Who Defined Black Sabbath: Ozzy or Dio?

A friend asked me a by-the-numbers metal question the other day: Who was the real voice of Black Sabbath? My immediate answer was Ozzy Osbourne. But, in concert, I had never seen Black Sabbath with Ozzy. I only experienced Black Sabbath with Ronnie James Dio. So, could I justifiably answer this question?

If I had to judge by album releases alone, then, yes, it would be Ozzy. To me it is not even a contest. Sure, Dio made some great albums with Sabbath, but nothing could beat what was put down in studio with Ozzy, Geezer, Iommi, and Ward.

But to completely experience Black Sabbath is to see them live in concert. I have live recordings, bootlegs, some videos with Ozzy and Sabbath. But nothing truly experienced. I did see Dio with Sabbath. A fantastic show. Dio played the intimidating black magic persona perfectly (he may have been 5 foot but he seemed 8 feet tall). And, let’s face it, it’s as if he single-handedly invented that damn devil hand sign that symbolized the music. He fit into Sabbath wonderfully. But I have no idea what Ozzy was like in concert with Sabbath. I simply wasn’t there.

I had to experience Ozzy in concert without Sabbath. It was right after Randy Rhoads‘ death and the guy from Night Ranger, Brad Gillis, took his place. Gillis did his own guitar god thing instead, the sound was lousy, kids were yelling at the top of their lungs for a bat to be eaten, Ozzy lost his voice, and a thrown M-80 bounced off my head. It was a mess.

So, I can only answer the question as far as musical recordings are concerned. There Ozzy is Black Sabbath, hands down. But as far as the live concert experience, this will have to be answered by someone who was part of the Black Sabbath audience in the late 60s/early 70s. Or better yet, someone who has seen both Sabbath incarnations.