Draft:Wayne "Ozzie" Lee Rea III

Wayne "Ozzie" Lee Rea
Wayne "Ozzie" Lee Rea
Background information
Also known as	MC-O, DJ MC-O
Born	February 17, 1974 (age 50); Corpus Christi, TX

Wayne "Ozzie" Lee Rea III (born February 17, 1974), professionally known as Ozzie Rea, MC O, and DJ MC O, is an American entrepreneur, rapper, DJ, spoken word artist, multi-instrumentalist, singer/songwriter, and producer. He previously served as the frontman for the Perth, Australia band Proton, the Seattle-based band Uncle Fiesta, and is currently the frontman for the Austin, Texas based Flong All Stars.

Early life

Ozzie was born at Spohn Hospital in Corpus Christi, Texas, on February 17, 1974, to Paula Kay Calloway and Wayne L. "Sandy" Rea, II. Originally named Clark Coleman Rea, his name was changed to Wayne Lee Rea III at his request to his father. The name "Ozzie" was given to him as an infant, derived from the name "Ozziegoomba," which a family friend had heard on the Sonny and Cher show.

A few months after his birth, his father was hired by Pat Patrick (Patrick Racing) as corporate counsel for Patrick Petroleum, leading the family to move to Jackson, Michigan. When Ozzie was two years old, his father decided to pursue a career as a Petroleum Landman, prompting a relocation to Houston, Texas.

Growing up in Katy, Texas Ozzie experienced both urban and country life. His mother encouraged his interest in music and art, sometimes assigning poetry as punishment for misbehavior. Ozzie would either copy poetry from books or create his own. His mother even organized lip-sync concerts where he and his friends would play air guitar using tennis rackets in front of neighbors.

At the age of 10, his mother took him out of school to meet Ozzy Osbourne, although he wasn't allowed to attend the concert. His first concert experience came in 1984 with Prince's Purple Rain Tour.

Ozzie had a strong involvement in sports during his upbringing. He participated in swimming, tennis, baseball, and football. He began competitive BMX racing in 1983, qualifying and competing in the USBA National Championship in 1985. Ozzie entered the world of competitive surfing in 1989, gaining sponsorship from the Underground Surf Depot and Post Modern Surfboards. He attended the Paskowitz Surf Camp founded by Dorian "Doc" Paskowitz in 1990 and 1991, receiving coaching and feedback from professional surfers. As a result, he qualified to compete in the NSSA National Surfing Championship in 1991 and 1992.^[1]

Vitamin

Ozzie Rea moved to Encinitas, California in 1993 to pursue a career as a professional surfer. Within hours of writing his first poems as an adult, he met John Butler. They met at the D Street overlook and decided to start a band upon their first meeting. His first paying gig was at the Metaphor Cafe in Escondido, California on September 9, 1993.^[2] Vitamin was written up twice in the Escondido Times-Advocate.^[3] Vitamin gigged all over San Diego and played one show in Houston, Texas in 1995. Vitamin recorded two tracks, "Deadhorse" and "Mary Jane", in the Belly Up Studios, Solana Beach, California in 1994.

Ozzie moved to Australia in 1998 and fronted a Perth funk band called Proton who shared John Butler Trio's drummer. Proton and the John Butler Trio can be found on The Live at Mojo's CD and gigged together on New Years Eve Y2K. The members of Vitamin were John Butler (12-String Guitar, Vocals); Ozzie Rea (Vocals); Justin Bancroft (Electric Guitar); Taria Flower Star (Bass Guitar); Duck Grossberg (Bass Guitar); Desiree (Congas); Gabe (Djembe); Jim (Harmonica); and Hailey Odom (Harmonica).

Landman

Following the dissolution of Vitamin, Ozzie returned to Texas. After being fired from California Pizza Kitchen for shaving his head his father gave him a job working with a team of landmen who trained Ozzie as a Landman or Petroleum Land Manager. Ozzie would learn how to run title on real property and over a three-year period and would help to get the rights to shoot 70 square miles of seismic data inside the city limits of Corpus Christi, Texas.

Australia

In December 1997 Ozzie moved to Fremantle, Australia. He lived with John Butler, helping as his roadie and assistant and began performing Spoken Word at various venues in Perth.^[4] In October 1998, Zbra Magazine called him the most 'rappingest watermelon eating poet this side of the Pecos"^[5] Ozzie was asked by John Butler to perform spoken word in between acts at Mojo's Bar in Fremantle. This is where he was noticed by Jason McGann and Pete Miller of Proton. They asked Ozzie to join their funk band Proton and gave him his stage name MC O. Ozzie was crowned the "King of the Artrage festival in October 2000 for his spoken word performances.^[6] Andrew McCallister wrote "The effervescent MC O delivered the rhymes and spoken word at breakneck speed working the floor up to his pace never dropping his guard" .^[7] Ozzie was credited for co-writing the song "Earthbound Child" which appears on the US version of The John Butler Trio album "Three".

