Why is Ozzy Osbourne Known as the “Prince of Darkness?”

Born on December 3, 1948, in Birmingham, England, Ozzy Osbourne began his music career in 1968 when he co-founded the heavy metal band Black Sabbath in 1968 alongside Guitarist, Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward, and Bassist, Geezer Butler.

Inspired by the 1963 Mario Bava horror film of the same name, Black Sabbath was defined as having a dark and heavy identity, which is evident in their on-stage performances and songs.

That being said, the band’s eerie persona was evident in their 19 studio albums, released between 1970 and 2013, which included their debut album, Black Sabbath (1970), Paranoid (1970), Sabotage (1975), Heaven and Hell (1980), and Born Again (1983), while their hit songs Black Sabbath (1970), Iron Man (1970), Into the Void (1971), Snowblind (1972), and A National Acrobat (1973), emphasize their success throughout the 1970s.

Although Ozzy Osbourne was a huge part of the band’s success, he was fired by Bill Ward because he constantly missed rehearsals and had looming tension with guitarist Tony Iommi.

That being said, after leaving Black Sabbath, Osbourne launched a multi-platinum solo career in 1980, releasing 13 studio albums between 1980 and 2022, such as his debut, Blizzard of Ozz (1980), No More Tears (1991), Down to Earth (2001), Ordinary Man (2020), and Patient Number 9 (2022)

With hits such as Crazy Train (1980) and Mr. Crowley (1980), Ozzy Osbourne’s influence on rock and roll helped define the emerging genre of heavy metal and brought a new persona to mainstream music.