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MYSTERIOUS: 2 - What They Never Told You

"It was weird just being in the same room as him": The story of the Ronnie James Dio classic assembled from other bands' spare parts

Rainbow In The Dark a highlight of Holy Diver, an album Ronnie James Dio said was “one of the proudest things I’ve ever done”

Metal Hammer

“I texted Jake and told him, ‘There’s no way in hell I’m taking that solo. You’re going to play it!’” Why Nuno Bettencourt said no when Jake E. Lee asked him to play one of his iconic Sabbath solos at Back to the Beginning

The Extreme virtuoso played plenty of guitar during Black Sabbath and Ozzy Osbourne’s farewell show, but he drew the line at this solo

Guitar World

“I just walked off the stage. I wanted Jake to have his moment. And Jake nailed it”: Nuno Bettencourt on why he handed Shot Of The Dark over to Jake E Lee at Ozzy's farewell show

Bettencourt says Lee was far too humble and had to remind him that he had done the impossible by not only replacing Randy Rhoads but taking Ozzy Osbourne to “another place”

MusicRadar

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“If you go down in flames on that stage with Ozzy there, your career is over”: Nuno Bettencourt reflects on Wolfgang Van Halen's absence at Back to the Beginning

Wolfgang Van Halen reluctantly had to drop out of the historic concert due to scheduling conflicts

Guitar World

“Watching him and the musicians rehearsing their songs while I was standing there waiting my turn, I started to get really nervous”: Jake E. Lee names the guitar virtuoso who had him sweating backstage at Back to the Beginning

Lee insists he doesn’t usually get nervous before shows – but watching one guitar player from the wings was too much for him

Guitar World

“I am brutally honest, even at the risk of losing my gig. Ace loved it because he was surrounded by people who’d say he could do no wrong. I never did that”: Anthony Esposito’s unique career alongside the Spaceman, George Lynch and Jake E. Lee

The upright bassist with no previous experience of rock joined Lynch Mob and spent years telling it like it is to his guitar player bosses. He reveals what he’d always tried to explain to Lynch, the pain of losing Frehley and his concerns for Lee

Guitar World

“I’m not mentioned much in documentaries about Ozzy – at the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, not a photo”: Jake E. Lee explains why he felt like a “forgotten footnote” in Ozzy Osbourne’s legacy until Back To The Beginning

The guitarist was part of Ozzy’s solo band from 1982 to 1987 and played on two of his albums: Bark At The Moon and The Ultimate Sin

Metal Hammer

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“Ozzy would say, ‘No. This isn’t Frank Zappa, this is Ozzy Osbourne. Go back and write me something else’”: Jake E. Lee revisits Badlands, the album the music industry doesn't want you to hear

Why can't we buy Badlands' self-titled debut? Who knows. The record label buried it. But former Ozzy guitarist Jake E. Lee swears it's his best work

Guitar World

“He our admiration for his music and our respect for his talent for recognizing guitar genius”: The life and times of Ozzy Osbourne – metal’s godfather and Prince of Darkness

Remembering John “Ozzy” Osbourne, the frontman who breathed life into heavy metal and found some of its greatest guitar players

Guitar World

“I walked out and Nuno had the crowd chanting my name. It was overwhelming. I’m surprised I didn’t trip and fall down”: Jake E. Lee on defying expectations, arthritis and gunshot wounds to mend his friendship with Ozzy at Back to the Beginning

In an interview that took place before Ozzy Osbourne's death, the Back to the Beginning standout talks Charvel guitars, next steps and the joy of achieving closure with his former boss

Guitar World

“Ozzy had a problem with my short hair. Sharon had a problem with my green guitar – she said it looked like a booger”: The unlucky 13 guitarists who auditioned for Ozzy Osbourne – but didn’t make the grade

A procession of all-time guitar greats tried their hand with the Prince of Darkness but were ultimately rejected – sometimes for surprising reasons

Guitar World

“I can’t feel it. It’s bone on bone. I’ve had to adjust my style. In a way, it’s like learning to play guitar again”: Jake E. Lee on how he has changed his playing – and gear – due to arthritis struggles

The former Ozzy Osbourne shredder has had to change things up to keep on playing

Guitar World

“I was starstruck when I first met Ozzy. He said he had ‘a good feeling’ about me. He just encouraged me to play with my heart”: Gus G on growing up on Black Sabbath, playing with Ozzy Osbourne – and why Tony Iommi’s style was the hardest to master

