Sabbath boys postpone four shows due to Ozzy's sinusitis

Ozzy Osbourne is "on the mend" after a battle with severe sinusitis, that went into a serious bronchitis, and "will be ready to rock" with the rest of his band on Saturday, 6 February in Tacoma, Washington. 

Black Sabbath canceled its shows in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; Edmonton, Alberta, Canada; and Calgary, Alberta, Canada due to Ozzy's condition. The postponed shows will be rescheduled and played, band announced. Fans were advised to hold on the tickets, and to have trust. As soon as Ozzy is back, the unlucky fans will certainly get their shows. 

The rest of the band is in good form, trustful sources ensure, and our Tony is fine, impatient to play on Saturday night!

The first U.S. leg of "The End" tour will end on February 27 in New York City. Dates in Australia and New Zealand have been confirmed for April, with European festival shows taking place during the summer.

Best of luck, guys, from all the fans! Get well soon, dear Ozzy, we support you! And lots of love to Tony and Geezer!

6 February 2016

Tony Iommi gets Lifetime Achievement Award from National Guitar Museum

The National Guitar Museum announced that its annual Lifetime Achievement Award is being awarded to our Tony Iommi. Tony is the sixth recipient of the award, joining previous recipients Honeyboy Edwards, Roger McGuinn, B.B. King, Vic Flick and Buddy Guy. Recipients are recognized for a lifetime of contributing to the legacy of the guitar and having a singular importance to the development and historical appreciation of the instrument.

Said Iommi, who has just kicked off his final tour with Black Sabbath: "I'm very honored by this award from the National Guitar Museum. The guitar has been an important part of my life for most of my life, and I'm happy to have contributed to its legacy. Not only that, but I have just the place for this award in my new studio!"

According to HP Newquist, National Guitar Museum executive director: "This year, the choice for us was obvious. With Tony embarking on a final tour, his recorded work now marking nearly 50 years, and the charitable work he's been involved in, this was the time to ensure that his work was recognized. Tony's guitar playing has inspired countless numbers of guitarists to follow in his wake, and few guitarists can match his lifetime of achievements."

Accompanying the award, Epiphone Guitars contributed a left-handed model of Iommi's signature SG line, which was launched this past year, to the museum. It will become part of the National Guitar Museum's permanent collection.

The National Guitar Museum is the first museum in the United States dedicated to the history, evolution, and cultural impact of the guitar. Its touring exhibition, "Guitar: The Instrument That Rocked The World" debuted in 2011 and is currently booked at museums across the U.S. into 2018 — having been seen to date by over a million visitors. The touring exhibition consists of more than 80 guitars and entertaining displays that include historical artifacts, video screens, and computer interactives designed to appeal to visitors of all ages. The exhibit will become the basis of the National Guitar Museum in its permanent home; the selection process to determine which city will host the museum is currently underway.

Blabbermouth.net, 21 January 2016

Sabbath boys kick off The End tour in Omaha USA

Black Sabbath kicked off their final world tour last night in Omaha, Nebraska with a 14-song set largely dedicated to their most popular songs. You can see the full setlist and videos of several performances below.

Founding members Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler were again joined by Tommy Clufetos, who took over for original drummer Bill Ward on Sabbath’s 2012-2014 reunion tour following a still-acrimonious split.

As hinted at on an promotional video highlighting the band’s rehearsal sessions for The End tour, 1970’s slow-burning, bass-heavy “Hand of Doom” was performed for the first time in almost 40 years, alongside expected classics such as opener “Black Sabbath,” “War Pigs” and “Children of the Grave.”

Black Sabbath's The End tour will extend into 2017, Rival Sons drummer Michael Miley has revealed. Rival Sons are opening for Sabbath on their farewell world tour and Miley says it'll go way beyond the dates already confirmed. As it stands, the last date confirmed is in Phoenix, Arizona, on September 21. Miley tells One On One With Mitch Lafon: "The dates go into 2017, but none of those are released. We don't even know what they are yet. I think this tour is going to keep going for a while. We have dates up until September. It's pretty unbelievable. It's an honour to be invited by Ozzy and Sharon to be the opening band direct support on their farewell tour."

The End tour got underway last night (January 20) in Omaha, Nebraska, and will head to Australia in April after the first of two North American legs wraps up in New York on February 25.

A limited-edition tour CD featuring eight previously unreleased tracks is available at Sabbath’s shows.

Setlist:

1/20/16 Omaha, Neb.

