With his first-ever Rock & Roll Hall of Fame nomination as a solo artist, Ozzy Osbourne is poised to become shrine’s the 27th multiple inductee.
Osbourne was inducted as a member of Black Sabbath back in 2006. If he’s voted in this year, he’ll join the likes of all four Beatles, Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, Stevie Nicks, Rod Stewart and others with double honors. Only Eric Clapton has three inductions on his own and as a member of the Yardbirds and Cream.
“I’m deeply honored to receive this news from the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame,” Osbourne said in a statement on Saturday (Feb. 10), after the nominations were announced. “To be one of the few musicians who’s being considered for a second entry, now as a solo artist, is something I could never have imagined. After 44 years as a solo artist the fact that I can continue to record music and receive this recognition is something I am incredibly proud of.”
Osbourne began his solo career with Blizzard of Ozz in 1980 and has released 13 albums on his own, most recently Patient Number 9 during 2022. Those have launched a number of iconic hard rock hits, including “Crazy Train,” “Flying High Again,” “Bark at the Moon” and “No More Tears,” as well as the ballad “Mama, I’m Coming Home.”
Some recent surgeries and a Parkinson’s disease diagnosis have rendered Osbourne unable to perform in recent years; he had to drop off the bill of the Power Trip festival last October in Indio, Calif. His wife and manager Sharon Osbourne, however, recently spoke of plans for a pair of farewell concerts in Osbourne’s home town of Birmingham, England.
During a November appearance on The Adam Carolla Show, Sharon lobbied for Ozzy to be considered for Rock Hall induction on his own as well.
“They know that Ozzy deserves to be there,” she said. “They know he’s been a solo artist. You’ve gotta be doing it for 24 years. He’s been 43 years as a solo artist. He sold nearly a hundred million albums as a solo artist. So where is he? Induct him!”
Sharon added that she and Ozzy attended a dinner for the 2023 inductees “and people were saying to Ozzy, ‘Oh, you’ve been inducted in,’ and we were like, ‘No, actually. We were just invited for the food, so we’re here.’ That’s as near as we’ve got, but no.”
Public voting has begun for this year’s inductees via rockhall.com, while ballots are being mailed to industry voters. Inductees are expected to be announced during early May, with the ceremony slated for the fall in Cleveland.
