Guitar.com is reporting that Black Sabbath drummer, Bill Ward, has recalled hearing Tony Iommi play guitar in the early days, saying that he was “just amazed” by his playing.
Before Ward and Iommi were bandmates in Sabbath, they played together in two bands: The Rest and Mythology. When Iommi joined the former in 1966, it was “the best thing that had ever happened to us”, according to Ward.
“In The Rest we were just happy to get a gig,” he tells Uncut in the July 2025 issue of the magazine. “We were still at school. I went to Slade Road School, which was just around the corner from the other crowd. We were fortunate to be able to play gigs locally like pubs or anywhere that would have us.
“Tony had joined The Rest and that was the best thing that had ever happened to us – I was just amazed by his guitar playing. We went forward from that.”
Read more at Guitar.com, and order the new issue of Uncut here.
The original Black Sabbath – Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward – will perform together for the first time in 20 years when they take to the stage to headline the sold-out Back To The Beginning event on July 5 at Villa Park in Birmingham, England.
The all-star Back To The Beginning event will celebrate the true creators of heavy metal and will see Ozzy – who is battling Parkinson’s Disease – play his own short set before joining with Black Sabbath for his final bow. All profits will go to the following charities: Cure Parkinson’s, Birmingham Children’s Hospital and Acorn Children’s Hospice, a Children’s Hospice supported by Aston Villa.
Back To The Beginning will feature sets from Slayer, Metallica, Pantera, Guns N’ Roses, Tool, Gojira, Halestorm, Alice In Chains, Lamb Of God, Anthrax and Mastodon.
The all-day event will also feature a supergroup of musicians. Artists include members of Soundgarden, Steven Tyler (Aerosmith), Billy Corgan (The Smashing Pumpkins), David Draiman (Disturbed), Duff McKagan & Slash (Guns ‘n Roses), Frank Bello (Anthrax), Fred Durst (Limp Bizkit), Jake E Lee, Jonathan Davis (Korn), K.K. Downing, Lzzy Hale (Halestorm), Mike Bordin (Faith No More), Rudy Sarzo, Sammy Hagar, Scott Ian (Anthrax), Sleep Token II (Sleep Token), Papa V Perpetua (Ghost), Tom Morello (Rage Against The Machine), Wolfgang Van Halen, Zakk Wylde, Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers), David Ellefson (Megadeth), Vernon Reid (Living Colour), Whitfield Crane (Ugly Kid Joe), and Andrew Watt.
(Bill Ward photo – Christopher Wagner)
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Before Ward and Iommi were bandmates in Sabbath, they played together in two bands: The Rest and Mythology. When Iommi joined the former in 1966, it was “the best thing that had ever happened to us”, according to Ward.
“In The Rest we were just happy to get a gig,” he tells Uncut in the July 2025 issue of the magazine. “We were still at school. I went to Slade Road School, which was just around the corner from the other crowd. We were fortunate to be able to play gigs locally like pubs or anywhere that would have us.
“Tony had joined The Rest and that was the best thing that had ever happened to us – I was just amazed by his guitar playing. We went forward from that.”
Read more at Guitar.com, and order the new issue of Uncut here.
The original Black Sabbath – Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward – will perform together for the first time in 20 years when they take to the stage to headline the sold-out Back To The Beginning event on July 5 at Villa Park in Birmingham, England.
The all-star Back To The Beginning event will celebrate the true creators of heavy metal and will see Ozzy – who is battling Parkinson’s Disease – play his own short set before joining with Black Sabbath for his final bow. All profits will go to the following charities: Cure Parkinson’s, Birmingham Children’s Hospital and Acorn Children’s Hospice, a Children’s Hospice supported by Aston Villa.
Back To The Beginning will feature sets from Slayer, Metallica, Pantera, Guns N’ Roses, Tool, Gojira, Halestorm, Alice In Chains, Lamb Of God, Anthrax and Mastodon.
The all-day event will also feature a supergroup of musicians. Artists include members of Soundgarden, Steven Tyler (Aerosmith), Billy Corgan (The Smashing Pumpkins), David Draiman (Disturbed), Duff McKagan & Slash (Guns ‘n Roses), Frank Bello (Anthrax), Fred Durst (Limp Bizkit), Jake E Lee, Jonathan Davis (Korn), K.K. Downing, Lzzy Hale (Halestorm), Mike Bordin (Faith No More), Rudy Sarzo, Sammy Hagar, Scott Ian (Anthrax), Sleep Token II (Sleep Token), Papa V Perpetua (Ghost), Tom Morello (Rage Against The Machine), Wolfgang Van Halen, Zakk Wylde, Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers), David Ellefson (Megadeth), Vernon Reid (Living Colour), Whitfield Crane (Ugly Kid Joe), and Andrew Watt.
(Bill Ward photo – Christopher Wagner)
Follow BraveWords on social media… Facebook page, Facebook Group, X/Twitter, Instagram, Threads, Bluesky and YouTube.
Visit https://linktr.ee/bravewords
The post BLACK SABBATH’s BILL WARD Recalls Being “Amazed” By TONY IOMMI’s Guitar Playing – “That Was The Best Thing That Ever Happened To Us” appeared first on BraveWords - Where Music Lives.
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