01. “Black Sabbath” 02. “Fairies Wear Boots” 03. “Tomorrow’s Dream” 04. “Into The Void” 05. “Snowblind”  06. “War Pigs”07. “Behind The Wall Of Sleep” 08. “N.I.B.” 09. “Hand Of Doom” 10. “Rat Salad” 11. “Iron Man” 12. “Children Of The Grave” 13. “Dirty Women” 14. “Paranoid”

20 January 2016

Sabbath boys rehearse in LA getting ready to The End tour

It’s the beginning of the end for Black Sabbath as they prepare to kick off their farewell tour dubbed ‘The End.’ Jan. 20 will mark the first date on their last run and the titans of doom and forefathers of heavy metal have offered up a sneak peak at what fans can expect to see. The video shows the band rehearsing a wealth of old classics, including some that haven’t been played since the ’70s.

Opening the video are clips of Tony Iommi‘s guitars, which are visibly worn with chipped paint on the bodies, Tommy Clufetos’ drum set, and flashes of gear being set up. The band is shown walking into the rehearsal studio and Iommi states, “Well we’re just going to run through a few of the — the newer old ones we haven’t played for a while.” The video cuts to Ozzy Osbourne introducing “Hand of Doom” and Geezer Butler‘s familiar bass line comes in. He states, “I like playing “Hand of Doom” because we haven’t done that since the early ’70s.”

Detailing their early history, Ozzy states, “One of the proudest things in my whole career is the fact that we weren’t a band that was created by some business mogul from London.” “We lived literally around the corner from each other and there’s very few bands that can say that,” said Butler. Iommi continues the sentiment, adding “We’ve known each other so long, I mean Ozzy and I, we went to school together — we’re into it like 57 years.”

Fast forwarding to the present, Iommi curiously comments, “It’s great to be able to start and finish with the same people.” One historic face will be absent from the band’s lineup as Bill Ward and the rest of Black Sabbath were unable to reach an agreement that would find the estranged drummer back behind the kit, bashing away at the songs that spawned a genre.  As mentioned, Tommy Clufetos will be featured anchoring the band like he has for the last four years.

Blacksabbath.com, 15 January 2016

Black Sabbath will release "The End" exclusive album

Will the world ever get a new Black Sabbath album? So far, the band has remained pretty consistent in stating there will not be a follow-up to the overwhelming success of their comeback album, 13. There is good news though! In celebration of their final tour, Sabbath will release The End, a tour-exclusive compilation featuring four never before heard studio songs from the 13 sessions. The disc will also boast four live tracks from three separate shows performed between 2013 and 2014.

With the addition of these four songs along with the four bonus tracks from 13, Sabbath wrote enough material in one session to span two albums. Guitarist Tony Iommi is known for starting from scratch when it comes to writing new records, so The End will serve as an unexpected bonus for their insatiable fans who only whetted their appetite with the 2013 disc.

“Season of the Dead,” “Cry All Night,” “Take Me Home” and “Isolated Man” will possibly be the last songs the band etches into the annals of their storied history.

Additionally, each stop on the last run will feature a poster with artwork unique to the show and will be a special way for fans to commemorate their last time ever seeing Black Sabbath. With the advent of the tour kickoff just a week away, those anxious to see the band in action will get an early present tomorrow (Jan. 15) when the Birmingham legends unveil a behind the scenes look at the tour rehearsals at 10AM PT on their website and social media channels.

Fans remained hopeful that the farewell tour would feature the full original lineup including drummer Bill Ward, but the metal godfathers released a teaser trailer of their rehearsals and Tommy Clufetos is shown with the band. The drummer has manned the sticks for Sabbath since 2012, but was not featured on the 13 album.

The End Compilation Tracklisting:

1. “Season of the Dead”  2. “Cry All Night”  3. “Take Me Home”  4. “Isolated Man”  5. “God is Dead?” (Live Sydney, Australia 4/27/13)  6. “Under the Sun” (Live Auckland, New Zealand 4/20/13)  7. “End of the Beginning” (Live Hamilton, Ontario, Canada 4/11/14)  8. “Age of Reason” (Live Hamilton, Ontario, Canada 4/11/14)

Crossroads of Sabbath organise "Sabbathology" - a Black Sabbath themed charity fundraiser in Birmingham

Crossroads of Sabbath lead by Brummie Rob Horrocks organises "Sabbathology" - Black Sabbath themed charity fundraiser in Birmingham.
 
