Heavy Metal Genealogy: Zakk Wylde’s Family Story Is Wild (& also heartbreaking)
For this edition of Heavy Metal Genealogy I chose Zakk Wylde because he played guitar for Ozzy and is from New Jersey and what other reasons do you need? Well fine, here’s another — a quote Zakk gave about his dad: “My father spent his youth as an orphan in New Jersey …” Can I find Zakk Wylde’s grandparents? (Spoiler: Yes, I can.)
First, I guessed correctly that Zakk Wylde’s was not born Wylde. It was Wielandt. (Like Wyl-ant.) But also — his first name wasn’t Zakk. Or Zack. Or even Zach. It’s Jeffrey. Jeffrey Thomas Wielandt, born January 14, 1967 in Bayonne, NJ. Right over the Bayonne Bridge from Staten Island, NY, it’s also the hometown of Clem Burke from Blondie and Robert Tepper who wrote “Into the Night” with Benny Mardones, which I dare you to listen to and not run screaming into the night. And that’s about it for famous Bayonne musicians. However, Jeffrey Wielandt spent most of his growing up in South Jersey, which would explain this yearbook photo. (AND he was voted “Most Talented.” Congratulations, Zakk!)
The quote from Zakk about his dad came from Blabbermouth.net, which is a site that covers metal news (and…
