10 Best Hard Rock Bands Of The 1980s

10. Ozzy Osbourne

Ozzy Osbourne had taken time off from metal pioneers Black Sabbath and was commercially floundering. After a few years of regrouping, Ozzy came roaring back to life with one of the greatest solo careers in metal history.

With a writing partner in guitar god Randy Rhoads, Ozzy had the perfect sonic foil to his ominous howl. Through albums like Blizzard of Ozz and Diary of a Madman, Ozzy created a kind of metal that had a more mainstream appeal that was perfect for radio. Rhoads also set the standard for metal guitar players by bringing in a neo-classical approach to solos, which provided the perfect light to Ozzy's darkness.

Midway through touring, the initial magic was silenced when Rhoads was killed in a plane crash. Nevertheless, Ozzy carried on with his solo career with later guitar greats like Jake E Lee and Zakk Wylde on even more classic cuts like "Bark at the Moon." The records that Ozzy put out this decade permanently put the naysayers to shame for ever doubting him. While he always had a loud presence in Sabbath, Ozzy's solo career were his first steps to becoming the Prince of Darkness.