Zakk Wylde has opened up about his musical partnership with Ozzy Osbourne, revealing intimate details about their three-decade collaboration that extended far beyond the stage.
The guitarist, who joined Ozzy’s band in 1988, contributed to six studio albums and three live recordings throughout their remarkable tenure together.
Speaking candidly about their relationship, Wylde described the bond as transcending mere musical collaboration. “It was definitely beyond just us playing in a band together and making music,” Wylde explained to GuitarWorld (as per Metal Injection). “I have my father, who was a World War II veteran; and then Ozzy, who was almost like an older brother. There was almost a 20-year age gap between us.”
Wylde highlighted how Osbourne became deeply integrated into his family life. “Ozzy is the godfather of our oldest son,” he revealed. “Whether I was playing with him or not, if Sharon called me and my wife up and said, ‘Guys, can you watch the house while we’re away on a business trip?’ I’d do it. It’s like, ‘If you need me to bring milk and eggs over, I’ll do it.'”
This familial bond extended to their creative partnership, with Ozzy continuing to express interest in new musical ventures. According to Wylde, the Prince of Darkness had been texting him about potential album concepts. “He was texting me, ‘Zakk, let’s do another record. Because I really loved it when you were going through your Allman Brothers, Skynyrd phase when we did “No More Tears”, it’s heavy but it’s more melodic, it’s not pummeling heavy.’ So I said, ‘Alright Oz, whatever you want.'”
The reference to “No More Tears” refers to a particularly successful period in their collaboration, where Wylde’s Southern rock influences merged seamlessly with Ozzy’s metal sensibilities.
“I wasn’t thinking when we were doing the show that this was the last time I’m going to be doing ‘Mama, I’m Coming Home’ with the boss or this is the last time I’m going to play ‘Crazy Train’ with him,” he said. “I was just going, ‘Let’s do this and let’s have a good time,’ like always.”
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