“I got a letter from Ozzy telling me my services weren’t needed and Axl had gotten rid of me”: How Zakk Wylde launched Black Label Society with the booze-fuelled chaos of Sonic Brew

Zakk Wylde brandishing a guitar and Ritchie Blackmore performing onstage in 1985.

Zakk Wylde is one of rock’s most recognisable and prolific guitarist. After making his name in the late 80s as a teenage hotshot with Ozzy Osbourne, the end of the following decade found him striking out on his own with Black Label Society. In 2008, he looked back on the turbulent creation of BLS’s debut album Sonic Brew - potential lawsuits and all.

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