Date: Friday 19th February 2016
Venue: The Heart, 28 Grange Road, Aston, Birmingham, B6 6LA – 0121 240 4848
Time: 8pm 
Tickets: £5 advance via www.crossroadsofsabbath.com

A fun charity fundraising quiz night has been organised in support of charities nominated by Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi to take place on his birthday.
 
The event takes place in the heart of Aston at The Heart, 28 Grange Road on Friday 19th February 2016. 
 
Tickets are £5 in advance from www.crossroadsofsabbath.com (£6 on the door) with all profits going to  Macmillan Cancer Support and Wythall Animal Sanctuary.

A raffle with prizes donated by local businesses will also take place. Quiz questions will be a fun mix of general knowledge relating to the period 1948-1970 when members of Black Sabbath were growing up in the area. You don’t need to be a Black Sabbath expert to enjoy it. The music will be a mix of the influences that Sabbath drew on, those they influenced and, after a round of formal toasts, some loud and proud Black Sabbath tracks. 

Crossroads of Sabbath is committed to bringing visitors from all over the world to experience Birmingham through its greatest story – that of Black Sabbath; a story that  encompasses much more than music. It’s a story of post war Britain and its people, upheavals, triumphs and role in an uncertain world.
 
Crossroads of Sabbath tours of Aston take place on the third Saturday of the month during 2016. 

Raffle prizes donated by local businesses include: A tour of Two Towers Brewery, A Milque & Muhle Record Shop t shirt, a family ticket for Think Tank, Brummagem magazines and diaries, a voucher for a private 2 hour recording session at Robanna’s Studios, a meal for two voucher from The Jam House, tickets for a gig at the Robin 2, Bilston and a framed original from Norman Hood Cartoons.  

Further Sabbathology events coincide with the birthdays of the other members of the band at appropriate venues in Aston. A ‘Trophy’ has been produced and will be engraved with the winning team name at each Sabbathology event.  Thursday 5th May (Bill Ward’s Birthday) at Oscott Social Club, 239 Witton Lodge Road, Birmingham, B23 5XL.Sunday 17th July (Geezer Butler’s Birthday) at Witton Arms, 458 Witton Road, Birmingham, B6 6SN.Saturday 3rd December (Ozzy Osbourne’s Birthday) The Bartons Arms, 144 High Street, Aston, B6 4UP.

For further information and questions please contact Rob Horrocks – Crossroads of Sabbath www.crossroadsofsabbath.com

Crossroadsofsabbath,com, 14 January 2016

Tony Iommi & Brian May unveil the memorial plaque for Cozy Powell

According to the Gloucestershire Echo, Tony Iommi and Brian May attended the unveiling ceremony for a plaque honoring legendary drummer Cozy Powell on January 7 in Cirencester, England. Also appearing at the VIP reception at the Corn Hall were keyboardist Don Airey and ex-Whitesnake members Neil Murray and Bernie Marsden.

The event was reportedly filmed and will be included in a documentary about Cozy's life, "Dance With The Devil - The Cozy Powell Story", which has been in production for the last several years.

The normally sedate Cotswold town was buzzing today as Queen guitarist Brian May and Black Sabbath's guitar hero Tony Iommi unveiled a plaque in Cozy's honour on the outside wall of the Corn Hall. It had been put there by Cirencester Civic Society to mark the fact that the former Black Sabbath, Rainbow and Whitesnake rhythm-keeper was from the town and performed in the hall. Watched by about 500 people, Brian said Cozy had supported him in his musical career before his death nearly 18 years ago. He told the crowd:

"Thanks for being here. It's a very happy occasion. He was a son of Cirencester and he was a brilliant innovative world-beating drummer."
Brian, standing out from the crowd with his big curly grey hair, paid tribute to Cozy's skills, saying: "He was one of the world's greatest drummers and musicians. We have the great honour of unveiling this."

There were cheers as Brian and Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi jointly pulled the cord to draw back a curtain covering the plaque. Then there was laughter as the wooden base the curtain was on collapsed. It was not the only thing to go wrong during the ceremony. A public address system failed to broadcast the words of Brian and other rock legends present at a volume that most people could hear. But some heard American singer-songwriter Suzi Quatro say she remembered touring with Cozy and how he played, and lost, a lot of poker games. She said she had known him since 1970 and added: "God bless the drummers. He was one of the good ones."

Tony Iommi said: "It was great to play with him. This is a great moment."

Civic Society chairman Geoffrey Adams said it was the first time his organisation had put up a plaque for anything than other than a building. He added: "It might be a precedent for us to celebrate the famous sons and daughters of Cirencester in the future."