Gus G reflects on a life-changing moment when he joined the likes of Randy Rhoads, Jake E. Lee and Zakk Wylde as one of the few to be chosen by Ozzy as his shredder-in-chief

Guitar World

“I didn't want to put it down. I've missed it ever since!” Jake E. Lee played Kirk Hammett’s legendary Greeny Les Paul backstage at Ozzy Osbourne’s final show – but he almost wishes he hadn’t

Lee was able to enjoy some downtime with the iconic Les Paul before taking to the stage with a mysterious purple Charvel

Guitar World

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Guitar World

“Tony Iommi didn’t want a song by another guitarist on a Sabbath record.I never saw the money. But hearing Dio perform my song was unforgettable”: Jimi Bell may have lost out to Zakk Wylde in his Ozzy Osbourne audition, but he has no regrets

The drummer turned guitarist remains grateful for what Sharon Osbourne, Geezer Butler, Joan Jett and Randy Rand did for him, as he preps original music from his Deep Purple tribute band

Guitar World

“I always wanted to reconcile, tell him there weren’t any hard feelings and end things on a friendly note. I got to do that”: Jake E. Lee had a hero’s welcome at Back to the Beginning – but mending his rift with Ozzy Osbourne was what meant the most

Lee reflects on Ozzy’s final show, explains why he never bore a grudge over being fired, and recalls how the late Prince of Darkness made him a better guitarist with a single comment

Guitar World

“I’m, like, ‘Why are they calling me? Did every rock guitar player in Los Angeles disappear spontaneously at the same time?’” When Joe Bonamassa guested on an Ozzy Osbourne album – and couldn't quite believe it

The blues hero has reflected on their unlikely union in 2005, and why he sees Ozzy as heavy metal’s John Mayall

Guitar World

“We love you, Ozzy!” Nuno Bettencourt covers three Ozzy Osbourne classics with Extreme – and nails Randy Rhoads and Jake E. Lee’s iconic solos

Fresh from his spot at Back to the Beginning, Bettencourt is continuing to doff his cap to the Prince of Darkness’ legacy

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Guitar World

“The last text I got from Oz said, ‘Zakky, sorry, it was like a madhouse back there. I didn’t see you. Thanks for everything’”: Zakk Wylde looks back on his closer-than-close relationship with Ozzy Osbourne, and their final moments together onstage

Wylde was the Black Sabbath icon's guitarist and friend for decades. He reflects on his instant connection with the Prince of Darkness, how their relationship evolved both on and offstage, and that emotional final show at Back to the Beginning

Guitar World

“I’m so sorry I couldn’t spend more time with you on the weekend”: Jake E. Lee shares the last text message he received from Ozzy Osbourne

The Prince of Darkness, who passed away this week, reached out to his former guitarist after the historic Back to Beginning farewell show

MusicRadar

“We were doing that riff and cracking up laughing the whole time”: Zakk Wylde on how a “joke” riff won Ozzy Osbourne his first ever Grammy

The No More Tears sessions found the Ozzy camp in high spirits and ready to lay down a record that would take the Prince of Darkness' solo career to new heights

Guitar World

“I look over at Zakk and he can’t work the fretboard. I’m screaming at him, ‘It’s from liftin’ them weights!’ I didn’t realize he’d taken all the antibiotics in the bottle”: How Ozzy Osbourne and Zakk Wylde became metal’s most beloved partnership

In this GW interview from 2018, the two metal greats sat down on the eve of Ozzy’s farewell tour to reflect on their three-decade partnership, from Wylde’s audition to their wildest stage story

Guitar World

Ozzy Osbourne’s guitarists through the years: the players who served the Prince of Darkness for his classic albums and tours, in pictures

The Black Sabbath frontman shared stage and studio with a pantheon of guitar greats, and made household names out of many of his six-string sideman

Metal Hammer

From drugs, despondency and dead bats to celebrity status and heavy metal godfather, the rollercoaster story of Ozzy Osbourne's solo career

After his turbulent exit from Black Sabbath, it turned out Ozzy's wild story was only just beginning

Guitar World

“I want someone that’s hungry. I want someone who wants to go out and kick Eddie Van Halen’s ass”: Ozzy Osbourne rates his guitarists – and reflects on the highs and lows of Black Sabbath

In this classic interview from the GW archives, the Prince of Darkness speaks candidly about bandmates past and present – from Randy Rhoads to Zakk Wylde – and what he looks for in a guitarist

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