a judge for the 6th and 10th annual Independent Music Awards to support independent artists' careers.

Personal life

Ozzy Osbourne appears in a commercial for the online video game ''World of Warcraft''. Osbourne is a supporter of English association football club Aston Villa, as he grew up in the Aston area close to Villa Park.

Osbourne published a humorous autobiography in October 2009, titled ''I Am Ozzy''. Osbourne says ghost writer Chris Ayres told the singer he has enough material for a second book. A movie adaptation of ''I Am Ozzy'' is also in the works, and Osbourne says he hopes "an unknown guy from England" will get the role over an established actor. Meanwhile, his son Jack is working on a documentary about Osbourne's life and career.

Osbourne also made an appearance at the 30 October 2010 Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear in Washington D.C.

Marriages and family

Osbourne has been married twice and is the father of six children (five biological, and one adopted). He was first married to Thelma Riley (now a teacher in Leicestershire) and adopted her son, Elliot Kingsley (1966); together they had Jessica Starshine Osbourne Hobbs (20 January 1972) and Louis John Osbourne (1975). He later married Sharon Arden and had three children with her. They are Aimee Osbourne (2 September 1983), Kelly Osbourne (27 October 1984) and Jack Osbourne (8 November 1985). They also took in family friend Robert Marcato after his mother died, but never legally adopted him. Osbourne also has four grandchildren, Isabelle and Harry from his daughter Jessica, and granddaughter Mia and grandson Elijah from son Louis. He wrote a song for his daughter Aimee, which appeared as a b-side on the album Ozzmosis. He divides his time between Los Angeles and Buckinghamshire, England.

It was reported by the ''New York Times'' in 1992 that Osbourne was a member of the Church of England and prayed before each show.

Osbourne achieved greater celebrity status via the unlikely success of his own brand of reality television. ''The Osbournes'', a series featuring the domestic life of Osbourne and his family (wife Sharon, children Jack and Kelly and special guest appearances from his son Louis, but not their eldest daughter Aimee, who declined to participate). The program became one of MTV's greatest hits. It premiered on 5 March 2002, and the final episode aired 21 March 2005. To this day Osbourne refuses to watch any episodes, claiming he was stoned during the entire filming.

The success of ''The Osbournes'' led Osbourne and the rest of his family the opportunity to host the 30th Annual American Music Awards in January 2003. The night was marked with constant "bleeping" due to some of the lewd and raunchy remarks made by Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne. Presenter Patricia Heaton walked out midway in disgust.

In 2002, Osbourne and wife Sharon were invited to the White House Correspondents' Association dinner by Fox News Channel correspondent Greta Van Susteren for that year's event. President Bush noted Osbourne's presence by joking: "The thing about Ozzy is, he's made a lot of big hit recordings – 'Party with the Animals', 'Sabbath, Bloody Sabbath', 'Facing Hell', 'Black Skies' and 'Bloodbath in Paradise'. Ozzy, Mom loves your stuff."

Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne are one of the UK's richest couples, according to the ''Sunday Times'' Rich List. They ranked at number 458 in 2005, with an estimated £100 million earned from recording, touring and TV shows.

Drug and alcohol abuse

Osbourne has abused drugs and alcohol for most of his life. Although clean and sober now, Osbourne has frequently commented on his former wild lifestyle, puzzled at how he has survived 40 years of abuse.

Upon being fired from Black Sabbath in 1979, Osbourne spent the next three months locked in his hotel room taking vast amounts of drugs and alcohol all day, every day. He claims that he would certainly have died if his future wife Sharon Osbourne (formerly Sharon Arden), had not offered to manage him as a solo artist.

In 1982 while wearing his future wife Sharon's dress because she had hidden his clothes, Osbourne drunkenly urinated on a cenotaph erected in honour of those who died at the Alamo in Texas, across the street from the actual building. A police officer arrested him, and Osbourne was subsequently banned from the city of San Antonio for a decade. He was later arrested May 1984 in Memphis, Tennessee, again for public intoxication.

