Ozzfest is an annual festival tour of the United States (and in some years, Europe) featuring performances by many heavy metal and hard rock musical groups. It was founded by Ozzy Osbourne^[1] and his wife Sharon Osbourne,^[2] both of whom also organize each yearly tour with their son Jack Osbourne.^[3] The Ozzfest tour has featured bands of a variety of genres within heavy metal and hard rock, including alternative metal, thrash metal, industrial metal, metalcore, hardcore punk, deathcore, nu metal, death metal, post-hardcore, gothic metal and black metal. Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath have played the tour several times over the years.^[1]

History[link]

Ozzfest concert poster on an empty storefront door in downtown Prague, Czech Republic (Summer 2002).

1996-1998: Early years[link]

The festival was created in 1996 by Ozzy Osbourne's wife and manager, Sharon Osbourne, when organizers of musical festival Lollapalooza refused to let Ozzy Osbourne join the tour.^[4] The tour was well-received, which prompted the festival to become a yearly occurrence.^[1]

The first Ozzfest was not a national tour, but rather a two-day festival held in Phoenix, Arizona and Devore, California on October 25 and 26th, 1996 respectively.

In 1997, there were large protests outside of the festival to cancel Marilyn Manson's performance. However, no dates were cancelled. There were also protests of a similar nature in 2001, following the Columbine High School massacre, which some groups had blamed on Marilyn Manson.

In 1998, Ozzfest ventured outside the United States for the first time into the United Kingdom, which featured a different lineup of bands. The festival would eventually return to the UK in 2001^[5] and 2002.^[6]

2000-2006: Commercial success[link]

In the early 2000s, artists and bands including Slipknot, Pantera, Marilyn Manson, Mudvayne, Rob Zombie, Incubus, Linkin Park,^[7] System Of A Down, Chevelle and Disturbed played the yearly music festival.^[7][8] Two compilation albums of the Ozzfest tour were released, one covering select 2001^[7] performances and another for 2002.^[9]

On-stage footage of the Ozzfest 2004 tour was shown on MTV, as Ozzy and Sharon hosted a show on the network titled Battle for Ozzfest where they chose eight out of hundreds of bands to compete for a spot on the following year's Ozzfest. Ozzy selected one member from each chosen band to "tag along" on the tour. Each contestant had to complete numerous challenges in order to improve his/her band's chances of winning the contest. Occasionally, meetings would be held and certain contestants would be eliminated for various reasons. The person who prevailed as the winner and guaranteed his band's spot on the Ozzfest tour was Marc Serrano from metalcore act A Dozen Furies.^[10]

At Iron Maiden's last Ozzfest performance, on August 20, 2005 at the Hyundai Pavilion at Glen Helen in San Bernardino, California, several negative events took place. During the first song, several members of the crowd, brought on by Sharon Osbourne, bombarded the British metal band Iron Maiden with eggs, bottle caps and ice after vocalist Bruce Dickinson allegedly ridiculed Ozzy's need for a teleprompter during his performances, as well as the Osbourne family's ventures into reality television (The Osbournes, Battle for Ozzfest).^[11] During three of Iron Maiden's songs, the P.A. system was switched off, cutting power to vocalist Bruce Dickinson's microphone and then to all the band's instruments. During the concert, Bruce Dickinson can be heard accusing the festival's organizers of deliberately cutting off the band's power. On Iron Maiden’s departure, Sharon Osbourne came on stage to make a few statements, telling the audience that she "absolutely loved Iron Maiden" but thought that the lead singer Bruce Dickinson is a "prick."^[12] Rod Smallwood, manager for Iron Maiden, issued a statement shortly after the debacle condemning the attack on the band.^[13] On a later Howard Stern Show,^[14] Sharon Osbourne stated her side of the incident and the role she played in the egg throwing incident. In 2006, Bruce Dickinson commented, "Did I have a go at Ozzy and Black Sabbath? No. Why would I? But I do find The Osbournes TV series loathsome, and the whole cult of reality TV celebrities disgusting."^[15] In response to claims that he had apologised to Ozzy for Dickinson's behaviour, Steve Harris stated "No I didn't [apologise]. What I actually said was that, if there was anything to apologise for, then I'd do it. But that was twisted around to seem like I'd said sorry — that never happened!"^[15]

2007-2008[link]

On February 7, 2007, it was announced that tickets to Ozzfest 2007 would be offered free of charge, dubbing the 2007 Ozzfest as "free fest."^[16] Tickets were made available through sponsor websites, the Ozzfest web site and to those buying an advance copy of Ozzy Osbourne's new release, Black Rain.

Sponsorship money provided the revenue for the tour, but organizers did not pay any of the bands appearing. Ozzy Osbourne returned to the headlining slot on the tour after being absent from the 2006 tour. Ozzfest 2007 featured well-established acts such as Lamb of God, Static X, and Hatebreed.

