MYLES KENNEDY Says Singing 'Crazy Train' In Front Of OZZY OSBOURNE Was 'Fun But Intimidating'

In a new interview with iHeartRadio Canada's JD Lewis, ALTER BRIDGE singer Myles Kennedy, who also fronts Slash's solo band, SLASH FEATURING MYLES KENNEDY & THE CONSPIRATORS, was asked if he had any fond memories of legendary heavy metal singer Ozzy Osbourne. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Obviously, [Ozzy] had a profound [effect on me]. The first time I heard 'Diary Of A Madman', it was just, like, 'What is happening? This is amazing.' I do have fond memories of [touring with him with] Slash and THE CONSPIRATORS. We toured with Ozzy — I think it was 15 years ago. We supported him on a record and did an arena run, and that was really cool, just getting to watch that night after night. And I think what I learned — his superpower was just his ability to connect with the audience and how much the audience just adored him. And you could tell he fed off that. And I think a lot artists will probably say the same thing about why they do this. They love that energy. But there's just something that was really profound about watching him every night. It was kind of beautiful, and it was really inspiring for me. And I think that was his superpower — other than, obviously, his great melodic sense and he had a thing that was very unique to him. But there was something just so endearing that people loved about him."

Myles also reflected on his performance of the Ozzy classic "Crazy Train" with SLASH FEATURING MYLES KENNEDY & THE CONSPIRATORS at the 2014 MTV Europe Music Awards in Glasgow. The performance was a tribute to Osbourne, who received the Global Icon Award during the event.

"I remember rehearsing — even though I knew the song well, and I'd heard it a billion times, but I remember practicing it just over and over and over, knowing that [Ozzy] would be sitting in the audience," Myles said. "Sometimes people, when they do covers, they'll run it one or two times. I was, like, 'Ozzy is gonna be sitting there. I really wanna do this justice.' So I remember spending two weeks, just every day, just running it just over and over and over again. So, yeah, it was really fun, but it was also kind of intimidating, knowing he was sitting there."

Best known as the voice of ALTER BRIDGE and Slash's backing band, THE CONSPIRATORS, Kennedy has also released three solo albums, 2018's "Year Of The Tiger", 2021's "The Ides Of March" and 2024's "The Art Of Letting Go".

One of the most distinctive voices in modern music today, Myles is a consummate musician. Equally accomplished as a vocalist, guitarist, and songwriter, he is also an in-demand collaborator, having worked with artists including SEVENDUST, GOV'T MULE, DISTURBED, HALESTORM, LAMB OF GOD's Mark Morton and Darryl "DMC" McDaniels.

Based in Spokane, Washington, Myles also possesses a rich history as an instructor and session guitarist.

ALTER BRIDGE self-titled eighth studio album was released on January 9 via Napalm Records.