Black Sabbath

BLACK SABBATH. English rock band, formed in Birmingham in 1968 by Ozzy Osbourne (vocals) / Tommy Iommi (guitar) / Geezer Butler (bass) and Bill Ward (drums). The band has since experienced multiple lineup changes with Tony Iommi the only constant presence in the band through the years. A total of twenty-two musicians have at one time been members of Black Sabbath. Originally formed as a heavy blues rock band named Earth, the band began incorporating occult and horror-inspired lyrics with tuned-down guitars, changing their name to Black Sabbath and achieving multiple platinum records in the 1970s. As one of the first and most influential heavy metal bands of all time, the group have helped to define the genre with releases including the quadruple-platinum "Paranoid" first released in 1970. They were ranked by MTV as the "Greatest Metal Band" of all time and placed second in VH1s "100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock" list, behind Led Zeppelin. They have to date sold more than 100 million records worldwide.