Some of my memorabilia from Ozzy's 1980 - 1981 UK tours
Posted: Sat Jun 29, 2019 12:35 pm
Those 2 British tour passes from their 1980 debut tour are both signed by John 'Upsy' Downing Ozzy's tour manager. The guy had a very colourful career, touring with some great bands The Move, ELO , Barclay James Harvest, Jimi Hendrix. He worked with Jimi right up to the day he passed away. I've read info that he was his guitar tech but that is ????. He was a well liked guy and favoured by many touring bands. He wouldn't take any shit from bands or crew members. On a couple of occasions it turned ugly and turned into a fist fight. Some guys who insulted The Move.. JD retaliated and hit this guy so hard he was knocked out with one punch. He ruled his crew with his own list of rules and it was knick named 'Upsy's Law'. You worked to his strict rules of management. In 1987 while on tour with Barclay James Harvest boarding a ferry in Dover JD never departed his body was found washed up on a beach at Zeebrugge. His death is a mystery, recorded as accidental death ..did he fall over the side or was he met by one of the guys he'd pissed off on a previous tour ??. RIP John 'Upsy' Downing.