Hidden Tracks: Sharon Osbourne
Revealed: The story behind heavy metal's king maker who turned “Ozzy” into a household name.
John Michael “Ozzy” Osbourne’s passing triggered a global outpouring of musical tributes, gratitudes, and sentimental stories of youthful misadventures.
As talented and innovative and exhilarating as Ozzy was as a heavy metal entertainer and songwriter, we have to give credit where credit is due.
Sharon Osbourne made Ozzy, The Prince of Darkness, a household name.
Hidden Tracks: Sharon Osbourne
This Hidden Track reveals the lengths to which Sharon was willing to go to ensure all of us would know The Great Ozz. After reading her first autobiography Extreme (2006), I venture to say there is no other person on this planet who would have invested or endured so much for what many might call a broken soul.
The book is a fast and fascinating read. Sharon’s king-maker story will be met with claims that Ozzy’s talent alone would have made him a superstar. Maybe this hidden track will broaden that perception as we explore some examples of Sharon’s faith, grit, and business sense took Ozzy to metal stardom and beyond.
This writing includes accounts of domestic violence, addiction, and death. If you live in an unsafe situation or struggle with addiction or mental illness, contact one of these organizations today. Yes, today.
RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Hotline
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Admin
Some Background on Sharon Osbourne
Let’s start with Sharon’s background story to set the scene.
Sharon is the daughter of famous (or infamous depending on your outlook) music manager/agent Don Arden. He represented Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, Gene Vincent, Air Supply, Small Faces, The Move, Black Sabbath, Electric Light Orchestra, and more. Arden cheated most of his clients and associates out of earnings and got his way in the industry through intimidation and outright violence. Example: Arden hired mobsters to attend business meetings to scare the shit out of people.
Arden wasn’t much different at home. If Sharon or her brother misbehaved as kids, punishment was severe and often violent. One example from her book: “Bad days were when I’d be put in the coalhole, which was like a horrible underground cupboard off Nigel’s bedroom. Coal still got stored in there—delivered down a chute from the street—and whenever my brother or I misbehaved, my parents would lock us in there for what seemed like forever, but was probably only an hour or an hour and a half. ” Arden’s mean streak made Sharon not only extremely conscious of how to interact with him and other adults, but also made her tough and not afraid of a fight as an adult.
Sharon signed personal and professional financial contracts for her father per his demands. If a loan or deal went belly up, she was on the hook for it instead of Arden. As a result she found herself in debt quite frequently because her dad was a business man who lost money hand over fist. This held her financially hostage to her father for many years. Even after she disassociated herself from him. The silver lining is that she learned how to communicate with and handle bankers, businessmen, managers, artists, etc.
At age 17, Sharon worked at Arden’s office where she first met his prospective clients Black Sabbath. Neither Sharon or Ozzy paid much attention to each other. The band signed with Arden in 1979. That’s where this hidden track begins.
Shortly after signing with Arden, Black Sabbath kicked Ozzy out of the band due to…
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