There were problems with distribution of the free tickets. Fans were given codes to receive tickets through the official Ozzfest website, but due to the heavy load on Live Nation's secure servers, there were issues with ticket redemption. Another problem was that many "eBay scalpers" charged fans to pay for the free tickets, often turning out to be unusable duplicates of other tickets.^[17] Then, on July 26, Ozzfest gave away free tickets without requiring its "redemption code" previously required.^[18]

At the August 16, 2007 show in Holmdel, New Jersey at the PNC Bank Arts Center, controversy was generated as 83 attendees were arrested at the show, most of them underage and arrested prior to 8:00. In addition, two men died, one after overdosing on alcohol and energy drinks. As of August 18, drinking in the parking lot was banned at the PNC Bank Arts Center. 

Questions over whether the event would be held in 2008 began when in April that year Ozzy Osbourne announced that he would be headlining the Canadian Monsters of Rock festival.^[19] The 2008 version of the festival took place for only one date at Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, Texas on August 8, 2008. The line-up featured Metallica and Ozzy Osbourne as the headliner bands, as well as other acts such as Jonathan Davis (frontman of Korn), Sevendust, DevilDriver, Serj Tankian (frontman of System of a Down), Cavalera Conspiracy, Shadows Fall, Apocalyptica and In This Moment.^[20][21] Along with the two main stages was a third, named the Texas Stage, which, according to Sharon Osbourne, featured such Texas-based bands as The Sword, Drowning Pool, Goatwhore, Soilent Green and Rigor Mortis.^[22][23]

The Canadian Version of "The Monsters of Rock" was held exclusively on July 26, 2008 at the McMahon Stadium located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. It was also scheduled as a "one time only" event. The main attraction for the festival of heavy metal and mayhem were metal giants Judas Priest and the headliner, Ozzy Osbourne. In addition, various other "big league" heavy metal outfits attended the festivities. The following bands preceded the two main attractions: Serj Tankian, Hatebreed, Cavalera Conspiracy (featuring current frontman of Soulfly, Max Cavalera), Shadows Fall, Canadian metal unit Voivod, Testament, 3 Inches of Blood, Priestess, Zimmers Hole, and Dillinger Escape Plan.

2010[link]

• Main Stage^[24]

Ozzy Osbourne, Mötley Crüe, Halford, DevilDriver, Nonpoint

• Monster Energy Second Stage

Black Label Society (Cancelled in Mansfield & Camden due to inclement weather.), Drowning Pool (Cancelled in Mansfield due to inclement weather.), Kingdom of Sorrow (NOTE: Exodus played instead on the San Bernardino date), Goatwhore (canceled on the Hartford date due to a medical emergency with their bassist), Skeletonwitch, Saviours, Kataklysm (Cancelled in Mansfield due to inclement weather.), California Wildebeest (San Bernardino date only), Immune (San Bernardino date only). The guitar prodigy Yuto Miyazawa was invited by Ozzy to play "Crazy Train" at the event.

Most appearances at Ozzfest[link]

• Ozzy Osbourne (9)
• Black Label Society (7)
• Hatebreed (6)
• Black Sabbath (5)
• DevilDriver (4)
• Disturbed (4)
• Drowning Pool (4)
• System of a Down (4)
• Pantera (3)
• Coal Chamber (3)
• Fear Factory (3)
• Marilyn Manson (3)
• Nonpoint (3)
• Otep (3)
• Rob Zombie (3)
• Shadows Fall (3)
• Slayer (3)
• Slipknot (3)
• Static-X (3)

See also[link]

• Ozzfest lineups by year

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Ozzfest

• Ozzfest 2008 info
• Official website
• Ozzfest '98 Tour diary, photos and interviews
• Ozzfest News Coverage - 2 New Jersey Deaths at Ozzfest 2007
• Ozzfest 2008 - Metallica on Board

Rob Zombie
Background information
Birth name	Robert Bartleh Cummings
Also known as	Mr. Zombie
Born	(1965-01-12) January 12, 1965 (age 47) Haverhill, Massachusetts, United States
Genres	Heavy metal, alternative metal, groove metal, industrial metal
Occupations	Musician, songwriter, screenwriter, film director, film producer, programmer, music producer
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, bass guitar, synthesizer, programming
Years active	1985–present
Labels	Roadrunner/Loud & Proud/Geffen
Associated acts	White Zombie, Alice Cooper, Powerman 5000, Ozzy Osbourne, Black Label Society, Marilyn Manson, Iggy Pop, Lionel Richie, Howard Stern
Website	www.robzombie.com

Rob Zombie (born Robert Bartleh Cummings;^[1] January 12, 1965) is an American musician, film director, screenwriter and film producer. He founded the heavy metal band White Zombie and has been nominated three times as a solo artist for the Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance. Zombie's lyrics are noted for their horror and sci-fi themes, and his live shows for their elaborate shock rock theatricality.^[2]

Zombie has also established a career as a film director, creating the movies House of 1000 Corpses, The Devil's Rejects, the 2007 remake of Halloween, its sequel, and The Haunted World of El Superbeasto. His next film will be the upcoming The Lords of Salem which is scheduled to premiere in theaters sometime in 2012.

