Mr Big

Ozzy, Sharon and My Life as the Godfather of Rock

By Don Arden with Mick Wall

Summary

Don Arden (aka Mr Big) is the hardest man the music business has ever known. If anyone ever made the mistake of standing in his way, he made sure they never did it again. One infamous but true incident relates to a visit he paid a manager who had tried to steal the Small Faces from him: ‘My guys picked him up and made out they were gonna throw him over his balcony. He went limp, like a dead person, and he shit himself. They had to drop him cos the stink was terrifying. We left him on the floor, lying in his own shit. He never bothered us again…’

In a career that spans 60 years he has managed some of the biggest names in music, including Little Richard, the Animals, the Small Faces, ELO and Black Sabbath (events from their 1983 tour influenced many scenes in the hilarious spoof rockumentary 'This is Spinal Tap').

'Mr Big' is the life story of a rock’n’roll legend, told in his distinctive voice; a heady mix of entertaining anecdotes and authentic menace which is not for the squeamish! Arden talks of his links with the Mafia and his 20-year rift with daughter Sharon, who went on to marry and manage the ex-Black Sabbath singer and gave us all an insight into her family’s bizarre existence with the smash-hit TV show 'The Osbournes'. Contains never-before-published photos from Don’s own personal collection.

About the Author

Don Arden is currently residing in Los Angeles, USA. Mick Wall is working with Don Arden. Editor of 'Classic Rock' magazine, he has also written for 'Mojo', 'Billboard', 'Time Out', 'Select', the 'Daily Mail' and the 'Sun'. He is author of several bestselling rock biographies including 'The Most Dangerous Band in the World' (on Guns N’ Roses). In response to this Axl Rose threatened to kill him and then put his name into the song ‘Get in the Ring (Motherfucker)’.

Publisher	Robson
Publication Date	27 August 2004
ISBN	1861056079
Size (h x w)	234x156mm
Binding	Paperback
Pages	256