Black Sabbath are a rock band from England. The band was formed in 1968, and the starting lineup was: Ozzy Osbourne (lead vocal), Tony Iommi (guitar), Geezer Butler (bass guitar) and Bill Ward (drums). Their first name was Earth, and they played some kind of heavy blues-rock. Soon the change name in Black Sabbath, and focus their song themes on occult, satanism and horror, but also some social and political issues.
The band's characteristic sound was a result of an accident Tony had when he was 17. He lost the tips of the middle and right finger of his right hand, so he had to tune down his guitar, for easier playing.
During the band's long history, several lineup changes were made, and Tony was the only member who stayed in the band for the whole time. When Ozzy was kicked from the band because of drinking problems in 1979, Ronnie James Dio (from Rainbow) had replaced him.
In the following years, famous vocals like Ian Gillan, Tony Martin, Ray Gillen and Glenn Hughes were singing in the band.
The band's greatest album was Paranoid, which defined heavy metal.
