Ren Owens may need to stop and pinch himself when he takes the stage at the Greater Baton Rouge State Fair on Friday night.
Owens, of Walker, saw the late "Prince of Darkness" Ozzy Osbourne for the first time at the fair in 1983. He was fortunate enough to see the heavy metal icon in concert two more times. Osbourne died July 22 at age 76.
"Now I get to pay honor to Ozzy at the first place I've ever seen him live," Owens, who takes on the Osbourne persona to sing vocals for the Louisiana tribute band Oz Born, says.
The band's four members, all in their 50s and with day jobs, get together each Sunday to rehearse, i.e. rock out. And they'd like you to join them at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Airline Highway Park/Fairgrounds to bang your head, too.
Before the guys put on their black T-shirts, jeans and chains, and grab their guitars, they answered a few questions about the birth and life of Oz Born.
So who else is in the band?
Brad Vicory, of Watson, is on guitar and backing vocals; Johnny Wilson, of Baton Rouge, is on bass; and drummer is Keith Knight, also of Baton Rouge.
Brad Vicory, left, on guitar and Johnny Wilson, on bass, lend their talents to the band Oz Born.
How long has the band been together? How did you get started?
Owens: Oz Born originated in April 2022. Our first show was Oct. 29, 2022, with Liliac (a five-piece family hard rock band from Atlanta). I've been doing Ozzy for over 30 years in different bands. That originated with a show with the AC/DC tribute Noise Pollution, out of California. At the end of the show, they called me to the side and told me, “We've played all over United States and played with many top Ozzy Osbourne tribute acts. You do Ozzy better than anybody we've ever seen! You need to do an Ozzy tribute band." So, I said, “That sounds like a great idea!” Finding the right group of guys was the hard part.
Would you say you’re all big Osbourne fans or is one of you considered the biggest?
Owens: Hell yes!! We all love Ozzy! Who doesn't?
Ren Owens first saw his idol Ozzy Osbourne at the Greater Baton Rouge State Fair in 1983.
What are your musical backgrounds?
Knight: I’ve been playing for 39 years. I’m more of a progressive rock/jazz fusion player but always loved metal as well. I studied with assorted instructors over the years, including some at LSU School of Music and with recording artist Matt Greiner of August Burns Red.
Wilson: 40 years (of playing) for me.
Vicory: I’ve been playing for 51 years.
Have you been in any other bands that Baton Rouge area readers may remember?
Knight: Black Rose, Soldier Blue, Subculture and Ballistic Drift
Wilson: Stomping Ground, Money Shot and Ballistic Drift
Owens: I was in several bands but my band Scary Lane was my main inspiration because I was in that project for 33 years, and we played a lot of big shows.
Vicory: Metal Anthem, Vieux Carré, Accomplice, Modesty Blaze, Ash and Bedlam
Johnny Wilson handles bass for the Ozzy Osbourne tribute band Oz Born, who'll perform Friday night at the Greater Baton Rouge State Fair.
What is your favorite Ozzy Osbourne song to perform?
Owens: "Fairies Wear Boots"
Knight: Probably either "Crazy Babies" or "Believer." The drums in those are really fun.
Vicory: "Over the Mountain"
Wilson: "Believer"
Can I ask what your day jobs are?
Knight: I started and have owned and run a professional aquarium services company called Copperfish Aquatics. Started it in 1991.
Wilson: I do machine shop work.
Vicory: Project manager/estimator for a commercial electrical contractor.
Do you perform anything in addition to Ozzy tunes?
Owens: Collectively, we know thousands of songs, but we just do Ozzy and Black Sabbath (the band Ozzy co-founded in 1968) in the Oz Born tribute.
Would you run through how a typical rehearsal goes?
Owens: We set up and rehearse like we're doing a show. We will stop and discuss the beginnings and endings of songs, rehearse the intros and work on getting everything tight and sounding like the album. We want to give the fans the best show we can possibly give them so they can walk away believing that they just saw Ozzy Osbourne.
