Ozzfest helped launched many a band, but long before Ozzy Osbourne started up his festival, he was helping to bring along the next generation of major rock acts. In a new interview with Apple Music, Motley Crue‘s Tommy Lee credits Osbourne for giving the legendary rockers their big break.
“He took us on tour. We were just starting to make some noise, but nothing like [what happened with Osbourne],” recalled Lee to host Travis Mills. “He gave us an opportunity to play in front or 15,000 people in arenas every single night and that just translated into … the band just blew up after that.”
He continues, “If it wasn’t for Ozzy giving us that opportunity to play in front of that many eyeballs every night, we may not be sitting here right now having this conversation. That’s how crazy it is.”
Motley Crue ended up as the opening act on Ozzy Osbourne’s 1984 Bark at the Moon tour. This came as the band was supporting their 1983 album, Shout at the Devil, which proved to be their breakout. The album cycle saw them starting to receive radio airplay for the title track and “Looks That Kill.” The record would climb to No. 17 on the Billboard 200 Album Chart and would go on to be certified four-times platinum in the U.S.
Listen to Tommy Lee speaking with Apple Music’s Travis Mills here.
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