Bud keeps asking me what’s so important about Zakk Wylde and pretty much challenged me to write a biography on him so I will accept his challenge and write one and also I will write why he’s so important to me.
So I guess it starts here, when Zakk was 13 he started playing piano. He gave it up shortly afterwards because all he wanted to do was learn Elton John songs and Neal Young stuff. According to Wylde in his DVD, Boozed, Bruised, & Broken-Boned, he was playing football at the time and he wanted to be a linebacker but he wasn’t big enough (imagine that). Wylde and his mom were at his coaches house one day and his mom noticed a guitar in the living room, and she asked if he plays and he said “no my son Leroy does” and then Leroy came out with a beer in his hand and a Harley Davidson hat on and just started jamin’. Later on, Leroy became Wylde’s guitar teacher.
Zakk’s practicing consisted of 12 hours of playing scales and pentatonics and all that good stuff. He would go to school (to sleep his days away) then spent the rest of his days and nights playing guitar. When Zakk was in high school he had a band called “Stone Henge” and then played with a local
In 1988 Ozzy was set to record a new c.d. with a 20 year old Zakk Wylde titled “No Rest For The Wicked,” after that they recorded “No More Tears” in 1991. The rest…is history despite the rumors of Zakk leaving it’s not gonna happen Zakk says “He’s the boss if it weren’t for him there would be no me.” In 1994 Zakk recorded a southern, bluesy, Blue Grass album with his former band Pride & Glory. The album was self titled but the band is no more. They departed about a year after touring. In 1999 Zakk had released a solo acoustic album titled Book of Shadows witch led to some touring witch featured Nick Catanese A.K.A “Evil Twin” (who later on became Zakk’s rhythm guitarist in Black Label Society and follows Zakk’s solos like a twin hints his nick name.) Two months earlier Zakk had released the first Black Label Society Album titled “Sonic Brew” Later on in 2000 Black Label Society’s second album came out titled “Stronger then Death.” Black Label Society is known for putting out an album yearly and has kept that up with there highly anticipated album “Shot To Hell” witch was released in early September. Zakk is also working on two new Ozzy albums witch are set to be released in early 2007 or so.
Zakk is most looked upon for his “chicken’ pickin’” and his phenomenal pitch harmonics or “squeals” and just jaw dropping soloing and little guitar tricks like finger taps and hand squeals over the picking side of the guitar. Zakk has a number of signature equipment like his Gibson Les Paul Bulls Eye (also available in Epiphone for a cheaper price) also his overdrive pedal (Wylde Overdrive) mane by MXR and last but not least one of the things that makes his sound so signature is his Cry Baby made by Dunlop and some guitar strings called Boomers made by GHS Stings. Zakk also has a signature
