607 Rock for Hope and Ozzy Osbourne Tribute; A benefit show for the Parkinson’s Foundation

By JoAnn R. Walter —

More than 60 area musicians and their bands from the 607 area are gathering on Oct. 18 for a tribute show to honor who many called the godfather of heavy metal, Ozzy Osbourne, and to benefit the Parkinson’s Foundation.

The 607 Rock for Hope and Ozzy Osbourne Tribute will be held at Touch of Texas, located in Binghamton, N.Y. at 1240 Upper Front St.

Doors open at noon, and the event is slated to run from 1 to 6 p.m. A $10 donation will be requested at the door, although individuals can contribute more. All ages are welcome, and children under ten are free.

Raffles, a silent auction, and 50/50’s will be set up at the event. Food and refreshments will be available for purchase, and an ice cream truck will be on site.

Osbourne passed away on July 22, 2025 at the age of 76. The frontman for the heavy metal band Black Sabbath, Osbourne had a successful solo music career and also ventured into reality television with the show “The Osbournes,” from 2002-05.

According to published records, Osbourne’s death was attributed to coronary artery disease and cardiac arrest, and he had lived with Parkinson’s disease for several years.

Ozzy was diagnosed with Parkin 2, a genetic form of the disease, in 2003, and then, in early 2019, was diagnosed with PD. Osbourne publicly shared the diagnosis in 2020, and to raise awareness about the disease, he openly discussed how the condition impacted his mobility, speech, and ability to perform on stage. 

Just weeks before his death, the heavy metal icon joined his band Black Sabbath for a farewell concert in England. He emerged on stage in a throne-like chair and belted out his infamous Ozzy vocals during what would be his final live performance.

According to the Parkinson’s Foundation, PD is the second most common neurodegenerative disease and affects about one million people in the U.S. Ninety thousand people are diagnosed each year, with a new diagnosis occurring every six minutes.   

The mission of the foundation is to improve the quality of care for people living with the disease via research, education, and outreach. The foundation filters funds back into local communities.

607 musician Kevin Hamm, the bass player for the popular band Junkyard Heights, is coordinating the event, along with help from audio engineer Mike Malinovsky. Malinovsky, active in the local music scene for years, has had extensive experience coordinating other benefit shows.

Fifteen bands are set to perform at the 607 Rock for Hope and will perform songs from both Black Sabbath and Ozzy’s solo career.

Bands include O.C.D., Sedlocks, Junkyard Heights, Red Hush, The Walkmen, Forgotten Sun, Close Enough, Heavy Delish, and Casey Little and the Tiny Giants. Additional bands comprised of assorted musicians from the 607 will also perform.

Hamm noted, “I wanted everybody to be a part of it. We made bands mixed with players from various other area bands,” adding, “We have all different types of musicians on board.”

Each band will play two or three Ozzy songs, with no songs being repeated. The goal is to have three bands play each hour.

Hamm remarked, “Ozzy Osbourne inspired me to pursue music,” and Malinovsky chimed in, “Ozzy had an influence on all of us.”

Both Mike and Kevin said that the tribute show means a lot to them personally as well, since they know family members or friends who have had the disease.

At the event, tribute shirts will be available for purchase at $25 each. A signed picture of Ozzy Osbourne and a Jackson guitar signed by all of the musicians playing at the show are just two examples of items being raffled or auctioned.

Many Ozzy Osbourne fans have been fans since the metal music giant first burst onto the scene. Owego resident Kevin Miller, who describes himself as a “metal head,” remembers buying the album “Bark at the Moon” back in the early 1980’s, and when he was in middle school. Always a fan, he said he still has the album.

Miller donated a set of handcrafted cornhole boards for the event that features an iconic portrait of Ozzy on half-inch solid maple plywood. Miller invested about 40 hours of finely detailed handwork into the project and is pleased to see it will be raffled off for a good cause.      

Questions regarding the event can be directed to Kevin Hamm at (607) 422-1780, or email him at kevin.hamm2@icloud.com. You can also find the event page on Facebook, “607 Rock for Hope:  A tribute to Ozzy Osbourne and Parkinson’s Benefit.”

Or, visit the website, http://www3.parkinson.org/goto/607RockforHope.