Early life[link]

Born in Haverhill, Massachusetts, he was the first of two brothers. His younger brother Michael David Cummings was born on August 25, 1968 and is better known as Spider One, the frontman of alternative metal group Powerman 5000.

Recording career[link]

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (August 2010)

White Zombie (1985–1998)[link]

Based in New York, White Zombie was originally a noise rock band in the vein of fellow New York band Sonic Youth and Texas experimental punk band Butthole Surfers. White Zombie was known for combining heavy-metal music with driving guitar riffs (as on "Super-Charger Heaven"), overlayed with lyrics heavily influenced by horror films and pseudo-Satanic imagery.

Following their signing to Geffen Records, White Zombie achieved commercial success, with a double and triple platinum album and a large number of their songs featured in movies and TV shows (notably Beavis and Butthead and Millennium). The group officially disbanded in 1998 shortly after the release of lead singer Rob Zombie's solo album Hellbilly Deluxe. In a 2008 interview^[3] to promote the release of Let Sleeping Corpses Lie, Rob Zombie made it clear that a reunion with his White Zombie bandmates was unlikely, saying, "I don't want fans to think it's the beginning of anything." Cummings legally changed his name to Rob Zombie, his former stage name, in 1996.^[4]

Solo career (1998–present)[link]

In 1996, Zombie collaborated with Alice Cooper on the song "Hands of Death (Burn Baby Burn)" for the X-Files tie-in CD Songs in the Key of X. It was Zombie's first work outside of White Zombie. The song was nominated for a Grammy for Best Metal Performance the same year.

In 1997, Zombie contributed a song entitled "The Great American Nightmare" for the Howard Stern movie, Private Parts. Since January 6, 1999, it has been the opening theme for Stern's radio show.

[edit] Hellbilly Deluxe

Zombie formed his own solo band in 1998. Drummer John Tempesta came directly from White Zombie, and was joined by Mike Riggs on guitar and Rob "Blasko" Nicholson on bass. A tongue in cheek reference to Dwight Yoakam's Hillbilly Deluxe, Zombie's debut solo album, Hellbilly Deluxe, in 1998, produced by Scott Humphrey. The album was a success, selling three million copies domestically. This album contained the hit singles "Dragula", "Living Dead Girl" and "Superbeast".

Zombie toured extensively to promote the album, then released American Made Music to Strip By in 1999, an album of remixes from Hellbilly Deluxe.

Apart from critical review, the album's cover art received much negative response by various conservative Christian groups, citing the album's inverted pentagram depiction and alluding to rumors and allegations of Satanism. Walmart banned the traditional artwork version of the album from its inventory and offered a 'clean' version of the album (without the inverted pentagram) in its stead, à la Eminem's The Marshall Mathers LP.

[edit] The Sinister Urge

Zombie released The Sinister Urge in 2001 (the title taken from a 1961 Ed Wood film), again produced by Scott Humphrey. This release contained the singles "Never Gonna Stop (The Red Red Kroovy)", "Feel So Numb" and "Demon Speeding". While the album still featured Zombie's signature heavy metal sound, it was also more experimental than Hellbilly Deluxe, including brass instruments on "(Go To) California." The album has been certified platinum.

In 2003, Zombie released his first greatest hits album Past, Present & Future, containing hit songs both from his solo band and White Zombie. It also featured covers (The Commodores' "Brick House" and The Ramones' "Blitzkrieg Bop") and unreleased songs ("Two-Lane Blacktop" and "Girl on Fire").

After a 2002–2003 world tour, Mike Riggs and John Tempesta left Zombie to form a similar band, Scum of the Earth, because Rob Zombie wanted to make movies and got bored on the music industry. He made, between 2003 and 2005 two horror films, House of 1000 Corpses and The Devil's Rejects.

[edit] Educated Horses

Rob Zombie at Ozzfest, 2005.

In 2005, Zombie returned to the music world by recruiting former Marilyn Manson guitarist, John 5, and former Alice Cooper drummer, Tommy Clufetos. Blasko and Humphrey remained, and the five began recording Educated Horses. Released in 2006, Educated Horses is a break from Zombie's usual style. In contrast to the heavy metal sound of his first two albums, Horses features a more alternative metal sound. The single "Foxy Foxy" can be described as his most mainstream and "party-going" song. The other two singles, "Let It All Bleed Out" and "American Witch", featured his signature heavy metal sound. Also, for the first time, Zombie steered away from including horror references in the artwork and songs. Even his physical appearance is less of a persona (Zombie is dressed in regular clothes on the album cover, and his dreadlocks are gone). However, the songs "Seventeen Year Locust" and "The Scorpion Sleeps" do concern themselves with creepy-crawlies. Following the release of the album, Zombie toured the U.S. with Lacuna Coil.

20th Century Masters: Millennium Collection: The Best of Rob Zombie was also released in 2006 by his label, Geffen Records. It contains songs similar to his first greatest hits album, but there are also songs on this release from Educated Horses.

