Ozzy Osbourne gives Louisville Leopards $10K
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.
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.