Jake E Lee ~ Ozzy’s Forgotten Guitarist ~ Deserves Better
Jake E. Lee - the Ozzy Osbourne Lead guitarist that time forgot !
Jake E Lee deserves a better crack of the whip and should be mentioned alongside the other guitarists who’ve played with Ozzy Osbourne
Read more and see him in action - he had hair exactly like mine !
Because Ozzy is so closely associated with two hugely influential guitar players, Tony Iommi and Randy Rhoads, it is easy to forget about Jake E Lee and that would be a shame.
He did some good work and I get a little tired of not seeing his name mentioned when people talk or write about the pantheon of lead guitarists, such a Zakk Wylde and the like, who’ve played with Ozzy.
Born 1957 in the USA he did a few bits before joining Ronnie James Dio for a very brief period then taking the place of Randy Rhoads. Ozzy very nearly went for George Lynch of Dokken fame, I subsequently read, but Jake it was and he went on to tour with the band and record two studio albums - Bark at the Moon and Ultimate Sin.
In fairness to all concerned it was hard to see how Blizzard of Oz and Diary of a Madman were ever going to be followed so it seems unfair to ignore this guitarists work.
As a side point for regular readers if you look to the left that’s pretty much how I used to look around that time - hair virtually identical !
I firmly believe he deserves a shout and should not be glossed over.
Randy Rhoads was hugely influential and wrote some spectacular guitar parts, without doubt resurrecting the career of Ozzy who wouldn’t be where is today without the now sadly departed Randall, but that doesn’t make Jake E Lee forgettable.
He went on to form Badlands which I bought and it too was a good record as well as doing a few solo projects, I believe he is now back on the scene, if that’s the right phrase for this, with 80s glam band Enuff Z’Nuff
I’ve stuck a video below which is circa 1983 I believe, a quarter of a century ago ! seems like yesterday, it’s the title track of the first Ozzy album Bark at the Moon - a great riff, some very solid rhythm work and a very effective solo - go on give it a listen.
Don’t forget him !
Charvel/Stratingly Yours
Rod
Little Brother said,
November 26, 2009 @ 11:05 pm
Rod,
I remember everyone wanting one of those gloves!!
LB
erik said,
December 28, 2009 @ 4:27 am
Jake came up with alot of good riffs and very well organized music. However, it wasn’t breath taking and he couldn’t make every song special. The rest of the songs were weak and fillers and that’s why ozzy fired him.
lee said,
April 27, 2011 @ 7:45 am
randy was great but you are right we should remember jake because he filled some big shoes after randy’s death and the fact he kicks ass
paul said,
January 1, 2012 @ 10:48 am
in my opinion Ozzy’s best axe man.Wilder on a guitar than Randy and Zakk,his riffs a lot edgier too!
Loads of stage presence and a real character.I think what happened was both oz and jake,both guys with a lot of character and most likley thats what caused the split.A real shame as it was an era for ozzy when the band was at their peak and some of their best material although I would say the ultimate sin being the better of the two jake albums.it would be great in 2012 if they could bury the hatchet!
A 25 yr feud….I think you have made your point guys!
David Sanderson said,
January 1, 2012 @ 11:21 am
Ozzy got through some guitarists, I remember Brad Gillis and Bernie Torme stepped in briefly, Jake E Lee did a good job replacing Randy Rhoads, wasn’t Jake auditioned for Dio before Vivian Campbell joined? The first Ozzy album is a classic, Diary of a Madman has quite a lot of filler but I think the Ultimate Sin was unfairly slated, it does sound very 80’s but it’s nowhere near as bad as some critics make out, I give it a spin every so often and overall I prefer it to Bark at the moon.
Rod said,
January 1, 2012 @ 4:42 pm
When Ozzy was trying to get Bernie Torme he tried to induce him by treating him to a guitar as a gift.
Torme and the guitar was subsequently featured on the front cover of a Guitar Mag with the headline
‘This is the Guitar Ozzy Gave Me’ . . .
I was once owned by me !
Best
Rod