On May 31, 2006, Zombie was joined onstage by guitarist Slash (Guns N' Roses, Velvet Revolver), Gilby Clarke (formerly of Guns N' Roses) on rhythm guitar, Scott Ian of Anthrax on bass, Tommy Lee of Mötley Crüe on drums and special guest Ace Frehley of Kiss also on lead guitar. The occasion was a one-time supergroup tribute to Kiss for the first annual VH1 Rock Honors award show. They played one song, "God of Thunder," before handing it off to the honoree. Zombie then went on tour with Ozzy Osbourne.

Blasko, Zombie's bass player, left the band shortly before the American Witch Tour (the second leg of the tour to promote Educated Horses), to play bass with Ozzy Osbourne. To fill in, Zombie hired Piggy D. of Amen and Wednesday 13 fame as a permanent replacement.

In 2007 Zombie released Zombie Live, which was supposed to be accompanied by a live DVD and picture booklet. So far, only the CD has surfaced.

[edit] Hellbilly Deluxe 2

Zombie's follow-up to Educated Horses was still unnamed as of May 2008. Zombie posted an update on his website, stating: "Well, we have for the first time ever written more songs than we need for an album. Everything isn't 100% finished, but everything is moving along great. No release date yet." In August 2008, a new instrumental song entitled "Tyrannosaurus Rex", featuring John 5 on guitar, was uploaded onto Zombie's MySpace music page. In an interview published in December 2008, Zombie spoke about his new band lineup (John 5, Piggy D., and Tommy C), and how happy he was with his new band members, saying, "I've never had a band that I could call my good friends until now.^[3] " Meanwhile, also in December 2008, Zombie's new single "War Zone" was featured in the soundtrack to Punisher: War Zone.

Rob Zombie appeared on The Howard Stern Show on August 18, 2009, saying the new album was complete, although he had not yet set a title, and was scheduled for release on November 10. That release date would later move to November 17, according to his MySpace blog. Eventually, the release date would be pushed back to February 2010.

On October 3, Zombie posted a link to preview the track "Sick Bubblegum" on his Twitter page. The first single "What?" was released on October 13. Zombie released the next new song, "Burn" for Rock Band, as well as two old tracks, "Dragula" and "Superbeast" on October 27. They are available via Xbox Live and PlayStation Network as well as the Rock Band online store.

On October 29, 2009, Zombie began the Hellbilly Deluxe 2 World Tour in support of his album Hellbilly Deluxe 2: Noble Jackals, Penny Dreadfuls and the Systematic Dehumanization of Cool, despite the fact it was not to be released until over three months later.

Hellbilly Deluxe 2 was set to be his last album released through Geffen Records, but in late October, Zombie announced that he had signed to Roadrunner Records and will instead be releasing Hellbilly Deluxe 2 under that label in early 2010.^[5]

On January 22, he announced that he would be touring with Alice Cooper for the "Gruesome Twosome" tour.

Tommy Clufetos recently left the band to perform with Ozzy Osbourne on drums. He replaced drummer Mike Bordin who is on tour with his current band Faith No More. Joey Jordison has since replaced Clufetos and was announced to be drumming with Zombie for his upcoming summer tour dates.^{[6] [7]} Rob Zombie was bothered that Clufetos was the second member to leave his solo band and join Osbourne after bassist Rob "Blasko" Nicholson left in 2006. Zombie commented, "If my guys that I have wanna go play with other people, that's fine; I don't own them. But I think there's ways to do things in a respectful way and there's ways to just be shitty, and I feel that the way things have gone down lately has been pretty shitty."^[8]

Rob Zombie performed at Edgefest in Little Rock, Arkansas as the co-headliner along with Godsmack on May 8, 2010. It was widely reported that much of the crowd left immediately following his performance, despite the fact that Godsmack was still scheduled to take the stage. He also played on the main stage on the second day of the Rock on the Range festival in Columbus, Ohio on May 23. Once again, it was widely reported that much of the crowd left after his performance, despite the fact that Limp Bizkit had not even started their set.^[9][10]

Rob Zombie finished recording four new songs in July 2010 with John 5, Piggy D, and Joey Jordison. The new music, expected to be released in September 2010, was described by Zombie as "some of the fastest and heaviest tracks we have recorded in a long, long time."^[11] Former White Zombie member, and drummer for Rob Zombie's first two studio albums, John Tempesta was rumored to have recorded at least one song titled "Loving the Freaks" for this release.^[12] While Rob Zombie did confirm that this collaboration was planned, his schedule was too busy and these recording sessions never took place. Working with Tempesta again in the future was not ruled out.^[13] These newly recorded tracks were incorporated into a special edition reissue of Hellbilly Deluxe 2 which was released on September 28, 2010.^[14]

For the first time in 12 years, Zombie returned to the United Kingdom to play a string of six dates in support of Hellbilly Deluxe 2.

On March 4, 2011, Rob Zombie said that he would record a CD after he completes his upcoming film The Lords of Salem.

Rob Zombie embarked on a North American tour with Slayer and Exodus called "Hell on Earth" tour which started July 20 and ended on August 6, 2011.

