A Rock's Backpages Reader. Ozzy Osbourne is the undisputed heavyweight godfather of Planet Metal. When his band Black Sabbath emerged from working-class Birmingham in the late Sixties, there were no precedents for their sludgy, barbiturated, Hammer Horror Rock.Three and a half decades on, no one has topped the awesome grind of Paranoid, Sweet Leaf, Iron Man, War Pigs, Supernaut and other Sabbath classics. Sabbath remain the template for rock as much of an influence on grunge as on Nu Metal.Few gave Ozzy much change of carving out a meaningful solo career when he departed Sabbath in the late Seventies. Drunk and overweight, snacking on bats, he was in danger of turning into metal's saddest clown. Into his life stepped Sharon Arden, soon to become his manager and wife. From the annual Ozzfest tour to MTV phenomenon The Osbournes, the couple have masterminded one of the most enduring careers in rock and roll show business.Rock's Backpages, the Online Library of Rock & Roll, here...