Biography
Zakk Wylde stands as a worldwide icon among hard rock and heavy metal players, functioning equally as guitarist, songwriter, and producer. His stature in the field crystallized through an extended collaboration with Ozzy Osbourne that spanned 1988 to 1995. In subsequent years he has fronted Black Label Society, the heavy metal ensemble, while also issuing two predominantly acoustic solo albums that drew widespread critical praise. Rooted in vintage Southern rock, the influence of Peter Green, 1970s hard rock, and classic metal, Wylde’s distinctive pentatonic pinched blues shredding style has shaped countless younger players. His trademark instrument remains a bullseye-painted Les Paul Custom that he refers to as “The Grail.”
Born and raised in New Jersey, Wylde first picked up the guitar at age eight, only to abandon lessons before resuming intensive self-directed practice. He waited until his mid-teens to seek formal instruction again, then assembled his initial group Stone Henge in 1984 and performed with additional acts throughout the Jersey Shore circuit.
During 1987 he forwarded a demo tape to Osbourne and secured the position after one audition. His first recorded appearance arrived the following year on No Rest for the Wicked, an album certified double platinum. Wylde stayed with Osbourne until Ozzmosis in 1995, which also included Black Sabbath bassist Geezer Butler. One year prior he had launched the power trio Pride & Glory; after their self-titled 1995 release the unit dissolved, prompting Wylde—after briefly weighing a spot in Guns N’ Roses—to launch a solo path with the now-classic acoustic-centered Book of Shadows in 1996.
Teaming with drummer Phil Ondich, he tracked Sonic Brew as Black Label Society for Japan’s Spitfire label in 1998; the album reached international markets in spring 1999. The duo later added second guitarist Nick Catanese and bassist John DeServio, though personnel shifted frequently. Robert Trujillo held the bass chair temporarily before departing for Metallica, at which point DeServio returned. Ondich exited after Stronger Than Death in 2000 and was succeeded by Craig Nunenmacher.
Wylde rejoined Osbourne’s lineup in 2001 even as Black Label Society remained active. He contributed to Down to Earth that year and joined the subsequent Live at Budokan tour in 2002. Concurrently he took BLS on the road, yielding the live set Alcohol Fueled Brewtality + 5, followed by the 2002 studio album 1919 Eternal.
His commitment to Black Label Society never wavered. Guitar World readers voted him Most Valuable Guitarist each year from 2003 through 2006 on the strength of both recorded and concert work. The band delivered four additional albums—The Blessed Hellride, Hangover Music Vol. VI, Mafia, and Shot to Hell, the last featuring Catanese and Nunenmacher—between 2003 and 2006 before Wylde resumed studio sessions with Osbourne. He appeared on Black Rain in 2007 and toured through 2009, while the BLS retrospective Skullage also surfaced. Hospitalized for blood clots in 2010, Wylde thereafter ceased drinking.
Returning to the studio with Black Label Society, he issued Order of the Black through E1 in 2011, introducing new drummer Will Hunt.
That same year he guested on American Idol, accompanying James Durbin on a version of Sammy Hagar’s “Heavy Metal.” While touring with Guns N’ Roses, Wylde frequently joined the headliners onstage for AC/DC’s “Whole Lotta Rosie.” In a separate venture he collaborated with Blair’s Sauces and Snacks on “Berserker” Hot Sauce.
Black Label Society issued the two-disc unplugged live album Unblackened in 2013, presenting catalog material alongside fresh studio cuts that included covers of Bill Withers’ “Ain't No Sunshine (When She's Gone)” and Leon Russell’s “A Song for You.” Later that fall Wylde partnered with Death Wish Coffee Company to launch Valhalla Java Odinforce Blend, one of the rare dark roasts offering higher caffeine content than lighter varieties.
By the next Black Label Society sessions Chad Szeliga had replaced Hunt, resulting in Catacombs of the Black Vatican, released in 2014.
Following extensive touring Wylde retreated to his home studio to finish the follow-up to Book of Shadows. Book of Shadows II appeared in spring 2016, twenty years after the original, and contained fifteen intensely personal tracks built on an acoustic foundation.
Born and raised in New Jersey, Wylde first picked up the guitar at age eight, only to abandon lessons before resuming intensive self-directed practice. He waited until his mid-teens to seek formal instruction again, then assembled his initial group Stone Henge in 1984 and performed with additional acts throughout the Jersey Shore circuit.
During 1987 he forwarded a demo tape to Osbourne and secured the position after one audition. His first recorded appearance arrived the following year on No Rest for the Wicked, an album certified double platinum. Wylde stayed with Osbourne until Ozzmosis in 1995, which also included Black Sabbath bassist Geezer Butler. One year prior he had launched the power trio Pride & Glory; after their self-titled 1995 release the unit dissolved, prompting Wylde—after briefly weighing a spot in Guns N’ Roses—to launch a solo path with the now-classic acoustic-centered Book of Shadows in 1996.
Teaming with drummer Phil Ondich, he tracked Sonic Brew as Black Label Society for Japan’s Spitfire label in 1998; the album reached international markets in spring 1999. The duo later added second guitarist Nick Catanese and bassist John DeServio, though personnel shifted frequently. Robert Trujillo held the bass chair temporarily before departing for Metallica, at which point DeServio returned. Ondich exited after Stronger Than Death in 2000 and was succeeded by Craig Nunenmacher.
Wylde rejoined Osbourne’s lineup in 2001 even as Black Label Society remained active. He contributed to Down to Earth that year and joined the subsequent Live at Budokan tour in 2002. Concurrently he took BLS on the road, yielding the live set Alcohol Fueled Brewtality + 5, followed by the 2002 studio album 1919 Eternal.
His commitment to Black Label Society never wavered. Guitar World readers voted him Most Valuable Guitarist each year from 2003 through 2006 on the strength of both recorded and concert work. The band delivered four additional albums—The Blessed Hellride, Hangover Music Vol. VI, Mafia, and Shot to Hell, the last featuring Catanese and Nunenmacher—between 2003 and 2006 before Wylde resumed studio sessions with Osbourne. He appeared on Black Rain in 2007 and toured through 2009, while the BLS retrospective Skullage also surfaced. Hospitalized for blood clots in 2010, Wylde thereafter ceased drinking.
Returning to the studio with Black Label Society, he issued Order of the Black through E1 in 2011, introducing new drummer Will Hunt.
That same year he guested on American Idol, accompanying James Durbin on a version of Sammy Hagar’s “Heavy Metal.” While touring with Guns N’ Roses, Wylde frequently joined the headliners onstage for AC/DC’s “Whole Lotta Rosie.” In a separate venture he collaborated with Blair’s Sauces and Snacks on “Berserker” Hot Sauce.
Black Label Society issued the two-disc unplugged live album Unblackened in 2013, presenting catalog material alongside fresh studio cuts that included covers of Bill Withers’ “Ain't No Sunshine (When She's Gone)” and Leon Russell’s “A Song for You.” Later that fall Wylde partnered with Death Wish Coffee Company to launch Valhalla Java Odinforce Blend, one of the rare dark roasts offering higher caffeine content than lighter varieties.
By the next Black Label Society sessions Chad Szeliga had replaced Hunt, resulting in Catacombs of the Black Vatican, released in 2014.
Following extensive touring Wylde retreated to his home studio to finish the follow-up to Book of Shadows. Book of Shadows II appeared in spring 2016, twenty years after the original, and contained fifteen intensely personal tracks built on an acoustic foundation.
Albums
Singles
