“Ozzy pulled me by the hand and said, laughing, ‘You were the only guitarist who said me’ no ‘,” the instrumentalist, invited in the 1990s recalls
In your solo career, Ozzy Osbourne He worked with some of the best musicians in the history of Heavy Metal. The list of guitarists, in particular, draws attention: Randy Rhoads, Jake E. Lee, Zakk Wylde and Gus G They are among those who were official members of their band; among punctual employees, there are names like Steve goes, Alex Skolnick and Brad Gillis.
And there are those who were tested or almost worked with the singer: George Lynch, Richie Kotzen, Buckethead… And so on. Among them all, only one refused the invitation to work with Madman.
The “no” came from Nuno Bettencourt. The musician born in Portugal and resident of the United States since childhood became famous for the work with the Extreme – which is why he denied entering the Osbourne band.
Bettencourt recalled the story, divided into two distinct ages, in an interview with Page Six. The early stage involves a teenager dream: Nuno, still 15, wanted to join Ozzy’s band after Randy Rhoads’ death in 1982. He even tried his luck without success.
“There was an ad to send a cassette tape. So I recorded and sent. I swore I could get into the band. Of course it didn’t roll. No one ever called me.”
Already adult and experimenting with success with Extreme, Bettencourt received the invitation with which he dreamed in adolescence. In a way, it was too late.
“Twelve years later, between 1995 and 1996, I am opening a show of the Aerosmith With Extreme in London and my tours agent arrives saying: ‘Sharon [esposa e empresária do Ozzy] Just called, Ozzy wants you to go to his band. ‘ And I said no. I was in a band that was starting to settle, Extreme, and we had released hits. ”
The most surprising thing is that, still in 1996, Extreme announced the closure of its activities, after a series of divergences and the modest repercussion of the album Waiting for the Punchline (1995). Still, Nuno does not regret the decision – with unprecedented recognized by Ozzy himself weeks before his death in July, on the eve of the farewell festival Back to the beginning.
“The last words we said to each other when we took the big group photo of Back to The Beginning were… I was at his feet, I grabbed his hand and said, ‘Thanks for everything and for what you mean to me.’ Then he pulled me by hand and said, ‘You were the only guitarist who told me’ no ‘. [Risos] I love you. Thanks for being here ‘. ”
Nuno Bettencourt honoring Ozzy Osbourne
On July 5, Nuno Bettencourt was probably one of the musicians who took the most on the stage of Villa Park, a stadium in England who received the farewell of Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath. The guitarist participated in several performances of the supergroups assembled to play songs from the band’s careers and the artist honored.
In early September, the Extreme member returned to the Osbourne tribute, now on the stage of MTV Video Music Awards (VMA). With members of Aerosmith and from Yungbludhe played the songs “Crazy Train” and “Mama I’m Coming Home”.
About this, the Portuguese American said:
“Honoring it means everything to me, especially for my teenager who was starting to hear rock and metal. He was a godfather for us. The fact that he did what he did with Black Sabbath and had a totally different solo career, as well as a reality show star… This guy affected the culture and played everyone in a different way. Even though we didn’t know he would die – I mean, we knew, but we didn’t know. ”
+++ read more: Why deaths from Ozzy and David Bowie were similar, according to Josh Homme
+++ Read more: The only singer authorized by Ozzy to replace him on Black Sabbath
+++ read more: another iommi? The left -handed guitarist who almost joined Ozzy band
+++ Follow Rolling Stone Brasil @rollingstonebrasil on Instagram
+++ Follow journalist Igor Miranda @igormirandasite on Instagram
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Source: Rollingstone
Earl Johnson is a music writer at Gossipify, known for his in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the industry. A graduate of USC with a degree in Music, he brings years of experience and passion to his writing. He covers the latest releases and trends, always on the lookout for the next big thing in music.
