Black Sabbath

Black Sabbath (sometimes called Sabbath by fans) is a British heavy metal band, originally comprising Ozzy Osbourne (vocals), Tony Iommi (guitar), Terrance "Geezer" Butler (bass), and Bill Ward (drums). more...

One of the definitive heavy metal bands, Black Sabbath remain a dominant influence in the genre they helped originate. VH1's 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock ranked them second, behind Led Zeppelin.

History

1960s

Black Sabbath formed in Birmingham, England in 1968 under the name Polka Tulk Blues Band (soon shortened to "Polka Tulk"), and later Earth, playing blues rock and hard rock.

Black Sabbath had a unique sound that emerged from diverse influences. Iommi was greatly influenced both by Hank Marvin's playing on Cliff Richard and the Shadows' heavy-guitar based recordings and by jazz guitar, particularly that of Django Reinhardt. Ward has also expressed a fondness for jazz music, especially drummers like Buddy Rich and Gene Krupa. Geezer Butler cites bassist/vocalist Jack Bruce of British blues band Cream was a major influence on him: “He was the first player I ever saw who bent the strings and played the bass as a totally independent instrument”. Early incarnations of Black Sabbath merged elements of blues, jazz, and rock and paid their dues playing cover versions of songs by heavy rock acts including Jimi Hendrix, Blue Cheer, and the previously mentioned Cream. Osbourne says he was deeply influenced by the Beatles and his favorite album of all time is Revolver.

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