Latest news with #Coburn
NZ Herald
24-07-2025
- Entertainment
- NZ Herald
Phil Gifford: When Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath lit up a farm in Ngaruawahia
Black Sabbath (L-R) Bill Ward, Geezer Butler, Tony Iommi and Ozzy Osbourne pose for a portrait on May 31, 1970 in London, England. Photo / Getty Images 'I hope we didn't freak you out,' yelled Ozzy. 'This one should help you. It's called PARANOID!' The Ngāruawāhia festival came three years after the film documentary on Woodstock was screened here. Woodstock was a turning point in first world youth culture, radically departing from older generations' attitudes to everything from drugs to nudity. I'd been despatched to Ngāruawāhia as a reporter by the newspaper in Auckland where I was writing about everything from music to sport to shipwrecks. It was quickly clear the massive influence Woodstock had on many of the music fans who headed to our first home-grown festival. After a restless night trying to sleep in a small tent, I was puzzled by what the material was in the bikini the topless woman from the tent next door was wearing. Then I realised she wasn't wearing anything. Tribute to Black Sabbath front man and legend of heavy metal music, Ozzy Osbourne, by NZ Herald cartoonist Rod Emmerson. Nudity, a la Woodstock was commonplace over the next three days. The opening act, Kiwi singer Corben Simpson, sang a couple of songs and then announced it was 'too hot'. He stripped naked to finish his set. Five months later he was in court where he was fined for 'wilfully and obscenely exposing his person'. Musically, Ngāruawāhia offered a stage to an amazing range of future giants in New Zealand music. The festival's co-promoter Barry Coburn was the manager of a gifted Auckland group calling themselves Split Ends. Sadly it was the wrong place and the wrong time for a band, which was then featuring flute and violin solos. At best the audience reception could be described as cool. Ozzy Osbourne (left) and American musician Randy Rhoads (1956-1982), on electric guitar, as they perform during the Blizzard of Oz tour, at Nassau Coliseum in 1981. Photo / Getty Images The future Split Enz weren't the only ones battling, at the very start of their careers, to win the crowd over. Dragon, with just one Hunter brother, Todd, played to a muted reception. On the other hand, there was an ecstatic reaction to the co-headline act, the British folk band Fairport Convention. Very much the yin to Black Sabbath's prototype heavy metal yang, the Fairports had the moshpit dancing to old Scottish and Irish reels and jigs. But there was no question that the big-name act was Sabbath. To get them to New Zealand required a trip to Britain for tyro promoter Coburn. In 2011, he wrote in the Herald how he had flown to Europe and saw Sabbath's manager Don Arden, at Arden's home in London. Coburn was greeted at the door of the luxury house in Wimbledon by Arden's daughter, the then-teenaged Sharon. (Who would have guessed that Sharon would later marry Ozzy and become known throughout the world with the stunning success of the reality TV show The Osbournes?) Coburn was just 22, so dealing with Arden, described by the Guardian when he died in 2007, as the 'Al Capone of British music' took some backbone. In the mid 1970s in Auckland I found myself sitting next to Arden and his Irish wife Hope at a dinner hosted for the visitors by a local record company executive. Hope, a former dancer, was a delight, rolling out anecdotes about film star Cary Grant, their next door neighbour when they were in Los Angeles. Don was exactly what I had expected, revelling in stories that basically painted him as a semi-gangster. When he heard that rock and roll pioneer Chuck Berry had recently been in Auckland, he took special delight in recounting details of a show he had co-promoted in the 1960s in Germany with a former SS officer. Berry was refusing to go on stage until he had been paid. 'The German pulled out this big Luger pistol and pointed it at Berry's head. There were no more arguments.' The night made it very clear that any charm Sharon Osbourne has comes from her mother.