In 1984, Osbourne toured with Mötley Crüe. The tour is known as one of the "craziest drug and alcohol-fuelled tours in the history of rock and roll". It is rumoured that while heavily intoxicated, Osbourne snorted a line of ants, in competition with Nikki Sixx of Mötley Crüe, who had set fire to himself the night before.

Osbourne experienced tremors for some years and linked them to his continuous drug abuse. In May 2005 he found out it was actually Parkin Syndrome, a genetic condition, the symptoms of which are very similar to Parkinson's disease. Osbourne will have to take daily medication for the rest of his life to combat the involuntary shudders associated with the condition. Osbourne has also shown symptoms of mild hearing loss, as depicted in the television show, ''The Osbournes'', where he often asks his family to repeat what they say. At the TEDMED Conference in October 2010, scientists from Knome joined Osbourne on stage to discuss their analysis of Osbourne’s whole genome, which shed light on how the famously hard-living rocker has survived decades of drug abuse.

Condemnation and lawsuits

Early on in his career, many Christian groups accused Osbourne of being a negative influence for teenagers, and that messages on his songs, his actions, and his stage decorations were portrayals of devil worship used only to glorify Satanism. At least one scholar has compared the controversy surrounding Osbourne and accusations of Satanism to those levelled against the renowned occultist Aleister Crowley. Both were demonised by the media and some religious groups for their antics. Osbourne tempts the comparison with his song "Mr. Crowley". Both Osbourne and Crowley enjoyed the infamy of being labelled Satanists, though Osbourne firmly denies the charge. Some critics condemn both men as anti-Christian.

In 1981, after signing his first solo career record deal, Osbourne bit the head off a dove during a meeting with some record-company executives in Los Angeles. Apparently he had planned to release doves into the air as a sign of peace, but due to being intoxicated at the time, he instead grabbed a dove and bit its head off. He then spat the head out, with blood still dripping from his lips. Despite its controversy, this act has been parodied and alluded to several times throughout his career and is part of what made Ozzy Osbourne famous.

On 20 January 1982, Osbourne bit the head off a bat he thought was rubber while performing at the Veterans Memorial Auditorium in Des Moines, Iowa. ''Rolling Stone'' magazine in 2004 ranked this incident number two on its list of "Rock's Wildest Myths." While the ''Rolling Stone'' article stated the bat was alive, the teen who threw it onto the stage said it was brought to the show dead. According to Osbourne himself in the booklet to the 2002 edition of ''Diary of a Madman,'' the bat was not only alive but also managed to bite him, resulting in his having to take rabies shots.

In 1985, California teenager John McCollum committed suicide while listening to Ozzy Osbourne's "Suicide Solution." The song deals with the dangers of alcohol abuse. McCollums' suicide led to allegations that Osbourne promoted suicide in his songs. Despite knowing McCollum suffered clinical depression, his parents sued Ozzy Osbourne (''McCollum v. CBS'') for their son's death, claiming the lyrics in the song, "Where to hide, suicide is the only way out. Don't you know what it's really about?" convinced McCollum to commit suicide. The family's lawyer suggested that Osbourne should be criminally charged for encouraging a young person to commit suicide, but the courts ruled in Osbourne's favor, saying there was no connection between the song and McCollum's suicide. Osbourne was sued for the same reason in 1991 (''Waller v. Osbourne''), by the parents of Michael Waller, for $9 million, but the courts ruled in Osbourne's favour in that case as well. One critic claims that Osbourne sings "Get the gun, get the gun, shoot, shoot, shoot," a charge firmly denied by him.

In lawsuits filed in 2000 and 2002 which were dismissed by the courts in 2003, former session musicians Bob Daisley, Lee Kerslake, and Phil Soussan claimed that Osbourne was delinquent in paying them royalties and had denied them due credit on albums they played on. In November 2003, a Federal Appeals Court unanimously upheld the dismissal by the United States District Court in Los Angeles of the lawsuit brought by Daisley and Kerslake. The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled that Osbourne does not owe any royalties or credit to the former session musicians, who were let go in 1981. To resolve further issues, management chose to replace Daisley and Kerslake's contributions on the original masters, replacing them with Robert Trujillo on bass and Mike Bordin on drums. The albums were then reissued.

