“Ozzy didn’t know I had been a student of Randy’s. He stood right in front of me while I played and afterward told me that my style reminded him of Randy”: How Joe Holmes got the coveted Ozzy Osbourne gig

Joe Holmes has looked back on his Ozzy Osbourne audition, recalling how the influence of his mentor and guitar teacher set him up perfectly for the gig.

Things were different in the ‘90s. Job applications were not so finessed. There was no ChatGPT to help punch up your resumé. Ask Holmes, the former Ozzy Osbourne guitarist.

Holmes had applied for the most exalted professional position any rock-metal maniac with an electric guitar could hold, playing guitar for the Double O, the Prince of Darkness, the man who gave metal a voice.

Presumably, Holmes had sent Team Osbourne a recent photo, maybe a sizzle reel and a copy of Lizzy Borden’s Visual Lies for reference.

But he left out one crucial detail, perhaps one tidbit from his bio that would have opened the door to him; his guitar teacher was none other than Randy Rhoads, the guitarist who lit the blue touch paper on Ozzy’s solo career and got him back in the game.

Luckily, Holmes got the audition anyway, he got the job, and his new boss paid him the ultimate compliment. In a new interview with Guitar World, Holmes says he will never forget it.

“One of the best compliments and memories that I have with Ozzy was from my audition,” recalls Holmes. “Before I came in, he didn’t know that I had been a student of Randy’s. He stood right in front of me while I played and afterward told me that my approach and style reminded him of Randy.”

Ironically, having an approach and a style that was like Rhoads was one of the reasons his predecessor, Zakk Wylde, had got the gig in ’87. But Rhoads’ schooling had prepared Holmes well. It didn’t hurt that he was well-versed in Jake E. Lee’s style, too.

Holmes turned up fully strapped for the audition, a Fender Stratocaster in hand, a Marshall amp modded by the late hot-rodding guru Jose Arredondo, and a couple of speaker cabinets to blow some air around the room.

“It was great,” he says. “It felt very natural, having been brought up by Randy’s playing. I auditioned on about four or five songs, then Ozzy shook my hand and said, ‘Welcome aboard.’

“Ozzy was very kind and approachable. He really put me at ease. Ultimately, being a student of Randy’s technique and being familiar with Jake and Zakk’s playing made it a natural fit.”

Holmes was hardly an unknown. He had toured with David Lee Roth in 1991, replacing Jason Becker following his ALS diagnosis. Assuming a role that shred kingpin Becker had held, playing Eddie Van Halen’s riffs and solos as DLR aired some of his Van Halen catalog, this was no easy gig.

That gave Holmes vital experience of working with an A-list vocalist. But he leaves all the credit to his teacher, the player who had been his guiding star growing up.

“Randy was and is my biggest influence as a guitar player,” says Holmes. “He was the perfect teacher for me at a very impressionable age growing up. It was such a great time in my life going to lessons with my dad and spending time with Randy.”

Holmes recalls Rhoads as having the most important gift any guitar teacher can have.

“He was so patient and made sure I understood what he was teaching me before I left every lesson,” says Holmes. “He put things in terms I could understand and that have stuck with me to this day. His love for music, guitar playing, and learning was contagious.”

As for Ozzy, Holmes describes the late Black Sabbath frontman and all-round metal icon as a “great guy and a humble person”.

“I’m so grateful for the time I had with him,” says Holmes.

The full interview with Joe Holmes will be published in the coming weeks.