Two Iconic Rock Bands Were Unknowingly ‘Ripped Off’ in the ’70s — And Ozzy Osbourne Was Not Having It
The 1970s were a golden era for rock music, but behind the scenes, not everything was as glamorous as it seemed. In a new revelation from Derek Shulman, frontman of Gentle Giant, two legendary bands — Gentle Giant and Black Sabbath — were unknowingly being taken advantage of by their own management.
Now 78 years old, Shulman has shared the explosive story in his upcoming memoir, Giant Steps: My Improbable Journey From Stage Lights To Executive Heights. In the book, and in a video sketched by his son Noah, he recalls the moment both bands realized they were being financially misled by the same management company.
According to Shulman, the issue came to light after Gentle Giant started investigating their finances. What they found was alarming — not only were they being shortchanged, but Black Sabbath was being hit even harder.
During a private conversation, Sabbath’s members told Gentle Giant they had each only received $1,000 for their huge California Jam performance in 1974. This was despite the band reportedly being paid $250,000 for the gig.
Shulman sat down with Ozzy Osbourne and Tony Iommi to break the news. The reaction? Pure disbelief. The two bands then confronted their management together. But when the manager Pat Meehan tried to dismiss their concerns, Ozzy responded in classic rock star fashion.
“Ozzy, who was sitting next to Tony, picked up a bottle of Scotch he had already drunk and hurled it right at Pat Meehan’s head,” Shulman recalled. “It missed by half an inch and smashed against the wall.”
Gentle Giant eventually bought out their contract for £94,000, freeing themselves from the deal. Black Sabbath, however, wasn’t so lucky. They were dragged into a drawn-out legal battle that disrupted the production of their 1975 album Sabotage.
Still, something powerful came out of the chaos. Ozzy wrote “The Writ”, one of Sabbath’s few tracks to feature lyrics penned by the frontman himself — a raw and angry reflection of their betrayal.
For fans, this behind-the-scenes story sheds new light on just how difficult the music industry could be, even for the biggest names in rock.
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