NZ Herald
23-07-2025
- Entertainment
- NZ Herald
When Ozzy Osbourne came to NZ he had just one wild request
Coburn said a cross made of wood and wire, wrapped in petrol-soaked rags, was hastily erected and set alight as the band began to play, as requested by Osbourne. The Black Sabbath frontman and solo artist has died aged 76, just weeks after a massive farewell concert in his hometown of Birmingham. Coburn said Osbourne and Black Sabbath laid the foundations for heavy metal and – 50 years after the band first played New Zealand – he still saw and heard the singer's influence in hard rock music all over the world. 'To think that two weeks after the final shows he's gone – it seemed like – did he want to hang on and do these final shows? But he's just this iconic figure that's so singularly unique. There'll never be another Ozzy Osbourne," Coburn said. Speaking to RNZ from his home in Nashville, Coburn said that despite the band's ominous image and Osbourne's wild, drug-fuelled reputation, the band were affable and 'jovial' on their first New Zealand visit. Ozzy Osbourne onstage during the 2019 American Music Awards in Los Angeles. Photo / Getty Images 'They were decent, they were just young English guys. They didn't cause any of the grief that John Bonham and Led Zeppelin caused. Televisions thrown in the swimming pool at the White Heron Hotel and the like,' the promoter said. 'I don't have any memories of Ozzy and the guys being anything other than jovial and amused by everything. They just seemed to be in good humour and I've got great memories of that.' Coburn said he still went to heavy metal shows – his son performs in American sludge metal band Thou – and said Osbourne and Black Sabbath's influence was still as strong as ever. 'They were such a primary foundation of what became heavy metal. I've been to so many shows, and there are still always people wearing Black Sabbath T-shirts. 'They really were the beginning of it all – of the whole metal scene. When I go to see bands, it's [still] not unusual to hear Paranoid or something,' Coburn said. Marty Duda, founder of New Zealand music publication 13th Floor, said Osbourne's impact was 'immense' and would continue after his death. Duda remembered first hearing the band on a cassette recording of Paranoid while at a Boy Scouts camp and 'it changed everything – blew my mind'. Osbourne's voice was exactly what a teenager wanted to hear: 'He nailed it.' The musician went on to create a strong persona for himself, later making the transition to a solo career. He said Osbourne's wife, Sharon, needed to be given credit for the role she played in his career because he had many problems, including drug addiction, but she saw his potential as a solo artist. Duda recalled being present when Osbourne was preparing for a concert, wanted to gargle and then consumed a whole bottle of mouthwash. 'He drank the whole thing, almost choked to death, puked all over the place and then went on stage – he didn't even know how to gargle. He needed to be watched.' Duda said that on his TV hit reality show, The Osbournes, Osbourne was 'lovable'. 'You wanted him to be your dad ... and knowing that he had this background as the guy who helped start heavy metal didn't hurt at all. Those Black Sabbath albums hold up very well today.' The president of the NZ Promoters Association, Layton Lillas, was shocked to hear of Osbourne's death. He told RNZ's Morning Report it was 'horrible news' to wake up to, coming so soon after Osbourne's farewell concert at Villa Park in Birmingham just two weeks ago. Lillas recalled becoming a fan of Osbourne when he launched a solo career. He had 'amazing guitar players' and 'a unique voice'. 'The guy was the godfather of hard rock and heavy metal – just an amazing life from a guy who started in the poor suburbs of Birmingham after the war, and to do what he did and achieved, amazing.' Lillas said the singer had a unique voice with 'an incredibly high range'. 'No one sounds like Ozzy Osbourne ... the range was something to behold and for a guy that abused his body like he did for so many years ...' He last saw Osbourne perform in Wellington in 2008, and 'he was certainly on fire that night'. In the late 90s, Lillas had a habit of popping out to Auckland Airport to try to get the autographs of famous rock stars. All he wanted was a photo of Osbourne, but he ended up with a photograph of his late wife with the musician, and it takes pride of place in his music room. The Black Sabbath frontman was apologetic but said he couldn't do any more as he needed to board his flight. – RNZ
Otago Daily Times
22-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
Ozzy Osbourne's wild request when he came to NZ
