JACK BLACK Covers 'MR. CROWLEY' with Young Rock Musicians in Tribute to OZZY OSBOURNE; VIDEO

Jack Black paid tribute to Ozzy Osbourne with a dramatic performance of “Mr. Crowley”, recorded on video and played during the Back to the Beginning event in Birmingham, England, on Saturday, July 5.

Black didn’t appear in person, but his pre-recorded performance quickly made waves. Wearing a black fringe-sleeve shirt with Ozzy written across the chest, he leaned into the dark theatrical flair of the original 1981 song.

Backed by a band made up of next-generation rockers, the performance felt like a nod to both Osbourne’s legacy and Black’s own role in School of Rock.

The band featured Roman Morello (son of Tom Morello from Rage Against the Machine) on guitar, Revel Ian (son of Scott Ian from Anthrax and Pearl Aday) on bass, Hugo Weiss on keys, and Yoyoka Soma, the young drummer from Japan already known for turning heads online.

One detail that stood out? Well, Roman played a guitar once owned by Randy Rhoads, the late guitarist whose work helped define Osbourne’s solo sound.

At one point in the performance, Black lifted Roman onto his shoulders, a direct reference to the cover of Osbourne’s live album Tribute, where Ozzy is seen holding Rhoads mid-solo.

A Familiar Voice, A New Generation

This isn’t the first time Jack Black has celebrated Ozzy’s music. When Osbourne was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist, Black delivered the speech and shared a vivid memory from his teenage years.

He was 13 when he first heard Blizzard of Ozz, Ozzy’s debut solo album after leaving Black Sabbath. Here’s how Black described that moment:

“He looked so cool. That red and white fringe suit, that wild look in his eyes, the skull, the cross, all that @#$%! It was the most Metal thing I’d ever seen, and I didn’t even know what Metal was. I took that record home, dropped the needle, and the vinyl sky opened above me. Track 2 hit: ‘Crazy Train.’ Colors exploded in my brain. ‘Suicide Solution,’ ‘Mr. Crowley,’ ‘Revelation,’ even ‘Goodbye to Romance.’ Believe me, Ozzy could slow it down. He could do it all.”

The tribute video played during Back to the Beginning, a massive event marking what’s expected to be the final live performance by Black Sabbath with its original lineup.

Ozzy himself delivered a short solo set before reuniting with Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Bill Ward onstage for one last time.

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