On April 22, 2011 on Zombie's official Twitter account, it was announced that his new drummer is ex-Marilyn Manson drummer and former John 5 bandmate, Ginger Fish.

Other projects[link]

Rob Zombie sang alongside his brother, Spider One, on Powerman 5000's song "Blast Off to Nowhere" on their 1999 breakthrough album Tonight the Stars Revolt! ^[15]

Zombie supplied the vocals for Drowning Pool's song "Man Without Fear" for the soundtrack to the 2003 film Daredevil.

Zombie is featured as a backing vocalist on "Floyd" from Lynyrd Skynyrd's 2009 album God & Guns.

On May 23, 2010 Zombie's new comic book series about a fictitious horror host, Whatever Happened To Baron Von Shock?, began. The first print sold out in less than a week.^[16]

On March 14, 2011, praising him for inventing the rock show, glam rock, and punk rock, Zombie inducted Alice Cooper into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Film and television[link]

Film career[link]

Rob Zombie attending the 2007 Comic Con to promote Halloween.

House of 1000 Corpses was Rob Zombie's directorial debut and his first horror film. Zombie wrote the screenplay as well as directing the film. It took four years to make (1999–2003), and was finally released by Lion's Gate Films in 2003, after Stacy Snider, then-head of Universal Pictures, sold the film to them. It featured a great deal of violence and gore. The movie told the tale of a group of unlucky young adults who stumble upon the Firefly Family, a family of sadistic and vicious murderers. The film was shot in a surreal and over-the-top style that alternated between dark and campy humor. The film was mostly panned by critics but has gained a cult following.

The House of 1000 Corpses' sequel, The Devil's Rejects, which Zombie also wrote and directed, showcased a much different style. Whereas House aimed at being more gory and bizarre, Rejects was darkly comedic and gritty. Released in 2005, Rejects had the Firefly Family on the run from the law and a particularly vengeful sheriff whose brother had been murdered by them in the first film. It had a better critical reception than Corpses. Zombie contributed to the 2007 exploitation film Grindhouse, by Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino by directing a faux trailer, called Werewolf Women of the S.S., starring his wife, exploitation veterans Udo Kier and Sybil Danning, and Nicolas Cage, who appeared free for fun.

Zombie next wrote and directed Halloween, a reimagining of the 1978 classic that was released August 31, 2007. Although it was a success and opened at number #1 at the box office with $26 million, it registered only 26% at Rotten Tomatoes.^[17] It would go on to gross over $78 million, his biggest hit yet and the highest grossing Halloween film of all time.

Zombie is the executive producer of the animated film The Haunted World of El Superbeasto, based upon his comic book series, The Adventures of El Superbeasto (which appeared in his Spookshow International comic book). The film was released in limited showings at selected theaters on September 12, 2009, and to DVD on September 22, 2009. It features the voices of Tom Papa, Paul Giamatti, Zombie's wife Sheri Moon, and Rosario Dawson.

Zombie directed a sequel to Halloween entitled Halloween II, which was released on August 28, 2009. Filming began on February 23, 2009 in Atlanta, Georgia with Tyler Mane returning as Michael Myers.^[18] Zombie will next be directing a new movie for Dimension Films known as Rob Zombie's Tyrannosaurus Rex.^[19] In an interview at Comic Con 2009 with his younger brother Spider One of Powerman 5000, Zombie stated that his album would be released in October, followed by a tour.

Variety Magazine announced the weekend before the release of Halloween II that Zombie will be directing a remake of the 1950s/1980s films The Blob.^[20] Zombie will also create a new comic called "Whatever Happened to Baron Von Shock?",^[21] which will be released by Image Comics in late 2010.^[22]

On October 3, 2009 received the Filmmaker of the Year title of the Chiller-Eyegore Awards.^[23]

In December 2009 he announced an interest to direct an episode of CSI.^[24] On January 13, 2010, Associated Press reported that Rob Zombie's CSI: Miami episode will air March 1.^[25] He shot the part of the series with the full cast of the series and casted for minor roles Michael Madsen, Malcolm McDowell, William Forsythe, ZZ Top's leader Billy Gibbons and his wife, Sheri Moon Zombie.^[26]

Rob Zombie and Universal Studios presents the Halloween Horror Nights – Rob Zombie Film Competition as part of the Halloween Horror Nights 2010.^[27]

Rob Zombie also was a guest host on WWE Raw.^[28]

On September 22, 2010, it was announced that Rob Zombie's next film project would be entitled The Lords of Salem.^[29]

On February 21, 2011, he announced in an interview that he will start filming Tyrannosaurus Rex after he finishes Lords of Salem.^[30] The remake of The Blob will no longer be directed by Zombie.^[31]

Rumors circulated that Zombie would direct The Dirt, a movie about Mötley Crüe. However, on his Twitter page on March 4, 2011, Zombie explained that he will not be directing The Dirt. Instead, he said, "I am not. I am directing The Lords of Salem.^[32] Recording a CD after that."