Black Sabbath's Tony Iommi and Ozzy Osbourne at the Great Ngāruawāhia Music Festival in 1973. Photo: David Stone/AudioCulture via RNZ The music promoter who brought Black Sabbath to New Zealand in 1973 said the frontman was "calm and jovial" despite his edgy reputation. The music promoter who brought Black Sabbath to New Zealand in 1973, Barry Coburn said - despite Osbourne's wild reputation - the singer was "calm and jovial" but with one unusual request. Coburn said he was called to the group's caravan shortly before they took to the stage at the Great Ngaruawahia Music Festival. "He said 'listen when we go onstage at midnight we want to have a huge burning cross up on the hillside. When we come on stage suddenly this big cross burns up on the hillside behind where they are'," Coburn said. Coburn said a cross made of wood and wire - wrapped in petrol-soaked rags - was hastily erected and set alight as the band began to play. The Black Sabbath frontman and solo artist died just weeks after a massive farewell concert in his hometown of Birmingham, aged 76. Image: Supplied Coburn said Osbourne and Black Sabbath laid the foundations for heavy metal and - 50 years after the band first played New Zealand - he still saw and heard the singer's influence in hard rock music all over the world. "To think that two weeks after the final shows he's gone - it seemed like - did he want to hang on and do these final shows? But he's just this iconic figure that's so singularly unique. There'll never be another Ozzy Osbourne," Coburn said. Speaking to RNZ from his home in Nashville, Coburn said - despite the band's ominous image and Osbourne's wild, drug fueled reputation - the band were affable and "jovial" on their first New Zealand visit. "They were decent, they were just young English guys. They didn't cause any of the grief that John Bonham and Led Zeppelin caused. Televisions thrown in the swimming pool at the White Heron Hotel and the like. "I don't have any memories of Ozzy and the guys being anything other than jovial and amused by everything. They just seemed to be in good humour and I've got great memories of that," Coburn said. Coburn said he still went to heavy metal shows - his son performs in American sludge metal band, Thou - and said Osbourne and Black Sabbath's influence were still as strong as ever. "They were such a primary foundation of what became heavy metal. I've been to so many shows and there's still always people wearing Black Sabbath T-Shirts. "They really were the beginning of it all - of the whole metal scene. When I go to see bands it's [still] not unusual to hear 'Paranoid' or something," Coburn said. Marty Duda, founder of New Zealand music publication 13th Floor, said Osbourne's impact was "immense" and would continue after his death. Duda remembered first hearing the band on a cassette recording of 'Paranoid' while at a Boy Scouts' camp and "it changed everything - blew my mind". Osborne's voice was exactly what a teenager wanted to hear: "He nailed it." He went on to create a strong persona for himself, later making the transition to a solo career. He said wife Sharon needed to be given credit for the role she played in his career because he had many problems, including drug addiction, but she saw his potential as a solo artist. Ozzy Osbourne with daughter Kelly in 1985. Duda recalled being present when Osborne was preparing for a concert, wanted to gargle and then consumed a whole bottle of mouthwash. "He drank the whole thing, almost choked to death, puked all over the place and then went on stage - he didn't even know how to gargle. He needed to be watched." Duda said on his TV hit reality show, The Osbournes, Osborne was "loveable". "You wanted him to be your dad ... and knowing that he had this background as the guy who helped start heavy metal didn't hurt at all. Those Black Sabbath albums hold up very well today." The president of the NZ Promoters Association Layton Lillas was shocked to hear of Osbourne's death. Ozzy Osbourne performing in 1982. He told RNZ's Morning Report it was "horrible news" to wake up to, coming so soon after Osborne's farewell concert at Villa Park in Birmingham just two weeks ago. Lillas recalled becoming a fan of Osborne when he launched a solo career. He had "amazing guitar players" and "a unique voice". "The guy was the Godfather of hard rock and heavy metal - just an amazing life from a guy who started in the poor suburbs of Birmingham after the war and to do what he did and achieved, amazing." Lillas said the singer had a unique voice with "an incredibly high range". "No-one sounds like Ozzy Osborne... the range was something to behold and for a guy that abused his body like he did for so many years..." He last saw Osborne perform in Wellington in 2008 and "he was certainly on fire that night". - By Bill Hickman and Morning Report
Reuters
16-07-2025
- Business
- Reuters
US SEC ends Cognizant bribery case that the Justice Department also abandoned
