Ozzy Osbourne had asked Dave Meniketti to join his solo band back in 1982 as the Y&T frontman shared in a new social media post as a caption to a photo he shared from the period with Ozzy and his wife and manager Sharon.
Meniketti shared the photo with the caption, “Going through many of my old tour pics today and thought I’d share this one. Ozzy kissing me on the lips backstage in Dublin on the AC/DC tour, when he asked me to join his band in 1982. Notice Sharon on the left, looking on with mild disgust. Our agent Rod MacSween was sitting next to her.”
https://x.com/mitchlafon/status/1858546053391229081?s=46&t=MeYLTapzMduvkZEdyyUDmA
The invite appears to have come in the wake of the tragic death of Randy Rhoads, the acclaimed lead guitarist who passed away in a tragic airplane accident on March 19, 1982. Ozzy would recruit Brad Gillis of Night Ranger fame as a temporary replacement before the full time position eventually went to Jake E. Lee.
Osbourne was temporarily utilizing the services of Night Ranger guitarist Brad Gillis following Rhoads’ death and was looking for a more permanent replacement, and approached Meniketti when the two came face to face on the road.
“We were playing with AC/DC in 1982 on the ‘For Those About To Rock’ tour,” Meniketti recalled to The Metal Voice in 2015.
“And the last show on the U.K. tour was in Dublin, Ireland, and he was waiting for us when we got off stage, after walking back into our backstage room. And he was there with [his wife and manager] Sharon, and he got down on his knees in front of me — of course, [with] the [other Y&T] band members standing only a few feet away — and did the thing where you… up and down with the hands in the air: ‘Will you please join my band?'”
He added: “It was a cool thing. I mean, it was fun. It was something to be proud of, for sure, because… I mean, it was Ozzy, and I would imagine he’s pretty particular about who he has playing with him. But I kindly declined and said, ‘I’ve got my own fish to fry here, but I appreciate the offer.'”
