It was revealed that Ozzy is among the 2024 inductees into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.
Ozzy, along with the rest of the original lineup of BLACK SABBATH, was inducted into the Rock Hall in 2006, but the legendary heavy metal singer will now be recognised for his solo career.
The induction ceremony will be held on October 19th at the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, Ohio. It will air live on Disney+. An edited version will run on ABC at a later date, and will be available on Hulu the day after.
Speaking to Billboard, the 75-year-old Osbourne said getting a second induction “feels big. I’m more than honored.”
He went on to reflect on his solo career, saying: “With every new music venture there’s always a certain amount of surprise that comes when you see the fans embrace it, because no one wants to make a record and have it flop. I feel like I was invited to a party in 1980, and it hasn’t stopped. Not bad for a guy who was fired from his last band.”
Ozzy’s wife and manager Sharon Osbourne discussed his absence from the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame as a solo artist during a recent appearance on “The Adam Carolla Show“. Asked by host Adam Carolla how the nomination process works and whether she has to lobby to get Ozzy in as a solo artist, Sharon said: “There are people on the board, and the people on the board have to go in, and it has to be on their list, and it has to be on more than, I think, half of the votes. More than half.”
Sharon went on to say that she doesn’t like to “beg” anyone for anything. “I will never beg, and I will never ask for favors,” she explained. “I’ve never asked anyone for a favor. So, my thing is fuck you if you don’t realize that somebody really deserves to be here. And you don’t recognize that? Then, see ya.”
When Adam pressed Sharon about whether she has done “any lobbying” to get Ozzy into the Rock Hall, she said: “We went to a dinner last year for the people who had been inducted in last year. They invited us to the dinner and we went. And people were saying to Ozzy, ‘Oh, you’ve been inducted in,’ and we were, like, ‘No, actually. We were just invited for the food, so we’re here.’ That’s as near as we’ve got, but no.”
Sharon added: “They know that Ozzy deserves to be there. They know he’s been a solo artist. You’ve gotta be doing it for 25 years. He’s been 43 years as a solo artist. He sold nearly a hundred million albums as a solo artist. So where is he? Induct him.”
Artists are eligible to be inducted into the Rock Hall after at least 25 years have passed since their first record was released.
Oran O’Beirne
www.overdrive.ie 2024
