Zakk Wylde explains how Ozzy Osbourne comes up with melodies

Zakk Wylde and Ozzy Osbourne

Zakk Wylde first joined the Ozzy Osbourne band in 1987 and he was a member of the group until 2009, returning in 2017. He was part of albums like “No Rest for the Wicked” (1988), “No More Tears” (1991), “Ozzmosis” (1995), “Down to Earth” (2001), “Black Rain” (2007) and “Patient Number 9” (2022).

In an interview with Chris Shiflett, Zakk Wylde explained how Ozzy Osbourne comes up with melodies for the songs.

Zakk Wylde explains how Ozzy Osbourne comes up with melodies

“It’s amazing because almost every vocal Ozzy’s ever come up with has always been first take. The first thing he starts singing is the melody. He’s like the king of the mountain. I don’t know whether it’s just The Beatles‘ influence or whatever.”

“All those melodies here, and I can only imagine when he was doing ‘I Don’t Know’, it’d be like, ‘All right, what are you going to sing over that?’ And then, Ozzy the first thing off the top of his head. It’s pretty mind-blowing because Ozzy isn’t a musician.”

“I mean, he doesn’t go, ‘I’ll just go to C, and then go to E-minor for the chorus, and then go back to the riff in E…’ And he doesn’t know — he’s just, like, he might sing a thing in his head. Or, if the riff’s already there, he’ll just say, ‘Play that again. Let me sing something over that.’ — whether it’s ‘Mama, I’m Coming Home’ or ‘No More Tears,'” Zakk Wylde said.

Besides being a constant Ozzy Osbourne collaborator, Wylde also is the leader of other bands. The first one he created was Black Label Society, group that released already 11 studio albums. He also created recently Zakk Sabbath, group that covers Black Sabbath songs.

More recently he also became Pantera’s guitarist and has been touring alongside Phil Anselmo, Rex Brown and Charlie Benante (Anthrax).

Rafael Polcaro: I'm a Brazilian journalist who always loved Classic Rock and Heavy Metal music. That passion inspired me to create Rock and Roll Garage over 6 years ago. Music has always been a part of my life, helping me through tough times and being a support to celebrate the good ones. When I became a journalist, I knew I wanted to write about my passions. After graduating in journalism from the Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais, I pursued a postgraduate degree in digital communication at the same institution. The studies and experience in the field helped me improve the website and always bring the best of classic rock to the world! MTB: 0021377/MG