Lori Burns (English only)
Full Professor, School of Music, Faculty of Arts.
[email protected]
Professor Burns' research and expertise includes:
- Metal music genre
- Intersection of cultural theory and musical analysis in popular music
- General popular music
- Pop culture studies
"Ozzy Osbourne had an enduring and profound impact on the genre of metal music. As the original vocalist of Black Sabbath, their debut album (Black Sabbath, 1970), was foundational for metal music, with its dark aesthetic and gothic themes. Their slow, heavy, down-tuned, blues-based work became the framework for an aesthetic of heaviness that branched out to become the heavy metal of the 70s and 80s. For instance, the Gothic elements influenced Gothic rock and metal while the blues elements influenced doom metal and sludge metal.
"The band reunited to record their final album, 13 (2013), and toured that material as their final official tour, which incidentally played in Ottawa (2014). The recent Back to the Beginning concert was not only an opportunity for the band to reunite for a final performance, but also for their legacy to be celebrated through performances by a long list of significant metal bands."
Stuart Chambers (English only)
Part-time Professor, Department of Communication, Faculty of Arts.
[email protected]
Professor Chambers expertise includes music and popular culture.
"Ozzy Osbourne was the godfather of heavy metal/hard rock music. Although his fame began with Black Sabbath, his popularity skyrocketed between 1981-1991 with a series of solo albums. Anyone who grew up watching MTV understands the importance of Blizzard of Oz, Diary of a Madman, Bark at the Moon, and especially No More Tears, which went five-times platinum in America.
"Most importantly, Ozzy took the hard-rock genre to another level, adding world-class musicianship, melody, and meaningful lyrics, not to mention an instantly recognizable voice. The chemistry of all those elements made him a working-class hero. He'll be missed the world over."