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This English rock band began in 1969 by four teen-aged mates in Birmingham, England. Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Bill Ward, and Geezer Butler formed the band Polka Tulk; the name was then changed to Earth; and later changed again for the final time to the name known on both sides of the Atlantic Black Sabbath.

These teens took the music of band's like Cream and Vanilla Fudge and took it a little farther by accentuating the bass, slowing down the tempo, adding screaming guitar licks, and changing the singing to howling or screaming. The lyrics themselves focused on anguish and the macabre. This form of music became known as heavy metal.

At the end of that year Phillips Records signed the young band to a record deal. Two months later Black Sabbath released their self titled debut album in the UK. Warner Brothers had the US release rights and lagged behind by about four months on all releases. The band's debut album sold and charted well. It was their second release "Paranoid" charted well and sold even better with four million in US sales which received an award of four times platinum. (A gold album means 100,000 in sales; while a platinum award is one million in sales. An extra platinum is awarded for each additional million in sales.)

Black Sabbath continued to release singles and album which continued to make the charts and sell fairly well; but "Paranoid" would end up being their best selling album.

In 1973 the band was sidelined for a time with the inevitable managerial difficulties that seem to plague all bands at some time or another. But the band returned with a new album in 1975.

During the mid to late seventies musical tastes were changing and it was these changes that brought about the beginning of the end for the original line up of the mates. In 1977 Ozzy was the first to leave. Over the years he would return here and there for the occasional live show or album. After Ozzy's departure band members began to come and go. Tony Iommi took over the band. When "Seventh Son" was released it was billed as Black Sabbath featuring Tony Iommi. The album did show some changes including the additon of a keyboard player. After that participation in Black Sabbath became a revolving door.

When the record company released a two CD compilation of reissues Black Sabbath finally won their first and only Grammy Award for the heavy metal single "Iron Man".

Black Sabbath re-united in its original form in 2001 to headline Ozzy's rock festival Ozzfest. The band had also planned to release an album of new material which due to difficulties among members never materialized.

Over the years Black Sabbath has received 12 Gold Album Awards, eight Platinum Album Awards, with only three of their albums receiving multi platinum awards - "We Sold Our Soul for Rock and Roll" went double platinum, "Master of Reality" also went double platinum, and "Paranoid" with the four times platinum status.

While the band's record sales are modest by comparison to many of the greatest rock bands in the world; Black Sabbath is credited with creating a new musical genre and is considered by some as the most influential and the defining force in the creation of what is known today as heavy metal rock.

Learn more about this author, Sherrill Fulghum.
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