Ozzy excluded from Black Sabbath reunion
Thursday, 26 Oct 2006 10:35
Ozzy excluded from Black Sabbath reunion
Ozzy Osbourne's former Black Sabbath bandmates announced yesterday that they were reforming the group for a tour – without their famous lead singer!
Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Geezer Butler and drummer Bill Ward are teaming up with the vocalist who replaced Osbourne in the band in the eighties, a spokeswoman for the trio said.
The spokeswoman confirmed that the band members were planning a tour with Ronnie James Dio early next year under the name Heaven and Hell – the name of the first album the singer recorded with Black Sabbath in the 1980s.
"The fans have been wanting to see this for years and years. Now was just the time," publicist Maureen O'Connor was quoted as saying by the San Francisco Chronicle.
However Osbourne, who 'left' Black Sabbath in the late 1970s due to supposed disagreements about his drug abuse, insists that he has not been left out in the cold again, stressing that the project undertaken by his former band mates has "nothing to do with Black Sabbath".
"Tony Iommi and Ronnie Dio are working on a project together which has nothing to do with Black Sabbath. There is only one Black Sabbath," a statement on Osbourne's official website reads.
"Ozzy, Tony, Geezer and Bill will be touring late next year along with a new Black Sabbath album. However, Ozzy wishes Tony and Ronnie much success in their project together," the statement adds.
Following his career with Black Sabbath, veteran rocker Osbourne enjoyed newfound fame in MTV reality show The Osbournes.