As the rock world continues to mourn the loss of Ozzy Osbourne, whose passing last July capped a lifetime of chaos and brilliance, fans are digging deeper into the Prince of Darkness’ storied history. One unexpected thread resurfacing this week? A bizarre chapter involving Great White guitarist Mark Kendall, his old bandmate Don Costa, and Ozzy’s short-lived lineup with Jake E. Lee – complete with headbutts, fleeting gigs, and audition near-misses that could fill a metal memoir.
In a recent X exchange on September 25, Kendall – the axe-wielding founder of the “Rock You Like a Hurricane”-era hard rockers – set the record straight on Costa’s tangled path through the Osbourne camp.ab93f0 Responding to a fan’s post about early Great White precursors Dante Fox, Kendall clarified: “Costa was never in Great White, he was in Dante Fox for 2 1/2 years before we changed the name… He played in Ozzy with Jake E. Lee for a couple months. Costa, Tony [Richards], and I bought a house in 1980 for an investment.”
The anecdote, sparked by a throwback photo of Dante Fox (featuring Kendall, future Great White singer Jack Russell, drummer Tony Richards, and bassist Costa), quickly drew likes from rock diehards nostalgic for the Sunset Strip’s wilder days. But as Kendall revealed in a series of 2019-2021 interviews with full in bloom, the real stories are even juicier – laced with violence, opportunity, and the kind of “what if” moments that define hair metal lore.
It all traces back to 1987, when Jake E. Lee – fresh off helming Ozzy’s Bark at the Moon (1983) and The Ultimate Sin (1986) – parted ways with the Madman amid creative clashes and Sharon Osbourne’s iron-fisted management. Enter Don Costa, Kendall’s pre-Great White collaborator from Dante Fox, who got the call-up through an unlikely connection: Dokken shredder George Lynch.
“George called me out of the blue,” Kendall recounted in a 2019 full in bloom chat.9697f2 “He knew Don from around the scene and said Ozzy needed a bassist quick. I put in a good word – Don was solid, man. Next thing you know, he’s rehearsing with Jake E. Lee and Ozzy in this madhouse setup.” Costa’s tenure? A blistering two months of tour prep, where he locked in with Lee’s neoclassical fury on tracks like “Crazy Train” revamps and new material. But as Kendall tells it, the gig imploded in spectacular fashion: a backstage brawl that ended with Costa on the receiving end of an Ozzy headbutt.
“Heads up – literally,” Kendall laughed in the interview, detailing how a heated argument over setlists escalated into fisticuffs.ffbf04 “Ozzy was in one of his moods, y’know? Don didn’t back down, and boom – headbutt city. Sharon swoops in, show’s over for Don. Fired on the spot.” Costa limped back to L.A., house-hunting with Kendall and Richards as a silver lining to the chaos. (That 1980 investment property? Still standing, per Kendall’s X lore.)
The fallout opened doors – and heartbreaks – for other shredders. Kendall himself threw his hat in the ring for Ozzy’s guitarist slot post-Lee, rubbing shoulders with hopefuls like George Lynch (again) and a young Al Pitrelli. “It was insane,” Kendall shared in a 2021 clip.0b3832 “Jake was the bar – that tone, those bends. I auditioned, gave it my all on some Blizzard stuff, but Zakk Wylde walked in and… game over. Kid had fire. But hey, it lit a spark under Great White. We were grinding Once Bitten around then.”
Lee, for his part, has long reflected on his own Ozzy audition odyssey – showing up 45 minutes late in 1982, nearly tanking the gig before nailing “Mr. Crowley” sans whammy bar (a Rhoads staple Ozzy initially demanded).9a735f “Ozzy thought modern players needed it,” Lee told Guitar World in 1986.bac4bc “I proved him wrong.” Fast-forward to 2025: Lee joined an all-star bill for Osbourne’s farewell “Back to the Beginning” bash at Villa Park, sharing the stage with Sabbath originals and guests like Tom Morello – a full-circle nod to the man who almost didn’t make the cut.261afa
Kendall, now 67 and steering his iteration of Great White through fall tour dates, looks back with zero regrets. “Don and Jake? Legends in their own chaos,” he posted on X last year alongside a rare photo of the duo.dbb8e1 “Great guys, great players. Ratt whispers, Badlands thunder – that’s the ’80s.” As tributes to Ozzy flood feeds, Kendall’s tales remind us: Behind every metal myth is a network of near-misses, busted heads, and unbreakable bonds. Who’s got the next headbutt story?
