Blizzard of Cash...
The letters page of the January 1992 issue of Riff Raff includes the following fascinating letter from URIAH HEAP and OZZY OSBOURNE drummer Lee Kerslake. This reveals more of Sharon Osbourne's dirty, money-grubbing behaviour.
Over to you, Lee.
"Dear Riff Raff,
I am replying to an article that you wrote in your October issue 'Ozzy Osbourne Retrospective #4.' I'm sick of the false information that papers are writing. Bob Daisley and myself did both right and record the album Diary of a Madman as well as Blizzard... Tommy Aldridge and Rudy Sarso's photos were put on the inner sleeve by Sharon and Ozzy. Why I will never know? A sad day when a credit of such importance is taken away from us!"
Editor Mark Crampton replied:
"I agree, the credits of the album are extremely misleading; results in poor sources of information. Sorry for any inconvenience caused- Ed"
This is typical Sharon Osbourne shenanigans.
In 1998, Kerslake and Daisley finally got lawyered up and filed a joint lawsuit against Ozzy and his wife/manager Sharon, seeking royalties and credits for their contributions to the Blizzard of Ozz and Diary of a Madman albums.
The Osbournes responded by removing Kerslake and Daisley's performances from the 2002 reissues of both albums and having them re-recorded by bassist Robert Trujillo and drummer Mike Bordin.
The next year Kerslake and Daisley's lawsuit was dismissed by the US District Court in Los Angeles, presumably because the Osbournes had bigger lawyers.
The fans, however, didn't care for the rerecorded version and a subsequent reissue restored the original bass and drum tracks in 2011.
In 1998, Kerslake and Daisley finally got lawyered up and filed a joint lawsuit against Ozzy and his wife/manager Sharon, seeking royalties and credits for their contributions to the Blizzard of Ozz and Diary of a Madman albums.
The Osbournes responded by removing Kerslake and Daisley's performances from the 2002 reissues of both albums and having them re-recorded by bassist Robert Trujillo and drummer Mike Bordin.
The next year Kerslake and Daisley's lawsuit was dismissed by the US District Court in Los Angeles, presumably because the Osbournes had bigger lawyers.
The fans, however, didn't care for the rerecorded version and a subsequent reissue restored the original bass and drum tracks in 2011.
When Kerslake died in 2020 at the age of 73, Ozzy's social media shared a photo of the two of them during the Blizzard of Ozz album recording sessions at Ridge Farm Studio in West Sussex in 1980, with the following perfunctory message, which may or may not have been written by Ozzy himself:
"It’s been 39 years since I’ve seen Lee but he lives for ever on the records he played on for me, Blizzard of Ozz and Diary of a Madman. Lee Kerslake RIP"
The moral of the story, as usual. is that Sharon always wins (and is a bitch)!
Colin Liddell
Revenge of Riff Raff
22nd May, 2025
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