20 Facts You May or May Not Know About Black Sabbath

Black Sabbath are known as the Godfathers of British Heavy Metal. Where it all started for the genre known as heavy metal. Some think heavy metal started elsewhere while other people think it all started with this four piece band from Birmingham. According to the people at Loudwire.com, here are 20 facts you may or may not know about Black Sabbath

1. Their debut album only took one session to record

-Their iconic 1968 debut album, Black Sabbath, was recorded in one session

2. Tony nearly destroyed the band before it started

-When the band formed, he was asked to join the more established Jethro Tull in 1969. After seeing how it was with them, he rejoined the band he was previously with and the four of them made it work, using the same discipline he saw with Tull

3. Their name was inspired by the film with Boris Karloff

-Even the band say that the name of their band came from the Boris Karloff film Black Sabbath

4. The whereabouts of the woman from their debut album are unknown

-It's not known what became of the woman who graces their debut album, until a 2020 interview revealed all about her.

5. In his younger days, Ozzy was a soul fan

-Since soul is big in Birmingham, Ozzy listed soul acts such as Sam and Dave among his favorite musicians

6. Don't interrupt their concerts

-The iconic song "Fairies Wear Boots" was inspired by one of Black Sabbath's early concerts getting interrupted by a gang of skinheads wearing combat boots

7. Phone a friend

-During the making of their 1973 Sabbath Bloody Sabbath album, the band wanted to add a little something extra to the album. They called in legendary Yes keyboard player Rick Wakeman to add his talent on keyboards

8. Their Technical Ecstasy album cover confuses a lot of people

-When Black Sabbath recorded their 1976 Technical Ecstasy album, they hired famed artists Hipgnosis to create a complex, sophisticated cover. Later on, Ozzy said it looked like "two robots screwing in an elevator"

9. Coming and Going

-When Ozzy had quit the first time in 1977, the band hired vocalist Dave Walker from the band Savoy Brown to fill in for a televised performance. Ozzy left the band for good in 1979, after missing a gig in Memphis, Tennessee. This led the rest of the band to fear that something bad had happened to Ozzy, leading up to the band issuing a missing persons report

10. Dio on board

-As suggested by Sharon Arden, later to become Sharon Osbourne, she suggested former Rainbow vocalist Ronnie James Dio. His unique singing voice allowed Black Sabbath to stretch their creative muscles and go in directions they couldn't before with Ozzy

11. Deep Sabbath

-When Ronnie left in 1983, after some issues with Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler, former Deep Purple vocalist Ian Gillan joined. Only one album was made with him on vocals, 1983's Born Again. Tony discovered that Ian was insane off stage and quiet on. He tried to get Ian to dress in darker colors, since most of Black Sabbath wore black clothing or leather

12. Almost a comeback

-The original four piece lineup had plans to record a reunion album in 2001 with legendary producer Rick Rubin. It didn't happen because Ozzy was busy with his reality show The Osbournes

13. Kiss Me Deadly (Think Again)

-At one point, Tony Iommi was engaged to metal vocalist Lita Ford. She broke the engagement off when she saw he was having issues with drug addiction. Soon Lita was singing with Ozzy on the iconic duet "Close My Eyes Forever"

14. The album artwork for Paranoid has baffled fans for years

-The original idea behind their 1970 album Paranoid was supposed to be a reference to the song "War Pigs". In fact, that was the original name for the album. Unfortunately, the Vietnam War was still raging on and Warner Bros was not comfortable with that as an album name. They chose the safer-sounding "Paranoid" as the album title. The album artwork shows a blurred neon warrior

15. Thanks for your support

-When Black Sabbath agreed to open for Ozzy as a solo act, Ronnie refused to sing. "I will not support a clown" were his words. So, a replacement was needed. The band brought in Judas Priest vocalist Rob Halford to fill in on short notice, since Judas Priest was playing at the same music festival as Ozzy and Black Sabbath

16. Brian May...on a Black Sabbath song

-On the 1989 Headless Cross album, Queen guitarist Brian May plays guitar on the track "When Death Calls"

17. Inspiration for Bill Ward

-Bill Ward lists his drumming inspiration from big band legends like Gene Krupa or Buddy Rich. He wanted to play with the same energy and reckless abandon as they did

18. A good friend of Geezer

-Legendary actor Tom Hanks is a good friend of Geezer's. They're both fans of Aston Villa FC

19. Assistance behind the music

-Geoff Nicholls is a long time musician who has helped Black Sabbath on and off again since 1979. He's played mostly if not all keyboards. It's been said that the unique bass line of "Heaven and Hell", from the 1980 album of the same name is similar to the song "Mainline Riders" by the band Quartz, the band Geoff Nicholls performed with

20. Multi Talented

-Besides being the master of malevolent, doomy riffs, Tony Iommi penned a pop song for the 2013 Eurovision Song Contest. It was eventually performed by Armenian band Dorians