July 15 (Reuters) - The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ended a civil bribery case against two former Cognizant Technology Solutions (CTSH.O), opens new tab executives, after President Donald Trump decided to stop enforcing a key anti-corruption law. In a filing in the Newark, New Jersey federal court, the SEC said it dismissed claims against Gordon Coburn and Steven Schwartz "in the exercise of its discretion and as a policy matter," and not on the merits. The dismissal followed the Department of Justice's April 3 decision to abandon a related criminal case against Coburn and Schwartz. James Loonam, a lawyer for Coburn, said he was very happy with the dismissal. A lawyer for Schwartz did not immediately respond to requests for comment. U.S. authorities charged, opens new tab Coburn and Schwartz in February 2019 with authorizing a $2 million bribe to an Indian official for helping to obtain a construction permit for a new Cognizant office in Chennai. The SEC accused Coburn and Schwartz of violating anti-bribery, books and records, and internal accounting controls provisions of federal securities laws. Alina Habba, the acting U.S. attorney in New Jersey, said in April the criminal case should end in light of Trump's executive order pausing enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. The FCPA prohibits companies that operate in the United States from bribing foreign officials. Trump has called it a "horrible law," and when signing his executive order said ending enforcement would "mean a lot more business for America." Cognizant agreed in February 2019 to pay $25.2 million to settle with the SEC. The regulator also accused the Teaneck, New Jersey-based information technology and outsourcing company of authorizing two additional bribes.
Yahoo
04-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Private equity firm Capitol Meridian started in 2021 to bet on defense. Suddenly it's the hottest sector around
Adam Palmer remembers the days in March 2021 when he and Brooke Coburn would interview potential investors from his home just outside Washington D.C. They had just done the unthinkable. Palmer and Coburn had left the security and success of Carlyle Group to launch their own private equity firm right in the middle of Covid-19, when employees for most companies were still working from home. 'No one was in the office. The world was shut down,' Palmer said. Sitting around Palmer's dining room table, he and Coburn would talk to possible investors, employees and advisors about their plans to build a private equity firm. They didn't have a name yet, but the firm would invest in companies and products that protect the U.S. and its military personnel, both men and women. Luckily, it was mild outside, so they kept the windows open. 'It was daunting, and scary, but also rejuvenating,' Palmer told Fortune. It took about a year but the firm that would eventually call itself Capitol Meridian Partners did get an office. In March 2022, the PE firm opened its doors on K Street in downtown Washington D.C. Capitol Meridian now has 14 employees. About 10 of them, including Palmer and Coburn, previously worked at Carlyle Group during some point in their careers. Capitol Meridian is part of a breed of PE firms that focus on specific sectors, developing deep expertise and networks to understand the unique challenges and opportunities these industries face. Sector specialists often have an edge over generalist firms. Capitol targets defense and government services. The firm invests in companies that provide hardware, software and services for national security, as well as the aerospace market. The timing couldn't be better. Public aerospace and defense companies have outperformed the broad market over the past three years and into the first quarter, according to data from investment bank Greenwich Capital Group. Aerospace suppliers posted a three-year performance return of 108.7% as of March 31, while defense suppliers were up 32.8%. This compares to the S&P 500 which gained 23.9% for the same period and the Nasdaq which increased 22.4%. A shift in sentiment, much of that due to geopolitical issues like Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and the recent U.S. attack on Iran's nuclear sites, is benefiting defense companies and their investors. Much bigger PE firms like Veritas Capital, which targets aerospace and defense and national security as one of its sectors, have been very successful. Veritas collected over $13 billion for its ninth fund earlier this year. 'More investors are interested in defense today than have been in my memory,' Palmer said. Capitol Meridian, however, doesn't invest in products, such as handguns, that could wind up in a high school. 