The City of West Hollywood will honor the amazing musical legacy of rock
superstar
Ozzy Osbourne by declaring Thursday, September 10, 2009 "Ozzy Osbourne Day" in West Hollywood. That night, the
Sunset Strip Music Festival will kick off with a tribute to
Ozzy Osbourne at the House of Blues, 8430 Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood.
Osbourne will also close the Sunset Strip Music Festival when he performs Saturday, September 12, 2009. That set will mark
Ozzy's first full performance on the famous Sunset Strip in almost 40 years and his first as a solo artist. In 1970, as the frontman for
BLACK SABBATH,
Ozzy performed a five-night stand at the Whisky A Go-Go as part of their first U.S. tour.
"
Ozzy has had a sizeable musical impact," said West Hollywood Mayor Pro Tempore
John Heilman, who has been instrumental in the establishment of the
Sunset Strip Music Festival. "We want to salute all of his contributions to the music industry and to the Sunset Strip,"
Heilman continued.
Grammy Award-winning
Ozzy Osbourne's illustrious career has spanned 39 years and includes record sales of more than 50 million as a solo artist and more than 50 million albums as a member of the group
BLACK SABBATH. Highlights of
Ozzy's career include the release of his first solo record,
"Blizzard of Ozz", in 1980 with the record quickly going four times platinum. Throughout the '80s,
Ozzy released seven records with each one selling more than two million copies. During the 1990s,
Ozzy released five records with each going multi-platinum.
Ozzy and
Sharon, his wife and manager, also launched
Ozzfest music festival, which was the first national music festival of its kind dedicated to hard rock music and breaking new artists. More than 1.4 million fans attend the annual
Ozzfest music festival which
Ozzy headlines.
Ozzy received his first
Grammy Award in 1993 for "Best Metal Performance" for
"I Don't Want to Change the World".
During the new millennium,
Ozzy embraced mainstream success with the reality show
"The Osbournes". The show debuted on
MTV to a record-breaking audience for a new program. Further episodes created a national sensation around the
Osbourne family and ratings skyrocketed to become the highest-ever in
MTV's 22-year history with the show remaining the highest rated series in
MTV's history.
Perhaps less known for his extensive philanthropic contributions,
Ozzy Osbourne performed at the 1985
Live Aid event to benefit world hunger. A portion of all proceeds from
Ozzfest is donated to various charities and he has helped raise millions of dollars in support of several charities, including
21st Century Leaders;
MusiCares;
Music for Relief;
Prince's Trust;
Save the Children;
Sharon Osbourne Colon Cancer Program; and
Whatever it Takes.
