SHARON OSBOURNE Settles Legal Dispute With BLACK SABBATH's First Manager Over Release Of Band's Early Recordings As EARTH

Sharon Osbourne, the wife and manager of the late Ozzy Osbourne, has settled a legal dispute with Jim Simpson, the first manager of BLACK SABBATH, over Simpson's plans to release an album of tracks from the pre-BLACK SABBATH days of Ozzy, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward.

Simpson, who managed BLACK SABBATH in the band's earliest days, announced last year — weeks prior to Ozzy's death — that he intended to release a collection of 1969 demos recorded before the band adopted the BLACK SABBATH name. The material, titled "Earth: The Legendary Lost Tapes", was initially expected for release in July 2025, but Sharon's legal threats put a block on its release, warning Simpson against moving forward without the band's approval. The demos in question feature BLACK SABBATH's original lineup during the brief period when the four musicians performed under the name EARTH.

Sharon offered an update on the legal dispute during an appearance on the latest episode of "The Osbournes" podcast, telling her son Jack (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We settled with Jim Simpson and the band now have their demos back. And all four of them [the original members of BLACK SABBATH] own it, which is where it should be. All of that stuff should be theirs. So it all ended well. So, yeah, they own them. We're gonna talk about what everybody wants to do with it, and we'll go from there."

Sharon added that the EARTH recordings are "very different" from what BLACK SABBATH eventually became, featuring a more blues-driven direction. But she explained: "I just think it's historically important — for music lovers of that genre. And then we got [the rights to] the pictures that were taken at that time too. So, that is all so important. I mean, listen, you [Jack] want those pictures. Everybody in the band's kids and grandkids would love to see [them]… It's special. And I'm just happy that it's where it should be — with the band, and [they can decide] what they wanna do as a band, what they're gonna do with it. So that's great."

Sharon went on to thank Simpson for eventually working out a deal with the members of BLACK SABBATH so that the recordings would end up under their ownership.

"He did the right thing at the end of the day," Sharon said. "He did the right thing for the band."

Simpson, now in his late 80s, previously claimed to have paid for the recordings back in 1969 when Ozzy and the other three musicians were youngsters in a band called EARTH. He said that he had since restored and remastered each track and initially planned to issue the material via his Birmingham blues/jazz label Big Bear Records.

Last fall, Jim insisted that he gave the members of BLACK SABBATH an opportunity to be included in the process of having the recordings officially released, but that they declined.

"I approached members of the band about this on 24 September 2024," he said. "The message I got back was that they didn't want it released and wanted nothing to do with it. This included two very threatening e-mails from Sharon. But the band had every chance to be involved."

Simpson added: "My reason for launching this album is because it will become a crucial segment of music history. It contains recordings that clearly demonstrate what fine music Ozzy, Tony, Geezer and Bill were producing right from the very beginning in their pre-SABBATH days. It shows how these four young men from Birmingham, barely out of their teens, were already remarkable musicians when they existed as EARTH, and that they fully deserved all the success that was to come their way as BLACK SABBATH."

"Earth: The Legendary Lost Tapes" reportedly features three blues covers — "Blue Suede Shoes", "Evenin'" and "Wee Wee Baby" — as well as two versions of a track called "Song For Jim", with the name in the title "referring directly to Simpson," according to Jim. Iommi plays guitar in the first version, while the second version features a rare performance on the flute. There is also an "Untitled" track and three more songs, "Free Man", "Wicked World" and "Warning".

Simpson added: "If we can finally release this album, it will be a great gift to the music world and to millions of SABBATH fans."