Long before he became the Prince of Darkness and helped invent heavy metal with Black Sabbath, Ozzy Osbourne was just a young music-obsessed kid in Birmingham soaking up everything the British Invasion had to offer.
While many know about his love for The Beatles and Led Zeppelin, Ozzy has a special soft spot for a band that often gets overlooked today — the Dave Clark Five.
In a past interview, Ozzy spoke passionately about the group:
“I wanted to be a member of that group. Even the drummer looked sexy, you know. Dave Clark was ahead of anyone else. I wanted to be a member of the Dave Clark Five. I remember being at a school dance and ‘Glad All Over’ came on and it sent chills in my spine. People don’t realize how big they were. They were absolutely huge.”
The Dave Clark Five, known for hits like “Glad All Over,” “Bits and Pieces,” and “Catch Us If You Can,” were massive in the 1960s but have since faded from mainstream conversation compared to The Beatles or The Rolling Stones. Ozzy credited them with shaping his early vision of what a rock band could be — energetic, gritty, and full of attitude.
\It’s fascinating to hear Ozzy — the godfather of heavy metal — gush over a band known for upbeat, danceable British Invasion pop-rock. This shows how broad his influences were and how even “lighter” 60s bands helped fuel the fire that would eventually lead to the birth of Black Sabbath. The Dave Clark Five may be forgotten by many, but they clearly left a lasting mark on one of rock’s most iconic voices.