Proton

Proton was described as a Funky Disco Rock Hop band.^[8] They had already established a presence in the Perth Music Scene when MC O joined the band. Proton expanded their fanbase with Ozzie joining as a frontman and rapper.^[9] MC O was often described as exuding "Pure Zen Funk Yoga Energy." Throughout Western Australia, MC O and Proton performed extensively.

The band also had live appearances on ABC radio and RTR FM. In 1999, they became the runner-up for the "The Next Big Thing" award,^[10]^[11] and in 2000, they secured the West Australian Music Award for Best Funk Band. Proton even held an annual show during the ASP World Tour of surfing in Margaret River at the Coconut Club in Yallingup. Jason McGann, a founding member, left the band to tour with The John Butler Trio in early 2000.

Proton released its EP, "Here Beneath the Big Top" on May 20, 2000. The band embarked on a national tour in the Winter of 2000 and also performed at The Big Day Out in Perth that same year. The band's lineup underwent changes, including Joe Scholz's departure and Toby Gosling's replacement on the keys. Toby is the son of Lucky Oceans, guitarist for Asleep at the Wheel. DJ KL took over for Paul Malone, leaving Tom Shore and Pete Miller as the only remaining original members after MC O's departure in the Spring of 2001. Proton released a single featuring MC O's vocals on the track "Throw Down," which gained high rotation across Australia and reached #82 on the ARIA Charts.

Uncle Fiesta

During his time at The Art Institute of Seattle for Audio Engineering, MC O got acquainted with drummer Jazz "Fuunkzilla" Turnbow, bass player Yarri "Earthworm" Brozynna, and guitarist Taro Taylor. Fuunkzilla is the son of K.W. Turnbow, the longtime drummer for Chris Ledoux's band The Western Underground. Uncle Fiesta performed at various venues in Seattle and recorded two songs at Ironwood Studios. Unfortunately, in 2003, the band disbanded, and their recorded tracks remained unreleased. However, they reconciled in 2004 and returned to the studio to record 3 additional tracks. The band has announced plans to release these tracks in the Fall of 2023.

Flong All Stars

Upon returning to Texas in 2003, Ozzie dedicated himself to learning the guitar. He spent a month busking on the streets of Austin in order to master the instrument. At the annual Rainbow Gathering, Ozzie connected with Lorenzo Patterson, the former drummer for The Killer Bees and Seventh Sinse, who offered to be his drummer. With the inclusion of Ryan "Blue Monkey" West as the bass player and Brad "Unk" Massengill, former Plan B member, as lead guitarist, the band Flong All Stars took shape. The group performed on 6th street for over a year and participated in The Ruta Maya open mic every Tuesday.

Ozzie eventually took on the role of hosting the open mic and introduced "The Ruta Maya House Band," a concept that propelled multiple careers in Austin, including that of Kalu James. Expanding the lineup, MC O included backup performers for each instrument, drawing from well-known local talent. Additional members like Ed Miles on drums, Charles "Swift" Phillips on drums, Melvin "Mellie Mel" Wilbourne on saxophone, Duane "D Madness" Jackson on bass and drums, Michael Rubin on harmonica, and Drew Howard on guitar joined the band. In October 2007, the Flong All Stars released the EP "The Process" at Ruta Maya, and the Open Mic continued until 2011, consistently drawing one of the largest Tuesday night crowds in Austin.

After a hiatus of 12 years, The Flong All Stars returned to live performances on March 5, 2023, opening for Afroman at the Texas Ski Ranch in San Marcos, Texas.

Business career

Upon Ozzie's return to Texas in 2003, his father formed Del Mar Exploration and brought Ozzie on board as a landman. Initially, Ozzie assembled a lease block within the city of Corpus Christi, Texas, in the Saxet Field. Utilizing seismic data that Ozzie played a role in acquiring back in 1995, Del Mar Exploration ventured into drilling for orphan oil and discovered 2 million barrels of oil in their maiden well, the Perkins-LaGasse #2. Over the span of 2009 to 2013, Ozzie and his father successfully drilled 12 wells in the Saxet Field.

