10 Lesser Known Facts About Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath is one of the greatest rock and metal bands of all time and that is undeniable. The Birmingham band is considered the genesis of the metal genre and is easy to see why. Its distorted guitar playing, courtesy of Tony Iommi, and darksome sound have become the cornerstone of the genre.
Considering that Black Sabbath started in the late 60s, there are a lot of fun facts regarding this band. Some of them involve studio shenanigans and others about its songs. Even some of them involve issues with different types of authorities. All of that has only added to the band’s legacy and status as heavy metal royalty.
1. Brian May is the Only Guitarist Other Than Tony Iommi to Play on a Black Sabbath Record
Queen‘s Brian May and Tony Iommi have been friends for decades now, which is shown even to this very day. However, most Black Sabbath fans don’t know that May is the only guitarist other than Iommi to play in the band’s records. People can listen to his guitar playing in the 1989 album, “Headless Cross“, of the Tony Martin era.
May plays a solo in the fourth song, “When Death Calls“, which is a bit of a doom metal epic. It is an interesting song and part of a highly underrated album.
2. Michael Bolton once Auditioned for the Band
Michael Bolton is a great singer but there is no denying that one would expect him to sing in a metal band. However, according to Tony Iommi in his autobiography, “Iron Man: My Journey Through Heaven and Hell“, that happened in 1982. Black Sabbath had parted ways with Ronnie James Dio and Bolton was one of the vocalists who auditioned for the role.
He wasn’t picked, obviously, as the band would end up with then-former Deep Purple vocalist Ian Gillan. Bolton has since denied the rumor, although it would be bizarre on Iommi‘s part to just make this event up.
3. Rob Halford Saved the Day for Them Once
Back in 1992, original Black Sabbath vocalist Ozzy Osbourne was a solo artist and announced he was retiring with his “No More Tears” tours. He offered his original band the chance to open for him and also play a few classic tunes together. The band was on board except for vocalist Ronnie James Dio, who never had a good relationship with Ozzy. Dio claimed a few years later that they were setting up a reunion and felt betrayed by the whole ordeal.
Therefore, the band needed a new singer to fill in for these days. So, the man chosen for the task was Judas Priest‘s legendary vocalist, Rob Halford. Thankfully, some of these live performances have been recorded and people can hear the Metal God singing with this band.
4. John Bonham almost Recorded Something for the Band
It has been documented time and time again that Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin had a good relationship. They were all from Birmingham and usually visited each other when they were in town. On one of those occasions, during the recording of “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath” in 1973, drummer John Bonham almost made history.
According to Iommi, Bonham liked to play with Bill Ward‘s drum kit, although the latter didn’t appreciate it because he always broke something. However, the guitarist mentioned how Bonham jammed with them during that recording in 1973. He has also mentioned that he would like to find the tape with the jam, although Ward has denied that it was recorded.
Be that as it may, it has been confirmed that John Bonham played drums with Black Sabbath once. It would be fascinating to see if said tape does exist and if it could come out one day.
5. Tony Iommi had to Deal with Stalkers in the 80s
This event took place after the 1983 “Born Again” tour. Iommi had rented a home in Bel Air as he was thinking about his next moves with the band. However, due to his drug problems at the time, he thought he was going insane as he heard voices and saw people at his home.
Since the police didn’t offer any help, he decided to do some research. And he discovered there was a secret path to his home. It turns out that there were people hiding in his house and living there in secret. It is fair to say that Iommi has seen a lot of things but this one is quite bizarre.
6. The model of the Debut Album
Black Sabbath‘s debut stands tall as arguably the most influential metal album of all time. It is even considered by many as the first proper metal album to ever come out. Regardless of opinions, its music has withstood the test of time and so has the album cover.
Keith Stuart McMillan took the photographs at Mapledurham Watermill on the River Thames in Oxfordshire, England. The woman on the cover was never revealed until 2020 when McMillan confirmed that her name was Louisa Livingstone. She was 18 or 19 years old at the time, according to the photographer.
7. Geezer Butler Claims he did the Devil’s Horns Before Ronnie James Dio
Ronnie James Dio accomplished a lot throughout his career and one of them was popularizing the Devil’s Horns. That gesture has become iconic in rock and metal circles, making Dio a major part of the genre’s history. However, according to Black Sabbath bassist Geezer Butler, he came up with the gesture before him.
Butler has stated that he taught Dio the Devil’s Horns and that he has pictures in the 70s doing said gesture. For example, the one above is from 1971. Therefore, there is some validity to Butler‘s claims and Iommi has backed him as well.
It is also worth pointing out that Dio never claimed to have come up with the hand sign. While alive, he claimed that it was his grandmother who taught him, as it was a way of protecting him against evil. It was rooted in Italian culture, where Dio‘s heritage comes from.
8. It took Geoff Nicholls Years to Become an Official Band Member
It’s no secret that Black Sabbath had a lot of different lineups over the years. And while most people tend to focus on the singers and the drummers, to a degree, Geoff Nicholls‘s place is quite peculiar. He was the band’s mainstay at keyboards for so many years and, yet, was often undermined.
There are reports that Nicholls played keyboards for the band for the first time during “Technical Ecstasy“. However, he didn’t get credit until 1980’s “Heaven and Hell” and that was as a guest musician. It isn’t until 1986’s “Seventh Star” that he is credited as a band member. That is a peculiar decision when the band never had an official keyboard player and Nicholls was working full time for them.
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9. Tony Martin never Missed a Show with Black Sabbath
There are very few figures in metal music as underrated as singer Tony Martin. The British vocalist joined Black Sabbath in the mid-80s when the band was at its lowest commercially and helped pick them up. While commercial success was never very present during his tenure, the quality of the albums was undeniable. There are people whose favorite lineup is the one with Martin at the helm.
Martin‘s singing and songwriting were instrumental in improving the band’s fortunes at the time. Furthermore, he was a consummate professional as he never missed a single show during his tenure there. When considering he was a part of the band for the better part of a decade, that is an amazing achievement.
It is true that Tony Martin that never got the credit he deserved, although time has slowly changed that. Records such as “Cross Purposes“, “The Eternal Idol“, “Headless Cross“, and “Tyr” have become much more beloved recently. And with the recent “Anno Domini” boxset, his legacy has received a huge boost.
10. The Band Played “Smoke on the Water” with Ian Gillan
Ian Gillan‘s time with Black Sabbath lasted a year but was filled with anecdotes. From him joining the band because of a drunken stupor with Tony Iommi to the song “Trashed” being inspired by him crashing his car, there were a lot of stories here. However, the band playing Deep Purple‘s legendary hit, “Smoke on the Water“, might be the weirdest thing during this tenure.
It was a friendly decision made by Gillan and Iommi, and there are a lot of live performances online of them playing the song during the tour. That is definitely something for the history books and a very peculiar moment in Black Sabbath lore.
