In 1968, guitarist Tommy Iommi and  drummer Bill Ward found themselves without a band when their group, Mythology broke up.  They recruited Geezer Butler and Ozzy Osbourne and called themselves The Polka Tulk Blues Band.  They eventually changed their name to Earth and recorded several demos.

Black Sabbath

Black Sabbath was written on bass: I just walked into the studio and went, bah, bah, bah, and everybody joined in and we just did it.   Geezer Butler

The Beginning

In 1968, guitarist Tommy Iommi and  drummer Bill Ward found themselves without a band when their group, Mythology broke up.  They recruited Geezer Butler and Ozzy Osbourne and called themselves The Polka Tulk Blues Band.  They eventually changed their name to Earth and recorded several demos.  Over time, they discovered that they were being confused with another English rock band named Earth; they changed their name again, this time to Black Sabbath.

The band’s debut album, Black Sabbath, was released in 1970.  It went  to #7 on the UK charts, but received unfavorable reviews and response in the United States.  With time and promotion, the album gained popularity and eventually  certified platinum. The second album, however, earned the band infamy in both the United States and the UK.  Paranoid certified 7x platinum in the UK and 4x platinum in the US.  Singles included War Pigs, Iron Man, and Paranoid.

Building Momentum

Critics at that time were harsh in their judgment of the album despite its commercial success.  However, contemporary critics looking back at the album, consider it one of the best and most impactful albums in rock history.  The band went on to release five more very successful albums.  In 1977, Ozzy Osbourne announced he was leaving the band; he launched a solo career shortly after.

The band brought on Ronnie James Dio, former vocalist of Rainbow, to front the band.   Black Sabbath released three albums with Dio as their lead vocalist, all of which certified platinum.  In 1982, Dio left Black Sabbath to start his own band.  The band  floundered through five albums, trying out one vocalist after another.  Their recordings were losing the characteristically dark flavor that had made them famous.  Their Headless Cross Tour in 1989 had to be abandoned after eight shows due to poor ticket sales.

Building the Black Sabbath of Today

In 1990, Dio returned to Black Sabbath, and the result was Dehumanizer, the first album to receive an RAII certification since he had left the band.  The album went platinum, and the band was back on top.  Then Dio left again.  The band continued to record and tour, but now, with a revolving door of members.  Two more albums with lackluster sales and poor reviews convinced the remaining members that perhaps it was time to move on, and in 1997, Iommi disbanded Black Sabbath.

In 1997, Ozzy Osbourne reunited with the rest of the band for a performance at his annual music festival, OzzFest.  They embarked on a European tour, and  released a live double album which went platinum.    By 2001, however, they disbanded again and each went on to pursue separate incidents.

Did you know . . .

• When members decided to drop the name Earth, the theater across the street from the studio was playing Boris Karloff’s film, Black Sabbath.  This is where they got the name.

• Black Sabbath deliberately released  their debut album on Friday the 13^th.

• In 1968, Iommi left to play with Jethro Tull.  He felt it was not a good fit, so he returned to Black Sabbath.

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