After encountering a string of 3 dry holes in 2013, Ozzie took up the role of Land Manager at Crystal River Oil and Gas, a company with offices in Encinitas, California, and Aspen, Colorado. In 2014, Ozzie established "Old Texas Land and Energy Corporation" and launched his independent venture, offering Land Services, Leases Acquisition, and promoting drilling deals. His intrigue for Blockchain Technology led him to focus on becoming an expert in the field. This expertise was showcased when he became a keynote speaker at the 4th and 5th annual Blockchain for Oil & Gas Convention in Houston, Texas, in 2016.

In partnership with Alastai Caithness of Ziyen Energy, Ozzie tokenized an Oil and Gas Working Interest in 2019. This innovative move involved offering participation in a drilling project through a Security Token compliant with SEC regulations. The token was launched on the Ethereum Blockchain.^[12]

References

^ Severson, John (May 1991). "Gulf Coast Notes". Surfer Magazine.
^ Leighton, Ken (September 9, 1993). "Vitamin to play the Metaphor Cafe". Escondido Times Advocate, "GO" Magazine insert. pp. 5–6.
^ Leighton, Ken (September 9, 1993). "Vitamin to play the Metaphor Cafe". Escondido Times Advocate, "GO" Magazine insert. pp. 5–6.
^ "Props, Pumps, Pisco, and Poetry - Proton CD Launch". PICA Performance Space, Perth, Australia. May 20, 2000.
^ Boy, Prozac. "Slam Poetry". Zbra Magazine, Perth Street Press. p. 35.
^ McCallister, Andrew (October 21, 2000). "Closer to Death". Zbra, Street Press, Perth, Western Australia. p. 22.
^ McCallister, Andrew (October 4, 2000). "Schmotown Low Down". Zbra, Street Press, Perth, Western Australia. p. 13.
^ "Last Thing: The Next Big Thing Grand Final, Grosvenor Back Room". Zbra Magazine, Perth, Western Australia. December 14, 1999.
^ "live@theWatershed over the pond at the ART GALLERY OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA in the Perth Cultural Center". Concert Flyer. January 26, 2001.
^ "NEXT BIG THING Heat". Zbra Magazine, Perth, Western Australia. November 7, 1999. https://archive.org/details/big-heat-thing
^ Gordon, Bob (Dec 14, 1999). "Last Thing". Zbra Magazine, Perth, Western Australia.
^ Ziyen Inc. (January 6, 2020). "Ziyen Energy CEO Interviews President of Old Texas Land and Energy Corporation about the ZiyenCoin acquisition of 2% Non-Operated Working Interest in the Priour Oil Prospect, Saxet Field, Texas". Globe News Wire.

[1] Severson, John (May 1991). "Gulf Coast Notes". Surfer Magazine.

[2] Leighton, Ken (September 9, 1993). "Vitamin to play the Metaphor Cafe". Escondido Times Advocate, "GO" Magazine insert. pp. 5–6.

[3] Leighton, Ken (September 9, 1993). "Vitamin to play the Metaphor Cafe". Escondido Times Advocate, "GO" Magazine insert. pp. 5–6.

[4] "Props, Pumps, Pisco, and Poetry - Proton CD Launch". PICA Performance Space, Perth, Australia. May 20, 2000.

[5] Boy, Prozac. "Slam Poetry". Zbra Magazine, Perth Street Press. p. 35.

[6] McCallister, Andrew (October 21, 2000). "Closer to Death". Zbra, Street Press, Perth, Western Australia. p. 22.

[7] McCallister, Andrew (October 4, 2000). "Schmotown Low Down". Zbra, Street Press, Perth, Western Australia. p. 13.

[8] "Last Thing: The Next Big Thing Grand Final, Grosvenor Back Room". Zbra Magazine, Perth, Western Australia. December 14, 1999.

[9] "live@theWatershed over the pond at the ART GALLERY OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA in the Perth Cultural Center". Concert Flyer. January 26, 2001.

[10] "NEXT BIG THING Heat". Zbra Magazine, Perth, Western Australia. November 7, 1999. https://archive.org/details/big-heat-thing

[11] Gordon, Bob (Dec 14, 1999). "Last Thing". Zbra Magazine, Perth, Western Australia.

[12] Ziyen Inc. (January 6, 2020). "Ziyen Energy CEO Interviews President of Old Texas Land and Energy Corporation about the ZiyenCoin acquisition of 2% Non-Operated Working Interest in the Priour Oil Prospect, Saxet Field, Texas". Globe News Wire.

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