Sharon Osbourne is pushing back against an attempt to release early Black Sabbath recordings, publicly challenging former band manager Jim Simpson after he issued a press release claiming legal ownership of the tapes.
The dispute, which escalated over the weekend, comes months after the death of her husband, founding Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne.
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Simpson, who managed the group in their earliest days, announced on Nov. 14 that he intends to release a collection of 1969 demos recorded before the band adopted the Black Sabbath name. The material, titled Earth: The Legendary Lost Tapes, was initially expected for release in July. The project has yet to materialize, but Simpson maintains he has the right to distribute the recordings.
Sharon publicly disputed those claims in a detailed Instagram post shared on Saturday (Nov. 15). Her post included screenshots of a July 2 email she says she sent to Simpson, warning him against moving forward without the band’s approval.
“As you know, the Band do not want these tapes released, not least as they haven’t heard them despite you saying you would provide copies long ago,” she wrote. “You know that, as a band, Black Sabbath don’t take things lying down and you can be assured that if you go ahead with this against the Band’s wishes we will take any action where their rights are infringed, both here and in America.”
The demos in question feature the band’s original lineup—Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward—during the brief period when they performed under the name Earth. While recordings from this era have long been of interest to collectors, the group has historically kept tight control over their early catalog and archival releases.
The dispute adds to a high-profile week for the Osbourne family. Earlier in the week, Sharon and her children Kelly and Jack Osbourne publicly criticized Roger Waters on The Osbournes Podcast after the Pink Floyd co-founder made disparaging comments about Ozzy in an interview with The Independent Ink. Sharon responded by calling Waters “one of the most twisted, sick individuals I’ve come across in years.”
For now, Simpson’s proposed release of Earth: The Legendary Lost Tapes appears stalled, but Sharon’s post signals the band’s intention to challenge any distribution that doesn’t involve Black Sabbath’s approval. With legal questions unresolved and no release date announced, the future of the recordings remains unclear.
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