Ozzy connected the whole world. We did a double bill with Ozzy Osbourne on my birthday in 1981. He was beginning his solo career after getting kicked out of Sabbath and he was off to a roaring start with the great Randy Rhoads on guitar. Ozzy and the Hi-Techs were booked on a tv show called “After Hours” that ran on Channel 31 in Rochester.
Ozzy went first and he was still performing when we got to the studio. We were not allowed in the studio. It was loud enough outside. When the band finished they and the roadies all went down to bar on the lower level of the building on East Avenue. We couldn’t get in to the studio to set up and perform until they packed up and that wasn’t gonna happen until the bar closed at two. We didn’t get to play until 4AM. The studio had somebody writhing around during one of our songs but the live performance was pretty good. I think it’s the only video footage of the Hi-Techs.
This video clip from the same night of Ozzy performing “Mr. Crowley” with Randy Rhoads has been viewed 93 million times! It remains the only professionally shot video of Randy Rhoads performing full songs with Ozzy. Rhoads died less than a year after this video in a bone-headed plane accident. RIP Ozzy.
Leave a comment