The American guitarist and singer Joe Walsh was born in 1947, just one year before Ozzy Osbourne. Although they followed different musical paths, particularly when comparing Black Sabbath and Osbourne’s solo career with the Eagles’ music.
Curiously, Walsh had the chance to tour with Black Sabbath on different occasions during the 1970s when he was in James Gang, where he had the chance to see Osbourne singing. Over the decades he recalled that and gave his opinion on the late Heavy Metal star.
What is Joe Walsh’s opinion on Ozzy Osbourne
Joe Walsh is a fan of Ozzy Osbourne and had the chance to meet him still in the early 70s when James Gang was Black Sabbath’s opening act on a couple of dates. In the following decades he had the chance to share the same bill of festivals more times with the late singer and became a good friend of his. After his passing at the age of 76 in 2025, Joe Walsh shared a statement, describing him as “A fine gentleman, father, husband and friend with a legacy that will never be denied. But for me – above all – a gentle soul. Our deepest condolences to Sharon and the family. May Ozzy Osbourne RIP, the Prince of Darkness!” Joe Walsh said.
Ozzy was a fan of Joe Walsh and covered his hit “Rocky Mountain Way” on his covers album “Under Cover” (2005). In 2014, Walsh honored Osbourne at the MAP MusicCares benefit, presenting him with the Stevie Ray Vaughan Award, which is given to musicians who have made significant contributions to helping others recover from addiction. On the event’s red carpet, he recalled those touring days with Black Sabbath and emphasized how important that award was.
“So Black Sabbath and whatever band I was in, we had a lot of shows together (Me and Ozzy). Those were wonderful days but it’s in the distant past. Ozzy and I don’t have much of a clue about it other than what I just told you (laughs). I wish we’d have had a chance to hang out more in the old days but we wouldn’t be here probably if we had.”
Joe Walsh continued:
“A lot of the guys I used to run with didn’t make it. They died before they hit bottom and somehow I hit bottom before I died. So I’m not really supposed to be here but I am. All I can do at this point is try and be a little beacon of hope for anybody who’s in trouble. (I can) let them know it’s not easy but it can be done. There’s life after addiction and it’s really good,” Joe Walsh told Associated Press (Transcribed by Rock and Roll Garage).
When presenting Ozzy that night, Walsh introduced him as the “Grandfather of Heavy Metal.” Interestingly, after finishing his speech, Ozzy and his band were still not ready to take the stage. So Walsh improvised by telling a joke that had the entire audience laughing. Guitarists Dave Navarro and Slash joined Ozzy as special guests and as in all his live shows, he grabbed buckets of water to drench the crowd. That evening, however, he singled out his children, Jack and Kelly, as the targets. They were not happy when he hurled the water in their direction.
Neither Ozzy nor Joe Walsh could remember exactly when they first met
Although they know they first met when James Gang and Black Sabbath toured together in the 70s, both Ozzy and Walsh couldn’t remember the exact moment that happened. “Neither of us really know for sure, But we have been able to determine that it was sometime in the last century. James Gang and Sabbath played a lot of shows together. Believe it or not, Ozzy remembers more than I do.”
“We played the same concerts. In those days you had like three bands, any of them could really headline. So I saw a lot of Ozzy backstage. We didn’t get a chance to hang out that much, but that’s probably a good thing. Because we probably wouldn’t be here if we had,” Joe Walsh told The Hollywood Reporter in 2014.
One of the shows Black Sabbath and James Gang did together was in 1970, when the band Love was also part of the bill. Some of those shows happened at the Fillmore West in San Francisco, California.
Sabbath’s guitarist Tony Iommi recalled those shows in an interview made available by The Tapes Archive. “We did the Fillmore West in San Francisco with them, and Joe Walsh was smoking this bloody angel dust. Right before the gig, Geezer said, ‘I’ll just have a puff of that.’ Ozzy joined him. They thought they were just smoking a joint,” Tony Iommi said.
A few years later, in 1974, James Gang served as Black Sabbath’s opening act in the United States during the “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath” tour. James Gang began their career in 1966, two years before Sabbath. THey released their first album in 1969, when the British band had not yet recorded their groundbreaking debut.
