During the July 26 episode of his Spirit Campfire show on Real America’s Voice, rock veteran Ted Nugent offered a heartfelt tribute to the late Ozzy Osbourne. But amid his emotional farewell, one particular comment stood out — Nugent boldly claimed that Black Sabbath’s music wasn’t heavy metal at its core — it was blues.
The remark, while honoring Sabbath’s legendary sound, challenged decades of categorization and left fans revisiting the roots of one of rock’s most influential bands.
“They called it heavy metal, but basically it was blues,” Nugent said during his broadcast.
He then dove deeper into Ozzy Osbourne’s biggest musical influences — and they weren’t bands like Metallica or Slayer, but artists from the American blues and early rock ‘n’ roll scenes.
“Remember, Ozzy always celebrated that he was just obsessed with the spirit, the energy, the authority, the musicality of The Beatles,” he said. “And you know where The Beatles’ musical authority came from? Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters, Mose Allison, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Jimmy Reed, B.B. King, Albert King, Freddie King, ultimately Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley, and Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis.”
In Nugent’s view, Black Sabbath may have popularized the term “heavy metal,” but the DNA of their sound was soaked in blues rhythms and phrasing.
“What Black Sabbath — Tony Iommi and Geezer [Butler] and… I can’t remember the drummer’s name — what they did was basically heavier, thicker, grinding rhythm and blues music.”
Nugent also spoke of his personal history with the band, recalling his time playing alongside them in the early ’70s:
“[My band] The Amboy Dukes opened up for the Black Sabbath concerts in Detroit, Michigan, in 1971, 1972… at Madison Square Garden and Long Island Coliseum… 18,000 people. Big giant concerts.”
Beyond the genre debate, Nugent made it clear he held enormous respect for Osbourne as an artist, even though he disagreed with aspects of the singer’s lifestyle.
“Now, did I disagree — in fact, I not only disagreed with a big part of his lifestyle, I condemned it… But you know what? I loved Ozzy Osbourne.”
“He had an incredible, uncanny sense of melody and phrasing and cadence… He created his own style and his own genre. Heavy metal — he was the God of heavy metal.”
Nugent concluded his tribute by affirming Ozzy’s impact on music history and calling for fans to remember him not only as a Prince of Darkness, but as a true bluesman at heart.
“So Ozzy, thank you. To the Osbourne family, we love you… His music will never fade away.”
