4 Iconic Classic Rock Music Auditions That Will Inspire Any Aspiring Artist

If you’re an aspiring musician down on your luck, it’s important to remember that some of the greatest names in rock history made it big with one very lucky audition. If you need a little inspiration, check out our list of four classic rock auditions that changed the course of music history (and the respective careers of the auditionees) for good!

1. David Gilmour (Pink Floyd)

David Gilmour had gone to school in England with most of Pink Floyd. He was originally recruited into the band to temporarily help out and make up for “Syd Barrett’s eccentricities”. However, as we all know, Gilmour became a core member of the band. And there’s technically no audition here; Gilmour was simply that good. He ended up outlasting Syd Barrett’s presence in the band, though that’s a sad tale in itself.

2. Ozzy Osbourne (Black Sabbath)

Classic rock auditions don’t get more 1960s than this. Geezer Butler put an ad in a local newspaper in an attempt to find a vocalist for his new band. Heavy metal was definitely not a thing (yet) in 1968, so finding the right weirdo for the job was no easy task.

Ozzy Osbourne showed up at Butler’s front door. When Butler’s older brother answered, he returned to Butler and said “there’s this thing at the door.” That’s a wild but appropriate way to refer to Osbourne, in a way.

From there, it’s not clear if Osbourne actually auditioned or was simply told “sure, you’re in.” Today, he’s more synonymous with Black Sabbath than any other member of the band.

3. Brian Johnson (AC/DC)

In an interview with Howard Stern, AC/DC’s Brian Johnson claimed that he was stuck living with his parents in his thirties and “a f***ing loser” before his life changed upon auditioning for the iconic hard rock outfit. Johnson was on the way out of the music industry at the time and was planning on getting into the car business. 

Thankfully, record producer Mutt Lange told AC/DC that they needed to get Johnson on board. Bon Scott, at the time, said Johnson “was the best” singer in England. When Scott tragically died, Johnson auditioned as his replacement in London. Only half an hour after auditioning, he got the call that any musician would have freaked out over.

4. Ringo Star (The Beatles)

Classic rock auditions don’t get as legendary as this, considering there’s a universe where Ringo Starr was not part of the Fab Four. Originally, The Beatles had a different drummer before Starr: Pete Best, who was given the boot shortly before the band got insanely famous. Starr auditioned to be his replacement, and Paul McCartney knew from the get-go that he would be the band’s drummer.

“The first few minutes that Ringo is playing, I look to the left at George [Harrison] and to the right to John [Lennon], and we didn’t say a word, but I remember thinking, ‘Sh**, this is amazing,’ said McCartney.

Photo via ITV/Shutterstock

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