Randy Rhoads and Ozzy Osbourne’s relationship goes back to the early days of Osbourne’s solo career when Slaughter bassist Dana Strum introduced them while he was drunk. Osbourne recalled that he even thought Rhoads was a girl at first because he was smaller in size. Rhoads would ultimately join the metal icon on his projects, and the duo would develop a close friendship.
Rhoads performed on tracks like ‘Crazy Train’ and ‘Mr.Crowley’ from Osbourne’s debut album ‘Blizzard of Ozz,’ and the first two studio albums they worked on cemented Osbourne’s spot in the music industry. In a recent conversation, Ozzy looked at his career retrospectively and said that Randy Rhoads had a special place in his band.
Unfortunately, their working relationship lasted for two studio albums since Randy Rhoads tragically passed away in a plane crash in 1982 while he was on tour with Osbourne. Although their collaboration didn’t last long, Rhoads significantly impacted Osbourne’s career both as a guitar player and a friend who looked out for him in the studio and on the road.