ENTERTAINMENT

Ozzy Osbourne gives Louisville Leopards $10K

Jeffrey Lee Puckett
Louisville Courier Journal
British singer Ozzy Osbourne performs live on stage with his band at the Acer Arena on March 18, 2008 in Sydney, Australia.

The Louisville Leopard Percussionists are on a rock star roll.

Jimmy Page gave the group of grade-school musicians a shout-out in February on his Facebook page after watching a video of the group perform a medley of Led Zeppelin songs,

But Ozzy Osburne has one-upped his friend and rock 'n' roll rival. After seeing a YouTube video of the Leopards crush their version of Osbourne's signature hit, "Crazy Train," the former leader of Black Sabbath and heavy metal icon donated $10,000 to the group.

The Louisville Leopard Percussionists began in 1993 and rely primarily on donations as a community non-profit organization. The group is comprised of more than 60 students ages 7-14, and founder Diane Downs uses a modular approach, teaching each student a specific part of a song.

Ozzy Osbourne donates $10,000 to Louisville Leopard Percussionists.

When they all come together, as on "Crazy Train," it is glorious.

Students come from 48 schools in the Louisville area and the LLP is an after-school project funded by donations, performance revenue and album sales. They have performed with My Morning Jacket, Dave Samuels, Louie Bellson and Ruben Alvarez, and in 2000 were awarded a grant from the Carlos Santana Milagro Foundation.