Singer Rick Hughes Talks “Redemption”, Getting An Ozzy Osbourne-Era Group Together, And More

Let me introduce you to Rick Hughes. He's the singer of the Canadian bands Sword and Saints and Sinners. His new solo album, Redemption, comes out on October 24th, and it has some heavy hitters on it.

He brought together the Ozzy-era Speak of the Devil lineup of Brad Gillis, Rudy Sarzo, and Tommy Aldridge with a scorching cover of The Who's "The Real Me". How did he do that? "I owe it to Brad Gillis. I'm a big, big, big fan of Brad Gillis. I've always been," He said. Brad got the ball rolling as far as bringing in all the players. He'd been working with the guitar legend for a few years, so it just felt right to have him on this project.

He also told me something I'd never thought about before...if he hadn't made a video, people might not know who was playing on the song! You can see the video below.

How about adding Robby Krieger from the Doors to the album? That happened too! Rick told me the story of his dad's passing when he was a very young boy. He said losing his father made him feel like an outcast, but music helped him. "So when I started to listen to The Doors, it kind of broke the shell. I mean, Jim Morrison, the lizard king, to me was, was a professor. You know, I could, I would understand what he was saying, and I could read between the lines, make my own stories. And, I came of age by listening to The Doors when I was 15 years old. And now fast forward to today, I have Robbie Krieger playing a track on my album!"

He also told me about the connection he has with the Metallica guys, including a tour in 1987, and playing the tailgating area for the guys when they came through Montreal in the summer of 2023.

We talked about the deaths of Ozzy and Ace Frehley. Rick said he was mostly into Led Zeppelin back in those days of the beginning of KISS. He feels that, as far as Ozzy was concerned, he was one of the best singers ever. "I mean, Ozzy, when you think about it, um, people, when, before his death, at least when they were doing surveys and asking who is the best rock and roll singer that ever lived, you know, you always get the same name, you know, and Ozzy sometimes was not on the list cause he was so bigger than life, you know? And I say that in a most respectable way because I loved everything about him, so people kind of forgot that he was a hell of a singer. I mean, if you listen to, to Diary of a Madman, "Over the Mountain", "Diary of a Madman", I mean, all the melodies and intricate, the way he changes his voice, and his voice is always full. Ozzy was one of the best rock and roll singers that ever lived.

Hard to argue.

Check out the interview above, and punch up Rick's site to learn more about him, and grab the new album. You can access it here.