In a recent conversation with Metal Mayhem ROC, as translated by blabbermouth.net, legendary vocalist and bassist Glenn Hughes opened up about the profound impact of Ozzy Osbourne’s death. When asked about how he was coping with the loss of the Black Sabbath frontman, Hughes shared heartfelt memories of their decades-long friendship.
“I’ve known Ozzy and [fellow Black Sabbath members] Geezer [Butler], Tony [Iommi], and Bill [Ward] since 1970,” Hughes said. “They took off that year with Paranoid, and I was very friendly with them back then. So I’ve known those guys for 55 years. So when we lose someone — we, as the general public, lose someone — we lose icons and famous people. But I’ve lost family members.”
Hughes went on to describe just how close he and Ozzy were in the early years of their careers. “Ozzy was one of my closest friends, especially in the ’70s when we lived eight miles from one another,” he explained. “He spent a lot of time at my house. I spent a lot of time at his house. He wanted me to be in a band with him in 1979 when he left Sabbath. And at that time I didn’t wanna go back to playing bass guitar and singing second vocals, with respect, ’cause I love Ozzy very much. I just wanted to be the Glenn Hughes we all know now — lead-singing bass player. So I had to decline that. But all through these years, Ozzy‘s been very, very close to me.”
Hughes described Ozzy as someone truly special: “Ozzy was one of the most genuine guys you will ever meet — genuine, loving, kind human beings.”
Over the years, Hughes collaborated with Tony Iommi on multiple projects. He provided vocals for Seventh Star (1986) and later worked with Iommi again on Fused (2005). He was also featured on the collection of unreleased tracks known as 1996 DEP Sessions (2004).
Hughes is currently preparing for the release of his brand-new studio album, Chosen, which will arrive on September 5 through Frontiers Music Srl.
Leading up to the album’s release, Hughes has already unveiled several singles. The official video for the title track, Chosen, debuted in early June. This was followed by a video for “Voice In My Head” in July, and in early August, Hughes shared another track, “Into The Fade”.
In addition to new music, Hughes is hitting the road for an extensive run of shows. His upcoming The Chosen Years tour will kick off on September 2 in Zoetermeer, Netherlands, and wrap up on November 29 in Bogota, Colombia, covering multiple stops across Europe and South America.
