Rob Halford has long carried the title of “Metal God” thanks to his work with Judas Priest, and over the years, he has also stepped in to lend his voice to other legendary bands. His ties with Black Sabbath go back decades, and on a few occasions, he was called to fill in as their vocalist.
The first time came in the early 90s, after Black Sabbath released Dehumanizer, with Ronnie James Dio. The band has agreed to open two special California dates on Ozzy Osbourne‘s No More Tours. Dio refused to front Sabbath for the gigs, and then Halford was tapped to step in.
When asked by UCR how he prepared, Halford explained (via Ultimate Guitars): “We were able to prepare because Tony, Geezer, and Bill were on tour, and they came through Phoenix. We actually jammed somewhere here in the valley. We prepared for that one. I found out the other day that Ozzy was on the side banging his head while we were working.”
Reflecting on that revelation, he added: “I did not know about that, but a close friend of mine said, ‘Yeah, I was standing by Ozzy while he was giving everybody the thumbs up.’”
Halford would later step in for Ozzy Osbourne himself. That moment came unexpectedly during Ozzfest 2004, and his account paints a vivid picture of the chaos and urgency of the night:
“The other time in New Jersey was really spontaneous. I’m in my hotel room in Philadelphia, and Sharon calls me up, and she goes, ‘Robbie, can you help us out? Ozzy‘s lost his voice.’ I said, ‘Yeah, what do you want me to do?’ ‘Can you sing for him?’ I said, ‘Yeah, anytime.’ She goes, ‘Tonight.’ I said, ‘Tonight?!’”
The timing made it even more nerve-wracking, as both Judas Priest and Black Sabbath were touring together.
“We were together, Priest and Sabbath, on that tour. So I’m like, ‘Oh my God!’ She goes, ‘Oh, you know all of the Sabbath songs!’ I said, ‘I do, but talk about short notice!’ I asked her, ‘Can you hand a courier the last couple of shows on VHS and I’ll check it out on the way to the venue?’”
With no rehearsal time, Halford improvised his preparation on the road: “So on the drive from the hotel in Philly to the venue in the back lounge of the bus, I just sang along with the show. That was the only kind of prep that I had. Of course, I did the Priest show and then straight afterwards, changed my shirt and went out and did the Sabbath show.”
Moments like these show why Halford remains such a towering figure in heavy metal history, capable of stepping into impossible situations and making them unforgettable.
