What All Of Ozzy Osbourne's Former Bandmates Have Said About Him

Long renowned as the "Godfather of Metal" or "Prince of Darkness," Ozzy Osbourne has electrified audiences for over five decades now. Whether as part of Black Sabbath or his own solo band, tracks such as "War Pigs," "Iron Man," "Crazy Train," and "Bark at the Moon" have become staples of heavy metal and generally regarded as some of the best songs of the genre. However, Osbourne hasn't done it all by himself. He has shared the stage and recording studio with countless musicians, who have all helped to shape the music and add their own unique touch to his legacy.

Like most working partnerships, though, some of these relationships develop into friendships that span across multiple decades, while others deteriorate over time. Considering Osbourne's stature and appeal in the music industry, many of his former bandmates are asked about him on a regular basis — and let's say some of their revelations and comments may surprise even the most ardent of fans. So let's take a look at what Ozzy Osborne's former bandmates have said about him in the past.

Rob "Blasko" Nicholson is no stranger to the music industry. Even though he's been slapping the bass for Ozzy Osbourne's solo band since 2003, as per For Bass Players Only, he has performed with the likes of Rob Zombie and Danzig, while also maintaining another successful career as a band manager to artists such as Black Veil Brides and In This Moment (via Discogs). Regardless of his individual success, he's still appreciative of the opportunity to play in Osbourne's band, since he believes the band members are only there at the privilege of the frontman, who is the undisputed star of the show and the person whom the audience has come to see.

Blasko told Uber Rock that Osbourne "is like the Frank Sinatra of metal," since he's able to pick and choose whom he shares the stage with. At the same time, his discography and songs transcend any members or lineups, as they are seminal pieces of music history, and it doesn't matter who is up there with Osbourne since they're his songs. In Blasko's case, however, he has had a solid gig playing with Osbourne for two decades, so the job security has been fairly decent for him.

Greek guitar god Gus G shredded his way into Ozzy Osbourne's solo project thanks to his impressive work in his own band Firewind. Despite his burgeoning reputation in the music community as one of the best players around, even he felt the jitters when he encountered the metal god known as Ozzy Osbourne for the first time in 2009. Speaking to That Metal Interview, Gus G revealed he received an email inviting him to audition for the band from someone at Sharon Osbourne's office. He learnt the licks for the songs and headed off to Los Angeles to strut his stuff, where the enormity of what he was doing caught up with him at the audition. Yet, it was Ozzy Osbourne who calmed him down.

"He was like, 'Hey man, take it easy. Let's just jam and don't worry if you play a few notes wrong — it's rock 'n' roll, that's what happens. Just play with all your heart. Let's do it,'" Gus G said. "He was just a very nice and very sweet guy, very warm-hearted. He broke the ice right away." The guitarist revealed that once they started playing, they got caught up in the music, and all the anxiety washed away.

Much like any other band on Earth, Black Sabbath has had their fair share of drama and turmoil. The members have gotten along famously, then they haven't, with the cycle being repeated countless times. However, after they embarked on their final tour in 2017 (via Rolling Stone), they seem to be on better terms with each other overall. That said, it isn't like they're constantly messaging memes to each other or sharing football banter, as guitarist Tony Iommi revealed, as per  Far Out Magazine, that they don't really keep in touch. However, it isn't for the reason that they despise each other, but something far more innocent.

"We don't really speak because we are useless on the phone, the pair of us," Iommi said. "I think we stopped that when he used to phone me at two o'clock in the morning and I'd go, 'Oz, it's two o'clock in the morning.' 'Oh, oh, sorry. Alright. Bye.'"

Well, with the Osbournes moving back to the United Kingdom permanently, as per The Guardian, maybe it will be a lot easier for Ozzy Osbourne and Iommi to stay in touch and actually see each other instead of relying on their non-existent phone conversations. The two actually collaborated on a song for Osbourne's 2022 album, "Patient Number 9," as per Rolling Stone. Of the partnership, Iommi said, "I like what Ozzy sang on it. I think he did a really good job."

One of the longest serving members of Ozzy Osbourne's solo band is keyboardist Adam Wakeman. He is also the son of Yes keyboardist Rick Wakeman, who has known Osbourne for many years, having contributed his talents to the Black Sabbath album "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath" in the past. Appearing on Talking Metal (via Ultimate Guitar), Adam revealed that while Osbourne has the ability to have anyone he wants in the band with him, he's fairly loyal to them and prefers stability to chaos — something that might sound ironic considering his persona.

"I think everybody knows that Ozzy is not one of those revolving door-type guys," Wakeman said. "He values the people in the band, and at the same time, we're fully aware that he can have whoever he likes in the band. He can call up anybody, he's Ozzy Osbourne. We're all grateful to be here." The keyboardist also added that Osbourne never misses a beat to tell him older stories about his father and their time in the music scene together.

Imagine being drummer Mike Bordin for a second here. Not only did he perform with a once-in-a-generation talent like vocalist Mike Patton in Faith No More, but he also laid down the beats for arguably the greatest figure in heavy metal history. Alongside Ozzy Osbourne, Bordin has had the opportunity to rock stages all across the world and perform for a vast audience, including the queen of England, who certainly must have thrown the horns in the air for a track or two.

Bordin revealed to Modern Drummer that he believes himself to be the biggest Black Sabbath fan and wanted to play the drum beats the way they had been originally recorded. However, he was surprised by Osbourne's attitude towards the music and not being stuck in the past like others might be. "The thing that I thought was really interesting going in was learning the classic tunes, and then finding out that Ozzy's approach to them had changed," Bordin said. "I remember him saying, 'Well, we don't do it like that anymore. We do it like this.' I realized that over the years of working with different drummers, those tunes — and Ozzy — had evolved."

Bordin also reiterated what many other bandmates have said about the legend: "His personality is so huge. He's larger than life. ... it's an awesome thing to be part of that and feel that."

Bassist Bob Daisley played a pivotal part in shaping the sound of Ozzy Osbourne's solo band in the years after he departed Black Sabbath. Daisley wasn't too fazed by joining a group with such a renowned superstar, though, since he had already played with the likes of Ritchie Blackmore and made a name for himself in the music scene. The bassist admitted to Rolling Stone that he and Osbourne hit it off immediately, and the former Black Sabbath frontman even listened to his advice to get rid of two band members who weren't quite up to scratch. 

"I loved him as a guy," he said. "We got on really well straight away. I said, 'To be honest with you, are you set on these other two guys?' He said, 'Why?' I said, 'They're alright. They are good, but there's no spark there. There is nothing special about the situation.'" Daisley added that Osbourne walked out of the kitchen, straight into the room where the other two musicians were playing, and told them to pack their bags and go.