Black Sabbath formed in Birmingham, England in 1968 and pioneered a rock and
roll assault that laid the foundations for the heavy metal revolution that swept
popular music in the '70s and '80s. While the band's first class playing and
lyrics that made you think only of Black Sabbath they set a standard for the
countless groups who would follow. Their 1970 self-titled debut album remains
one of the most innovative and influential long players in rock history.
The band Comprised of Ozzy Osbourne on vocals, Tony Iommi on guitar, Geezer
Butler on bass and Bill Ward on drums, the band was initially known by the name
Polka Tulk and then Earth. Taking their hometown pub and club circuit by storm
with a high energy blend of blues and rock. Schoolmates from a working class
Birmingham neighbourhood, the group earned a fervent following throughout the
Midlands and in 1968 changed their name to Black Sabbath.
Black Sabbath eventually reached the top ten on British charts where it remained
for three months and earned the band a devoted cult following on both sides of
the Atlantic. In 1979, Ozzy Osbourne was replaced by Ronnie James Dio, an
American who had fronted the group Elf and served a stint in Ritchie Blackmore's
Rainbow.
There have been many people in Black Sabbath over the
30 years of the band's history. Some think the
band died in 1979 when Ozzy was fired. That's
too bad, because there's a lot of music that's
extremely good in the intervening years of the band
before Ozzy returned in the late 90's.