Tyrannosaurus Rex is not a dead project, he explained in an interview: "It’ll happen eventually. I don’t have a deal for it, but that was supposed to be my movie I did after Halloween and then it never happened. For some reason in the last six months or so, everybody seems incredibly interested in it again. So the goal is to make that the next movie after The Lords of Salem. I don’t know if it will be, because it’s such a weird business. But Tyrannosaurus Rex has always been my pet project that I’ve always wanted to make. It’s the movie I’ve been dying to make forever."

Music video direction[link]

Rob has directed all of his own music videos as well as all White Zombie music videos except for "Welcome to Planet Motherfucker", "Black Sunshine" and "Thunderkiss '65". Zombie has contributed to other artists directing music videos such as Ozzy Osbourne's "Dreamer", Powerman 5000's "Tokyo Vigilante #1" and Black Label Society's "Stillborn" among others. Zombie has recently finished directing a music video for Leviathan The Fleeing Serpent's song "Crushing the Ritual".

As a guest[link]

Rob Zombie has appeared as a guest on several talk shows including Late Night with David Letterman (several times), Jimmy Kimmel Live! (twice), Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, The Howard Stern Show, The Opie and Anthony Show, That Metal Show, The Nerdist Podcast, Criss Angel: Mindfreak (2005 episode "Buried Alive") and even Space Ghost Coast to Coast (while he was in White Zombie).

Zombie also made a few guest appearances in movies, including Airheads (with White Zombie on stage playing "Feed the Gods") and the voice of Dr. Karl (on the phone) in the movie Slither. He did a few voiceovers for cartoons such as the voice of Ichthultu, a creature from an alternate universe in Justice League Unlimited and Dr. Curt Connors ("The Lizard") in Spider-Man: The New Animated Series. Rob Zombie appeared as the guest host for the June 28th edition of WWE Monday Night RAW.

Zombie supplied music for the Twisted Metal III and Twisted Metal 4 soundtracks, and even appeared as a playable character in Twisted Metal 4. Zombie's song "Dragula" was used in the Jet Grind Radio soundtrack. Zombie's songs Return of the Phantom Stranger, Demonoid Phenomenon, and Meet The Creeper appeared in PS-X 2000 release of Nightmare Creatures 2.

Rob Zombie was the celebrity guest on the Oct 31, 2010 (Halloween Special) episode of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.

On October 16, 2011, Rob Zombie was a celebrity guest judge on Food Network's Halloween Wars.

Personal life[link]

On Halloween day of 2002, Zombie married longtime girlfriend Sheri Moon, whom he also features in all of his films and many of his music videos.

They currently live in Woodbury, Connecticut and Los Angeles, California.^{[citation needed]}

Collaborations[link]

Rob Zombie has cast certain actors in more than one of his films.

	House of 1000 Corpses	The Devil's Rejects	Werewolf Women of the SS	Halloween	Halloween II	The Haunted World of El Superbeasto	The Lords of Salem
Michael Berryman		N					N
Sybil Danning			N	N
Brad Dourif				N	N
Leslie Easterbrook		N		N
Ken Foree		N		N		N	N
William Forsythe		N		N
Sid Haig	N	N		N		N	N
Chris Hardwick	N				N
Danielle Harris				N	N
Clint Howard				N		N	N
Udo Kier			N	N			N
Richard Lynch				N			N
Tyler Mane		N		N	N
Malcolm McDowell				N	N
Matthew McGrory	N	N
Sheri Moon	N	N	N	N	N	N	N
Bill Moseley	N	N	N	N		N
Brian Posehn		N				N
Jeff Daniel Phillips					N		N
Daniel Roebuck		N			N	N	N
Scout Taylor-Compton				N	N
Tom Towles	N	N	N	N
Danny Trejo		N		N		N
Dee Wallace				N			N

Filmography[link]

Feature-length films

• House of 1000 Corpses (2003) (director, writer)
• The Devil's Rejects (2005) (director, producer and writer)
• Halloween (2007) (director, producer and writer)
• Halloween II (2009) (director, producer and writer)
• Lords of Salem (2012) (director, producer and writer)
• Tyrannosaurus Rex (TBA)

Animated films

• The Haunted World of El Superbeasto (2009) (director, producer and writer)

TV work

• Pee-wee's Playhouse (production assistant, unknown episodes)
• Headbangers Ball (guest, numerous episodes)^[33]
• Airheads (guest, with White Zombie performing "Feed the Gods", 1994)
• Space Ghost Coast to Coast (guest, 1 episode, 1997)
• Spider-Man: The New Animated Series (guest, voice of Dr. Kurt Conners a.k.a. The Lizard, episode 3, "Law of the Jungle", July 18, 2003)
• Justice League Unlimited (guest, voice of Ichthulthu, Episode 42, "The Terror Beyond Pt. 2", November 5, 2003)
• Criss Angel Mindfreak (guest, season 1, episode 6, "Buried Alive", 2005)
• Slither (guest, Dr. Karl (voice only), 2006)
• CSI: Miami (director, 1 episode, 2010)
• WWE Raw (Raw Guest Host, 1 episode, 2010)
• Extreme Makeover Home Edition (guest, Season 8 - Episode 6, 2010)
• Halloween Wars (Guest Judge, episode 3, "Zombies vs. Vampires," October 16, 2011)
• The Undead Eyes (voice of Dr. XXX - 2012–present)

Other

• Metal: A Headbanger's Journey as himself (interview)
• Werewolf Women of the SS (2007)

TV Commercials

• Woolite Commercial: "Torturer" (director, 2011)
• Amdro Commercial: "Death Note" (director, 2012)

Discography[link]

Rob Zombie performing in 2011 for the "Hell on Earth" tour with Slayer.

