Black Sabbath was formed in Birmingham, England, in 1968 by bassist Geezer Butler , guitarist Tony Iommi , drummer Bill Ward , and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne . Their debut album, released on February 13, 1969, is considered by many to be the birth of heavy metal.
With the same lineup, Black Sabbath released classic albums such as Paranoid (1970) and Master of Reality (1971). The band continued with the same lineup until 1979, when, after the release of the album Never Say Die, Ozzy was fired due to drug abuse.
Rainbow 's vocalist , Ronnie James Dio , was brought in to replace him. In April 1980, the band released the classic Heaven and Hell . In the same year, Bill Ward left the band, and Vinny Apice joined in his place. In 1982, after the live album Live Evil , Dio left the band.
After Dio, Black Sabbath continued to feature different vocalists, most notably Ian Gillan , Rob Halford , Glenn Hughes , and Tony Martin ( Click here to see a complete infographic of Black Sabbath's lineups). The band also included several drummers and bassists; Tony Iommi is the only member present in all of the band's phases.
The original Black Sabbath lineup reunited for shows in 1997, and in 2011 announced they would be making a new album with the original members. The following year, Ward claimed he hadn't been offered a fair contract and left the reunion. In 2013, Black Sabbath released their final album, 13 , with drummer Brad Wilk .
With two Grammys and inductions into both the American and UK Music Halls of Fame
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