Ozzy Osbourne recalls meeting Randy Rhoads in a new video preview of the forthcoming documentary, “The Nine Lives Of Ozzy Osbourne.”
Following the singer’s firing from Black Sabbath in the spring of 1979, he signed with Jet Records and began auditioning players for what would turn out to be his new band: Blizzard Of Ozz.
“I wanted to be more mainstream without selling out to the pop world, I wanted to be more accessible,” explains Ozzy. “It was a bit of a slow process, at first, until I met someone who put me in touch with Randy Rhoads, and it all kind of started to click together then.
“When I first met Randy Rhoads, and I was f**king out of my face, he came in about this big, this thin (gestures) in high-heeled shoes .. but then I heard him play and I went (opens mouth as jaw drops)”
“I knew instinctively that he was something extra special, he was like a gift from God,” he adds. “We worked so well together; Randy and I were a team. One thing that he gave to me was hope, he gave me a reason for carrying on.”
Rhoads joined the lineup alongside bassist/lyricist Bob Daisley, keyboardist Don Airey and drummer Lee Kerslake, and they recorded the band’s 1980 self-titled album debut.
The former Quiet Riot guitarist – who also appeared on 1981’s “Diary Of A Madman” – died in a plane accident in Leesburg, FL on March 19, 1982 at the age of 25 while on tour with Osbourne.
Set to premiere Monday, September 7 at 9 PM (ET/PT) on A&E, the “Nine Lives” documentary explores Ozzy’s career and features interviews with friends and fellow musicians including Rick Rubin, Ice-T, Marilyn Manson, Rob Zombie, Jonathan Davis, Post Malone and more.
See also:
Ozzy Osbourne shares Nine Lives documentary trailer
Black Sabbath to release expanded 50th anniversary editions of Paranoid
Ozzy Osbourne previews Nine Lives documentary
Ozzy Osbourne working on new album
Search Black Sabbath at hennemusic
