Toni Iommy

Frank Anthony Iommi was born on February 19, 1948 in Ashton, Birmingham England. when he was a boy, his instrument of choice was the accordion, but he was soon influenced by musicians such as Cliff Richards and the Shadows (Hank Marvin on guitar), and began to save up for his first guitar at the age of 14.

By the age of 18, he had booked his first gig in Germany. He gave notice at his job at a machine shop, so he could begin to focus on his career. His plans were halted when, on his last day of work, he caught his right hand in one of the machines and tore off the tips of his middle and ring fingers. The doctors told him that his guitar playing days were over, but his friend returned his faith by bringing him a recording by Django Reinhardt, a guitarist who had injured his hand as well. (Reinhardt only had 2 fingers on his fretting hand)

With his desire to play reborn, Tony designed a type of thimble to fit his fingertips and added leather pads for better grip.

In 1968, Iommi met up with Ozzy Osbourne, whom he had known in childhood. Growing up, the two didn't get along at all. Along with Geezer Butler and Bill ward, they formed the band Polka Tunk Blues Band later changing their name to Earth. Iommi left the band for a few weeks to play with Jethro Tull, but returned and the band renamed themselves Black Sabbath after a Boris Karloff movie with the same title.

If Tony learned nothing else from his time with Jethro Tull, he did learn the importance of formal rehearsals. It was during those rehearsals that the band found the sound that they are now famous for.

Iommi, like many musicians is always searching for new techniques and sounds. One of his first guitars was a left handed Stratocaster. He would take it apart and reassemble it to minimize or maximize feedback or put foil in it to change the sound. When the band was recording their first album, one of the pickups broke, and in the hurry to get the album recorded, he used a Gibson SG that he had acquired in a trade. It became his most used guitar. He still played with different sounds and even designed his own pickups and lightweight strings. He also came up with the idea of a 24-fret, which is now used universally.

Black Sabbath released their first self-titled album in 1970. It was a huge hit and soon led to the release of Paranoid, which went to #1 on the charts in England. By 1974, they were considered to be the best Heavy metal band.

In 1977, Ozzy left the band briefly due to his heavy drug and alcohol abuse, but he left permanently in 1979 in a less than amicable departure. The band replaced him with Ronnie James Dio, formerly of Rainbow, and together they released their next album Heaven and Hell.

In 1981, Bill Ward left the band due to illness, and thus began the high frequency of personnel changes.

Ward was replaced by Vinnie Appice. Then after an argument with band members Dio left and Appice with him. Geezer left to play with Ozzy, leaving Iommi as the only original band member. (Geezer did return 3 years later)

Iommi rejoined Ozzy and Geezer again in 1985 at a Live-Aid concert in Philadelphia, and again at the end of Ozzy's Retirement tour. But the band didn't truly re-unite until their Reunion Tour in 1999.

Tony has accomplished much during his career as a musician. His dream of Black Sabbath reuniting came true, he has been honored by Gibson by having them market his custom-wound pickup as the Tony Iommi Signature Series, and has been able to work on a solo project as well. He also writes a regular column in Guitar World magazine. Whatever project he is working on, you can bet he has put all of his heart and soul into it.