Cozy had a huge passion for fast cars and died in a car crash on the M4 near Bristol in April 1998, aged 50. The mayor of Cirencester, Councillor Joe Harris, backed a campaign to get the town to honour Cozy, who hailed from the nearby village of Chesterton. He was lobbied by heavy metal rockers from all over the world after Italian music fan Rossella Amadori started an online petition to get Cirencester to better remember its drumming superstar back in 2014.

Gloucestershireecho.co.uk, 

Blabbermouth.net, 

Iommi.com, 8 January 2016

Crossroads Of Sabbath tours in Birmingham

Planning to visit Birmingham and want to do a real Sabbathy tour around the city? Do you want to visit all places where our guys were born, raised, went to school, rehearsed, and the first clubs they played in? 

Today a special team exists, that will be happy to show and tell the world Birmingham's great music Legacy. We can learn more and contact these great folks on their Official website Crossroads Of Sabbath.

The Crossroads of Sabbath walking tour is an opportunity to walk in the footsteps of Ozzy, Geezer, Tony and Bill and learn about the environment that shaped them. The tour lasts approximately 2 hours.

Black Sabbath are unique. No other Rock N Roll Hall of Fame inductee can make the claim that all its original members grew up is such close proximity to each other. And no other Rock N Roll Hall of Fame inductee is as widely acknowledged by peers, critics and fans as having given birth to a genre that is still as relevant, vibrant and global in its reach as Heavy Metal is to this day.

Much has been made of the influence of the band’s environment on the sounds they made when they first entered a rehearsal room together. On the Crossroads of Sabbath tour you see this environment and learn about it during the period when the Sabbs called it home.

You will pass the schools, homes, rehearsal spaces and hangouts of band members and hear stories associated with them. The narration has been developed using local history sources with the intention of presenting a full, thick and heavy picture of life in the area during the period when our heroes roamed its streets.

If you have read all the books and seen all the films about Black Sabbath you will see many of the locations referred to in those texts. You will also be introduced to places and ideas not so widely known in the Sabbath tale. And you will feel them.

Read more and discover all details and information on Crossroads Of Sabbath!

Crossroadsofsabbath.wordpress.com

Photo Ben Upham

7 January 2016

Tony and Maria Iommi support Wythall Animal Sanctuary

Our dear friends at Wythall Animal Sanctuary just posted this statement:

"Our fantastic patron Tony Iommi and his lovely wife Maria, took time out of their hectic schedule to visit us today. They are such kind people who have a genuine interest and love of animals and always like to know how the sanctuary animals are getting on. Tony recently did a dinner speech with TV presenter Nick Owen for charity. They raised a super amount and shared it between us and a well deserving cancer charity. Thank you for the £1315 Tony and Nick we are so grateful."

Fundraising for Macmillan Cancer Support and Wythall Animal Sanctuary as nominated by Tony Iommi. Fun quiz, music from Black Sabbath’s influences, to those they have influenced and after a formal round of toasts – some loud and proud Black Sabbath.

First event – Friday 19th February, at The Heart, 28 Grange Road, Aston, B6 6LA. 8 – 11.20pm. £5 adv – available after 10th January. Don't miss!!!

Also, Guys and gals, as we know, Tony patrons Wythall Animal Sanctuary, where abandoned dogs, cats, birds and other pets find a shelter, love and care from kind people. Tony recently donated a huge money sum for food and veterinary expenses. We are his fans. Lets support Tony's initiative and lets help these lovely animals with our donations. Even 2$ or 5£ make difference for the pets, even with 1$ its possible to buy a pack of food for hamsters.

Scroll down this WAS Official website and use the PayPal button below. Lets start our day with a good deal!

Whythall Animal Sanctuary, 5 January 2016

Happy New Year to our dear Tony!

Our Tony posted best wishes to his fans on his Official Facebook page:

"A belated Happy New Year to everyone, I couldn’t shake off a flu bug and days seem to disappear. I’m making sure I’ll be fit and well for the tour, not long before we start in Omaha. I hear it might be cold, at least that'll make a change from the continual rain in the UK. Hope to see a lot of you in 2016. Best wishes, Tony"

Thank you, dear Iron Man! Your Army of fans wish you the most fantastic 2016, successful and lucky tour, strongest health, love, happiness, and many moments of inspiration and magic! God bless you, Tony! We love you always!

Iommi.com, 4 January 2016