Tony Iommi Biography

Birth of Anthony Frank Iommi, later guitarist and sole continuous member of Black Sabbath.

Iommi loses the tips of two fingers in an industrial accident and adapts his playing.

Helps form Polka Tulk Blues Band in Birmingham before the group becomes Earth and then Black Sabbath. This record concerns Tony Iommi and Earth.

Joins Mythology

Leaves Mythology with Bill Ward before helping form the group that becomes Black Sabbath.

Joins Polka Tulk Blues Band on guitar, beginning the partnership with Osbourne, Butler and Ward.

Iommi plays lead guitar as Polka Tulk develops its heavy blues style.

After the dissolution of Mythology, Ward and Iommi, along with Ozzy Osbourne and Geezer Butler, found a new band, the Polka Tulk Blues Band, later called Earth and finally renamed Black Sabbath

Tony Iommi & Bill Ward were in a band called Mythology and Geezer Butler with Ozzy in a band called Rare Breed, these groups broke up and form the Polka Tulk Blues Band.

The group adopts the name Black Sabbath while performing in Birmingham.

Iommi becomes the group's principal riff writer and only continuous founding member.

Iommi's band Earth changes its name to avoid confusion with another group.

Iommi develops the heavy guitar sound that defines Black Sabbath's early music.

Records the debut album with heavy riffs that help define the emerging heavy metal style.

Creates the guitar riffs for Paranoid, Iron Man and War Pigs during the band's breakthrough year.

Uses lower tunings on Master of Reality, deepening the heavy sound that influences later metal bands.

Adds piano and arrangement ideas to Changes, showing a softer side of the band.

Records Sabotage during a period of legal and management pressure around the band.

Leads the renewed Black Sabbath sound on Heaven and Hell with Ronnie James Dio.

Iommi and Butler rejoin Dio and drummer Vinny Appice to record Dehumanizer

The original line up reunites with Osbourne and releases a live album, Reunion

The early/mid 1980s line-up featuring Iommi, Butler, Dio, and Appice reform under the title, Heaven & Hell

Plays Black Sabbath's final concert in Birmingham during The End tour.