10 Most Iconic British Frontmen In Rock Music History
5. Ozzy Osbourne - Black Sabbath
A hugely influential figure in the development of heavy metal as a genre, Ozzy Osbourne spent just over a decade in the band that gave the world the definitive metal album Paranoid. Every other incarnation ever spawned by the genre, has this album to thank.
It might have been guitarist Tony Iommi's unfortunate altercation with some industrial machinery that led to the dropped down tuning of his metal guitar, but it was Osbourne's demonic vocals that gave the band its edge.
But, The Prince of Darkness could very well have faded into an abyss of obscurity after he was fired from Sabbath in 1979. As he tells it, Osbourne spent three months locked away in a hotel room, while he proceeded to snort and drink away his final earnings from the band.
Enter the future Mrs Osbourne. Sharon Levy was the daughter of a prominent music mogul who had signed Ozzy Osbourne after his departure from Sabbath. She was the only one who knew how to wrangle the paranoid madman into shape, setting him up with former guitarist of Quiet Riot, Randy Rhoads.
Despite an insatiable appetite for chaos, cocaine and animal heads, Ozzy Osbourne has became one of the most iconic and enduring figures in rock. An unconventional but unquestionable British national treasure.