Ozzy Osbourne has been blessed with loads of great guitarists over the years. From Tony Iommi in Black Sabbath to legends like Randy Rhoads, Jake E. Lee, Gus G., and Zakk Wylde (among others) in his solo band, Osbourne never seems to be short on six-string talent… but there's one guitarist that stands out above all.
According to Osbourne in an Instagram video, Iommi will always hold a special place in his heart.
"That's the thing about a band like Black Sabbath – we came from the streets and we knew our stuff," Osbourne said. "And Tony Iommi was, and is, the best fucking guitar player I've ever played with."
Osbourne elaborated: "It's like the Beatles, they wouldn't have been the same if any one of them had played [in another band], or the Rolling Stones if Mick Jagger left. I've played [Black Sabbath tracks like] 'Paranoid', 'Children Of The Grave' and 'War Pigs' [with other guitarists live over the years]. They do the notes, but it's not the same!"
The clip is from The Madhouse Chronicles, a new podcast hosted by Ozzy Osbourne and his longtime pal (and Billy Idol guitarist) Billy Morrison. As for any upcoming Osbourne-related activity, last we heard was about potential farewell shows.
While nothing has been publicly announced, Sharon Osbourne revealed on her recent Cut The Crap tour that there are two farewell shows being planned for Ozzy: "He won't tour again but we are planning on doing two more shows to say goodbye as he feels like 'I have never said goodbye to my fans and I want to say goodbye properly'."
Sharon then revealed that the two shows could very well take place at Aston Villa's stadium Villa Park in Aston, Birmingham, adding "We will do it in Aston Villa where Ozzy is from."
"His voice is still absolutely perfect," she continued. "And all the time he has been off he still does his singing lessons so his voice is perfect. And he can joke yeah. He has all these melodies in his head. Even if you don't like his music you can't not like Ozzy, he just draws you in."