In July 2010, Osbourne and Iommi decided to discontinue the court proceedings over ownership of the Black Sabbath trademark. As reported to Blabbermouth, "Both parties are glad to put this behind them and to cooperate together for the future and would like it to be known that the issue was never personal, it was always business."

Band members

; Current members (as of 2010)

Gus G. – lead guitar (2009–present)

Rob "Blasko" Nicholson – bass (2003, 2006–present)

Adam Wakeman – keyboards, rhythm guitar (2004–present)

Tommy Clufetos – drums, percussion (2009–present)

; Recording timeline

rowspan="2" style="width:10%;"	Role	Album
''Blizzard of Ozz''(1980)	! style="text-align:center; width:8%;"	''Bark at the Moon''(1983)	''The Ultimate Sin''(1986)	! style="text-align:center; width:8%;"	''No More Tears''(1991)	''Ozzmosis''(1995)	! style="text-align:center; width:8%;"	! style="text-align:center; width:8%;"	! style="text-align:center; width:8%;"
!Guitars					Gus G.
!Bass		Phil Soussan		Geezer Butler	Robert Trujillo	colspan="2"
!Drums		Tommy Aldridge		Deen Castronovo		Tommy Clufetos
!Keyboards	Don Airey	Johnny Cook	Don Airey		colspan="2"	Rick Wakeman	Tim Palmer/Michael Railo	Zakk Wylde	Adam Wakeman

Discography

;Solo albums

''Blizzard of Ozz'' (1980)

''Diary of a Madman'' (1981)

''Speak of the Devil '' (1982)

''Bark at the Moon'' (1983)

''The Ultimate Sin'' (1986)

''No Rest for the Wicked'' (1988)

''No More Tears'' (1991)

''Ozzmosis'' (1995)

''Down to Earth'' (2001)

''Black Rain'' (2007)

''Scream'' (2010)

References

External links

The Official Ozzy Osbourne Website

Ozzfest Information

Ozzy Osbourne Live Photo Gallery

Category:1948 births Category:Black Sabbath members Category:British harmonica players Category:English male singers Category:English rock singers Category:English heavy metal singers Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Living people Category:Musicians from Birmingham, West Midlands Category:The Ozzy Osbourne Band members Category:Participants in American reality television series Category:People self-identifying as alcoholics Category:People self-identifying as substance abusers Category:People from Birmingham, West Midlands Category:English expatriates in the United States

an:Ozzy Osbourne bn:অজি অসবর্ন be:Озі Осбарн bg:Ози Озбърн ca:Ozzy Osbourne cs:Ozzy Osbourne cy:Ozzy Osbourne da:Ozzy Osbourne de:Ozzy Osbourne et:Ozzy Osbourne es:Ozzy Osbourne eu:Ozzy Osbourne fa:آزی آزبورن fr:Ozzy Osbourne ga:Ozzy Osbourne ko:오지 오스본 hr:Ozzy Osbourne io:Ozzy Osbourne id:Ozzy Osbourne is:Ozzy Osbourne it:Ozzy Osbourne he:אוזי אוסבורן ka:ოზი ოსბორნი lv:Ozijs Osborns lt:Ozzy Osbourne hu:Ozzy Osbourne nl:Ozzy Osbourne ja:オジー・オズボーン no:Ozzy Osbourne nn:Ozzy Osbourne oc:Ozzy Osbourne pl:Ozzy Osbourne pt:Ozzy Osbourne ro:Ozzy Osbourne ru:Осборн, Оззи simple:Ozzy Osbourne sk:Ozzy Osbourne sl:Ozzy Osbourne sr:Ози Озборн sh:Ozzy Osborne fi:Ozzy Osbourne sv:Ozzy Osbourne th:ออซซี ออสบอร์น tr:Ozzy Osbourne uk:Оззі Осборн vi:Ozzy Osbourne zh:奥齐·奥斯本