Zakk Wylde went from zero to hero when he was announced as Ozzy Osbourne’s third full-time guitarist in 1987. The generational talents of Randy Rhoads had kickstarted the Prince of Darkness’ post–Black Sabbath career in the best way possible, and Jake E. Lee did more than add a few great songs to the singer’s growing back catalog.
That meant there were plenty in line for a chance to be Lee’s successor when his reign ended. But Wylde believes not everyone showed up for the gig with an electric guitar in hand viewed it as reverently as he did.
Appearing on Billy Corgan’s The Magnificent Others podcast, he recalls, “I remember some of the guys who were auditioning talking about, ‘I hear the gig pays well,’… ‘It’s a good career opportunity’, or whatever.
“It was so weird. All I was thinking was, ‘Here I am.’”
A Yankees fan, Wylde likens the honor of rubbing shoulders with Ozzy to a professional athlete donning the famed pinstripe jersey of his beloved team. It isn’t an opportunity afforded to everyone.
“To me, that jersey is sacred ground, and my hero is Thurman Munson, “he says. “I’m a catcher, and now I’m standing in the same spot where Thurman Munson stood. For me, that’s how sacred it is.
“But a lot of other people, they were just like, ‘Yeah, whatever. I think it’s a good-paying gig.’”
While his chops earned Zakk the position, it’s certainly possible that Ozzy and his wife/manager Sharon, sensed his admiration for the singer.
Zakk told Guitar Player details of his audition back in 2002. Asked what it felt like to land the gig, Zakk replied, “Before or after I crapped my pants?
“Really, I just wanted to get an autograph. But they flew me out for an audition. He told me, ‘Just play with your heart — that’s all you gotta do — and you’ll be fine.
“‘By the way, change your pants!’”
The difference here is that Wylde never asked for an autograph. He remained professional and at the same time didn’t let any thoughts about a possible career dilute the awe he had for Ozzy.
“That music is endless, man,” he had said. “Think about it. After all the great Sabbath albums he did, he’s like, ‘What am I gonna do now?’ Then he goes solo and comes up with Blizzard of Ozz and Diary of a Madman. Ozzy is one of the guys who showed me how you gotta just love music and not let anybody sway you. You wanna do a ballad? Do it.”
As for who Wylde beat to the punch, it seems two big names were pushed aside to make way for Wylde’s rise. It was perhaps a bid to relaunch with a relative upstart, a move that had proven fruitful with Rhoads.
Regardless, Chris Impellitteri was a name on the lips of many in guitar circles when the vacancy opened up. His neoclassical stylings saw him considered to be one of the fastest players in the business, and that if Ozzy was looking for the cream of the crop, he was his man.
He’s since confirmed he auditioned for the role after receiving a voicemail from Sharon Osbourne he initially brushed off as a prank. After impressing throughout a handful of songs, he says the Osbourne’s were “very interested” in recruiting him, but the all-important, life-changing call never happened.
Likewise, Dutch hotshot Adrian Vandenberg, then of Whitesnake, was also in the frame. He went as far as to say that he was offered the job. Granted, the offer came in 1983 when his band, Vandenberg, opened for Ozzy on tour and the singer was “not quite sober.” But the guitarist remained in his thoughts long after, it seems
“Some people mentioned that [Ozzy’s keyboardist] Don Airey and a couple of other guys in the band mentioned to Ozzy that my style of playing had a lot of resemblance with Randy Rhoads’s playing in the sense of classical influences,” he told The Metal Voice in 2023.
Whether or not Vandenberg auditioned to replace Lee four years later is to be seen. But it’s clear that, by hiring Wylde, the Osbourne camp chose a loyal player who worshipped Ozzy for his musical talents and not simply for his bloated bank balance.