'That's not where we focus,' Palmer said. Instead, Capitol Meridian bets on businesses that 'support the nation and the warfighters, or U.S. servicemen and women,' said Palmer. Though he has never been in the military, his father was a reservist in Vietnam while his grandfather served in World War II. In 2024, Capitol Meridian shrugged off a difficult fundraising market to raise $900 million for its first pool plus $300 million in co-investments. Palmer and Coburn are the third largest investors of the pool. Capitol Meridian has so far taken stakes in six portfolio companies along with 20 add-on deals. It has yet to clinch an exit, Palmer said. The firm is still early in its life cycle with its oldest investment turning three, he said. Defense is typically not a sector that is favorable to new entrants or generalist investors, due to shifting priorities in government spending, said Matt Autrey, a partner at Adams Street Partners, an investor of Capitol Meridian's first fund. 'Adam and the Capitol Meridian team have been able to succeed investing in the defense sector due to the specialized expertise and networks they possess in the space,' Autrey said in an email. Palmer has a long history, more than 25 years, in defense and aerospace investing. In the mid-1990s, he was a Lehman Brothers financial analyst working on some deals for Carlyle, which was then a Washington D.C. private equity firm known for its political connections. (George W. Bush sat on the board of one of its portfolio companies). Bill Conway, one of the Carlyle cofounders, recruited Palmer to join the firm over a breakfast meeting. He received a one-paragraph offer letter days later. Palmer was just 22. 'It was a different world back then,' he said. Palmer's first PE deal at Carlyle was the firm's $750 million acquisition of United Defense Industries, maker of combat vehicles, naval guns and missile launchers, in 1997. Carlyle took United Defense public in 2001 and fully exited in 2004, making more than $1 billion in profit. United Defense is widely regarded as one of Carlyle's best and most notable early investments. The deal also crystallized Palmer's ambitions. He found that investing in businesses that 'support the nation and U.S. servicemen and women' was very rewarding. Other triumphs include Carlyle's acquisition of naval ship repair firm Titan Acquisition in 2019, which it sold four years later, for a near four-fold return on invested capital. In 2000, Carlyle scooped up Vought Aircraft, and sold it a decade later, earning a five-fold return. Palmer's dealmaking was so noteworthy that in 2010 he was featured in Fortune's '40 under 40,' where insiders predicted he might one day lead Carlyle. The next year, Palmer was named co-head of Carlyle's global aerospace and defense sector team. Despite Palmer's accomplishments, things at Carlyle were changing. In the 1990s, Carlyle was a middle-market firm recognized for its defense deals. Carlyle, like many pioneering PE firms, grew with each success. It went public in 2012, raised its largest fund ever ($18.5 billion) in 2018, and began investing in sectors outside of private equity. It also started calling itself an 'alternative asset manager.' Carlyle, in the 2000s, began focusing on more than defense, investing in consumer, healthcare, industrial and technology. Palmer and Coburn, who was named deputy CIO for real assets in 2018, didn't care for Carlyle's 'elephant hunting' style of investing where it sought fewer, larger deals. In early 2021, Palmer and Coburn learned Carlyle wouldn't be raising another middle-market fund and opted to leave. They decided to launch a new, smaller firm—not a Carlyle clone—that would return them to their middle-market roots. Palmer defines the middle market as deals below $1 billion. 'The opportunity for the best returns in this sector, defense and national security, is in the middle market,' Palmer said. While geopolitical tensions remain high, Capitol Meridian is expected to return soon to the fundraising market for its second pool. Roughly 60% of its first fund is invested. (PE firms generally start marketing when a fund is about 70% invested.) Fundraising is still difficult. Several large PE firms have struggled to raise funds. Carlyle closed its eighth flagship at $14.8 billion in 2023, significantly below its $22 billion target, according to Buyouts. TPG is seeking $13 billion for its latest flagship, below what it sought for its prior fund, the Wall Street Journal reported in May. Blackstone was expected to wrap up its latest flagship in mid-2023 but didn't close the pool until earlier this year at a little over $21 billion, far below its initial $30 billion target. Capitol Meridian is anticipated to seek over $1 billion for its next pool, a person familiar with the situation said. Palmer declined to comment. Palmer still has the dining room table, where Capitol Meridian started several years ago, stowed away in the firm's office. His goals for Capitol remain simple. 'We want to be the best small PE partnership that helps U.S. servicepeople,' he said. This story was originally featured on Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