White Zombie[link]

• Soul-Crusher (1987)
• Make Them Die Slowly (1989)
• La Sexorcisto: Devil Music, Vol. 1 (1992)
• Astro Creep: 2000 – Songs of Love, Destruction and Other Synthetic Delusions of the Electric Head (1995)
• Supersexy Swingin' Sounds (1996)

Solo[link]

• Hellbilly Deluxe (1998)
• American Made Music to Strip By (compilation - 1999)
• The Sinister Urge (2001)
• Past, Present & Future (compilation - 2003)
• Educated Horses (2006)
• The Best of Rob Zombie, The Millenium Collection (compilation - 2006)
• Zombie Live (2007)
• Hellbilly Deluxe 2 (2010)
• TBA (2013)

Composer[link]

• Twisted Metal III (1998) (video game)
• Gran Turismo 2 (1999) (video game)
• The Undead Eyes (2011) (television)

Solo band members[link]

Current

• Rob Zombie – vocals (1997–current)
• John 5 – guitar, backing vocals (2005–current)
• Piggy D. – bass guitar, backing vocals (2006–current)
• Ginger Fish - drums, percussion (2011-current)

Former

• Mike Riggs – guitar (1997–2003)
• John Tempesta – drums, percussion, vocals (1997–2004)
• Blasko – bass guitar, vocals (1997–2006)
• Tommy Clufetos – drums, percussion (2005–2010)
• Joey Jordison – drums, percussion (2010–2011)

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Rob Zombie

• Official website
• ZombieFAQ
• Discovering "The Haunted World of El Superbeasto" With Rob Zombie

Ozzy Osbourne
Osbourne in 2010.
Background information
Birth name	John Michael Osbourne
Born	(1948-12-03) 3 December 1948 (age 63) Aston, Birmingham, England
Genres	Heavy metal, blues rock, hard rock
Occupations	Musician, songwriter
Instruments	vocals, harmonica, synthesizer
Years active	1968–present
Labels	Epic, CBS, Jet
Associated acts	Black Sabbath, Kelly Osbourne, Black Label Society, Alice Cooper, Iommi, Rob Zombie, Slash, Firewind
Website	ozzy.com

John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne (born 3 December 1948) is an English heavy metal vocalist and songwriter, whose musical career has spanned over 40 years. Osbourne rose to prominence as lead singer of the pioneering English band Black Sabbath, whose dark and hard sound helped spawn the heavy metal genre. Due to Sabbath's dark style, Osbourne became known as the "Prince of Darkness".^[1] Osbourne is also known as the "Godfather of Heavy Metal".^[2]

In the early 2000s, Osbourne's career expanded 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 was released on DVD in November 2011.^[3] Osbourne has achieved multi-platinum status as a solo artist and with Black Sabbath and has sold over 100 million albums worldwide.^[4][5]

Biography[link]

Early life[link]

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.^[6][7] John was the fourth of six children. Ozzy had two brothers (Paul and Tony) and three sisters (Jean, Iris and Gillian); they lived in a small two bedroom home at 14 Lodge Road in Aston. 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.^[8]

Osbourne grew up dealing with dyslexia and other learning disabilities.^[9][10] 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.^[6][7] 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.^[6] 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.^[6]

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.^[11] 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.^[11] 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.^[12]

Black Sabbath[link]

Black Sabbath: Osbourne (right) with Tony Iommi in 1973

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."^[8]

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.^[13] In the 1980s it received platinum certification^[13] and went Double Platinum in the early 21st century.^[13] 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.^[14] 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.^[15][16]

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".^[17] 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".^[18] The album marked the band's fifth consecutive platinum selling album in the US.^[19] 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."^[20] Allmusic was not so favourable. They noted that "the magical chemistry that made such albums as Paranoid and Volume 4 so special was beginning to disintegrate".^[21] 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".^[22]

Departure[link]

In 1978, Osbourne left the band for three months to pursue interest in a solo project he called Blizzard of Ozz.^[23][24] Three members of the band Necromandus, who had supported Black Sabbath in Birmingham 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.^[25] 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."^[26]

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.^[27] 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 between band members were present continually. Osbourne recalls being asked to record his vocals over and over, and tracks being manipulated endlessly by Iommi.^[28] This was a point of contention between Osbourne and Iommi. At Iommi's insistence, and with the support of Butler and 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.^[29]

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"^[30] 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.^[8] The band replaced him with former Rainbow singer Ronnie James Dio.^[12]

