Gibson TV has launched a new free-to-air docu-series on the life and legacy of Tony Iommi, the undisputed godfather of heavy metal. Featuring everyone from Slash to Tom Morello and Brian May, the film details the origins of Black Sabbath and the man behind the riffs.
Its narrative, which also includes an extensive interview from the man himself, charts the musical heritage Iommi was born into, how the Shadows became one of his first loves, and why Birmingham, as “the industrial heartbeat of England,” played a vital role in the Black Sabbath’s birth.
Iommi’s famed finger-slicing accident is also covered, as is the influence that Django Reinhardt had in getting him playing again afterwards.
With Black Sabbath, Iommi would go on to change the world with his riffs, but it all started with Ozzy Osbourne’s unassuming advert, which found the aspiring musician scouring the local area for musicians to start a band with.
“We never really associated at school,” Iommi says of Ozzy. “We [Iommi and drummer Bill Ward] went into the music shop in Birmingham, and there was an advert that says, 'Ozzy Zig requires gig.' And I said to Bill, ‘I know an Ozzy, but it can't be him. He can't sing!’
“Sure enough, we went round to his house, and his mum came to the door. [We said] ‘We've come about the advert,’ and she said, ‘John, it's for you.’ I'm seeing him walk up the hall, and I said to Bill, ‘Forget it.’ We talked to him for a bit, and then we left.
“Two days later,” Iommi continues, “Ozzy came round to my house with Geezer [Butler, bass] and said, ‘Do you know any drummers?’ So we decided to get together and give it a go. It was absolutely horrible. Geezer was a guitar player; he'd never played bass before.”
History dictates, of course, that their ill-fated first jam would not be the end of the band, and in 1969, after a last-minute guitar change from Strat to SG, Black Sabbath recorded their seminal debut album. The world would never be the same again.
Despite Black Sabbath ending at Back to the Beginning last summer, Iommi has been keeping himself busy. He’s released a new Laney amp, relaunched his signature pickups, and continues to work on his hotly anticipated solo album, which he promises will be released in 2026.
In related news, he also recently explained why he never became a Les Paul player, despite always wanting one, and mourned the loss of two of his prized early SGs.