Solo career[link]

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 album sold very well with hard rock/heavy metal fans.^[11] Though it is generally accepted that Osbourne and Rhoads started the band, bassist Daisley later claimed that he and Osbourne formed the band before Rhoads joined.^[31]

Osbourne performing in Cardiff, 1981

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 of Ozz, Randy Rhoads^[11] was ranked the 85th greatest guitarist of all time by Rolling Stone magazine in 2003.^[32] This album is known for the singles "Over the Mountain" and "Flying High Again"; additionally, Osbourne explains in his autobiography that Diary is his own personal favourite album.^[8]

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 left 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.^{[citation needed]} The crash was officially ruled the result of "poor judgement by the pilot in buzzing the bus and misjudging clearance of obstacles".^[33] 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.

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 live album, it 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.

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.^[34]

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.^[35]

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.

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 practice 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 solo Grammy for the track "I Don't Want to Change the World" from live album Live and Loud for Best Metal Performance of 1994.^[36]

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,^[37] 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 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.

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 double platinum in April 1999.^[38] 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, Mötley Crüe) 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[link]

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 and public familiarity with the band name Black Sabbath.

Since its beginning, five million people have attended Ozzfest, which has grossed over US$100 million. The festival 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 headlining the tour. In 2006 Ozzy closed the event 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. In 2010, Ozzy appeared as the headliner closing the show after opening acts Halford and Mötley Crüe. The tour, though small (only six U.S. venues and 1 U.K. venue were played), generated raves from fans and reviewers: "Ozzy Osbourne is one of the greatest entertainers in history—regardless of genre or medium." --Artist Direct, 16 August 2010^[39] "...we the eager maniacs of metal give OZZY the horns up for yet another blistering day of metal on two stages. " --Hard Rock Haven, 9 September 2010^[40][41] “Ozzfest rises up again, exceeding expectations...” --ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER, 16 August 2010^[42]

2000s[link]

Osbourne on tour in Japan

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.^[43] In June 2002, Osbourne performed the Black Sabbath anthem "Paranoid" at the Party at the Palace concert in the grounds of Buckingham Palace, an event in commemoration of the Golden Jubilee of Elizabeth II.^[44] 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 Jordans, 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.

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.

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.^[45]

Osbourne at Blizzcon, 2009.

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.^[46] In August 2009, Osbourne performed at the gaming festival BlizzCon with a new guitarist in his line-up Gus G.^[47] Osbourne also provided his voice and likeness to the video game Brütal Legend character The Guardian of Metal.^[48] In November, Slash featured Osbourne on vocals in his single "Crucify The Dead",^[49] and Osbourne with wife Sharon were guest hosts on WWE Monday Night Raw.^[50] In December, Osbourne announced he would be releasing a new album titled Soul Sucka with Gus G, Tommy Clufetos on drums, and Blasko on bass.^[51] 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.^[52]

2010s[link]

On 13 April 2010, Osbourne announced the release date for Scream would be 15 June 2010.^[53] 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. 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"^[54]

Black Sabbath reunion[link]

It was announced on 11 November 2011 during a news conference at the Sunset Strip club Whisky a Go Go that the original Black Sabbath line up of Ozzy, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Bill Ward would reunite for a world tour and new album, which will be produced by Rick Rubin.^[55]

Other work[link]

Ozzy Osbourne band in 2011

Osbourne achieved greater celebrity status via 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, occasional appearances from his son Louis, but eldest daughter Aimee did not 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.^[56]

The success of The Osbournes led Osbourne and the rest of his family to host the 30th Annual American Music Awards in January 2003.^[57][58] 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.^[59] On 20 February 2008, Ozzy, Sharon, Kelly and Jack Osbourne hosted the 2008 BRIT Awards held at Earls Court, London.^[60][61] Ozzy Osbourne appears in a commercial for the online video game World of Warcraft.^[62] Osbourne is a supporter of English football club Aston Villa, growing up in the Aston area close to Villa Park.^[63]

Osbourne published an autobiography in October 2009, titled I Am Ozzy.^[29] 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. His son Jack worked on and released a documentary about Osbourne's life and career called God Bless Ozzy.^[64] Osbourne made an appearance at the 30 October 2010 Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear in Washington D.C.

Awards[link]

Birmingham Walk of Stars.

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.^[36] At the 2004 NME Awards in London, Ozzy received the award for Godlike Genius.^[65] In 2005, Ozzy was inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame both as a solo artist and as a member of Black Sabbath.^[66] In 2006, he was inducted into the US Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with Black Sabbath band mates Tony Iommi, Bill Ward, and Geezer Butler.^[67]

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.^[68] 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 honoured," he said, "All my family is here and I thank everyone for this reception – I'm absolutely knocked out".^[68]

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. Slash, the former Guns N' Roses guitarist, presented the award.^[69] 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.^[70] Osbourne was also a judge for the 6th and 10th annual Independent Music Awards to support independent artists' careers.^[71]

Personal life[link]

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).^{[citation needed]}

Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne