They created a distinct identity through their themes of occult and horror. This was made apparent in their down-tuned guitars and lyrics. Black Sabbath played an important role in defining the heavy metal genre with some immensely successful albums. Some of them were Black Sabbath, Paranoid, and Master of Reality. 

Band Members of Black Sabbath

1. Ozzy Osbourne

He was the lead vocalist and had adopted the nickname ‘Prince of Darkness’. Born John Michael Osbourne on the 3rd of December 1948, he was called ‘Ozzy’ since his school days. When Geezer Butler formed his first band called ‘Rare Breed’ in 1967, he recruited Osbourne as the vocalist. 

The band broke up after playing two shows. They came together along with Tony Iommi and Bill Ward to form Black Sabbath the following year. He was fired from Black Sabbath owing to his drug and alcohol problems in 1979. Later, he went on to have a successful career as a solo artist, songwriter, and television personality.

2. Tony Iommi

Born Anthony Frank Iommi, he was the co-founder and lead guitarist of Black Sabbath. He was also the band’s primary composer and the only continuous member for almost five decades. As a teenager, he had lost the tips of his middle and ring fingers of his right hand. 

This happened due to an accident when he was working in a factory. Before forming Black Sabbath, he played in many blues and rock bands. It was after the formation of Black Sabbath that he rose to prominence. 

He had detuned his guitar by the 1971 album ‘Master of Reality’. By lowering string tension he avoided causing pain to his fingertips. To match him, the band’s bassist Geezer Butler did the same. The band was among the first ones to detune and this technique became heavy metal’s mainstay.

3. Geezer Butler

He was the primary lyricist and bassist of Black Sabbath. Born Terence Michael Joseph Butler on the 17th of July 1949, he got the nickname ‘Geezer’ at school. Before Black Sabbath happened, he had formed the band ‘Rare Breed’ with Ozzy Osbourne as its lead vocalist. 

It soon broke up, but they got together along with Tony Iommi and Bill Ward to form Black Sabbath. He played rhythm guitar during his days with Rare Breed, but moved on to bass later on. He is currently the bassist for a British-American hard rock band called ‘Deadland Ritual’.

4. Bill Ward

He was the drummer of Black Sabbath and also performed lead vocals on two of their songs. They were It’s Alright and Swinging the Chain. Born William Thomas Ward on the 5th of May 1948, he started playing drums as a child. At the time, he was greatly influenced by the jazz drummers Buddy Rich, Gene Krupa, and Louie Bellson. He and Tony Iommi played in a band called ‘Mythology’ before the forming of Black Sabbath.

He left and joined the band several times. Throughout the band’s heyday, his drug and alcohol use had increased considerably. Today, he follows a healthy lifestyle after he adopted a vegan diet and gave up smoking, alcohol and drugs.

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It was after the success of these albums that the term ‘heavy metal’ entered the music vocabulary. It was described as a more thunderous and denser kind of rock music. The band exuded the key aspects of heavy metal aesthetic. Some of them were a dark and demonic subject matter, riff-based songs, and extreme volume. 

Black Sabbath described themselves as a ‘heavy underground band’. It denoted the intensity of their music and the community of fans who were the first to discover them. This description has always stayed with them, even after selling over 75,000,000 albums worldwide. 

They were inducted into the ‘Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’ in 2006. However, they already had the eligibility for it way back in 1995. This stands testimony to the fact that they’ve always remained a misunderstood band in the history of rock. 

How the band formed

The story of this band began in England with Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, Ozzy Osbourne, and Bill Ward. In music, they found a way to escape their life of factory work. In 1968, these four musicians got together and formed a band, which they named ‘Earth’. At the time, they were heavily influenced by some of the top British blues bands. 

In fact, the name ‘Earth’ was the shortened form of their ‘Earth Blues Company’. Everything changed for the band when Geezer Butler came up with a bizarre idea for a song. It was about a disturbing apparition that he believed he had witnessed one night. He had flirted with black arts for a brief period. Apparently he believed that the figure he had seen was real. 

Osbourne provided lyrics for the song and it was composed by the band. They titled the song Black Sabbath after a 1963 horror film directed by Mario Bava. It received extremely encouraging reactions from the audiences. Upon seeing such unusual reactions, they knew they had stumbled upon something strong and unique. 

Themes used by the band

As there was already another band named ‘Earth’, they were forced to change their band’s name. ‘Black Sabbath’ was the obvious choice, as the name was mysterious and thought-provoking. All members of the band liked The Beatles, but this band was their polar opposite. 

Ozzy Osbourne was the vocalist and Ward played the drums. Butler was the bassist and main lyricist of the band, while Iommi served as the musical architect. Black Sabbath’s songs were based on varying themes. They were mostly on social chaos, war, the afterlife, conflict between good and evil, and the supernatural. 

Many believed that they were devil worshipers or witchcraft practitioners. These were nothing but misconceptions as the lyrics of a song called After Forever paints a different picture. The lyrics of the song contains the line ‘God is the only way to love’.

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One of them was Brad Gillis who became immensely successful later on with the band Nigh Ranger. Among the others were Jake E. Lee and Zakk Wylde. Both of them achieved significant successes in their careers as guitarists. The drummers of Osbourne also had great successes after their short stint with him.

Although drummers are less discussed when talking about the successes of heavy metal bands, they never go unnoticed. There were some seasoned drummers who played for Osbourne, such as Tommy Aldridge and Carmine Appice. However, the band’s percussive presence grew stronger when Randy Castillo became their drummer. 

He died at the age of 51, after succumbing to his cancer in 2002. Later, he became the subject of a documentary titled The Life, Blood, and Rhythm of Randy Castillo. It was directed by Wynn Ponder, a filmmaker based in the state of Kansas in the United States of America.

Life of Randy Castillo

The film follows the journey of Castillo from his early days, which were spent in Albuquerque, New Mexico. It then talks about Castillo’s time with an array of club bands and his move to Los Angeles. This was the city that took him to the world stage. The timing was also perfect, as it happened when rock music was at its zenith of glory. 

Also shown in this documentary are the testimonials from bandmates, such as Mike Inez and Phil Soussan. It also includes testimonials from close friends, such as Slash, Lita Ford, and many others. Lita Ford has also provided narration in the documentary.

It is through all these testimonials that one learns more about how Castillo was, as an individual. The viewers are reminded of the fact that he was a rarity in the world of rock music. Randy Castillo was a gifted musician who maintained his calm during difficult situations. It is worth noting that his time was incredibly short in the spotlight. 

Dancin’ on the Edge was his first major album and his last LP was New Tattoo with Motley Crue. Between these two albums, he gave some memorable performances as a band member of Ozzy Osbourne. He made significant contributions to their 1991 album No More Tears, which was a huge success commercially.

The transition

His bass drumming was top-notch and contributed immensely to his reputation as a consummate showman. What was not highlighted so much was his transition into the band, Motley Crue. It went into a decline commercially towards the end of the 20th century. 

Despite this, the drummer’s spot in the band was a coveted one. It was held by the band’s co-founder, Tommy Lee, until 1999. It was no small feat for Randy Castillo to grab the spot and fill in so aptly. The only disappointment was that it was such a short-lived stint.

Final days

He was diagnosed with cancer when Motley Crue was preparing for a new tour in 2000. His plans to get to the stages across the world were put on hold. He persevered even though the treatment for his cancer had nearly killed him. Eventually, he was declared cancer free. 

This turned out to be a short-lived victory as cancer returned. He had to undergo the round of treatments once again, but this time he didn’t survive. Even after so many years since his death, Castillo’s legacy has remained strong.

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He was heavily inspired by the performance of The Beetles on the Ed Sullivan Show in the 1960s. After watching this show he began taking keen interest in playing drums. Castillo had played drums for many bands by his late teens. He recorded his first LP in 1980, when he was a member of a short-lived group called ‘Offenders’.

Association with Ozzy Osbourne

In 1981, he moved to Los Angeles to make it big in the world of rock. He shared his room with Tim Pierce, the future Rick Springfield guitarist, while he was in the city. During this time, he performed with several short-lived bands. When he had made a name for himself, he was hired by Lita Ford to play drums in 1984. At the time, she was working on her LP called Dancin’ on the Edge. 

Owing to this association, he was introduced to Nikki Sixx and Tommy Lee. They were the members of the band, Motley Crue, and were also the friends of Ozzy Osbourne. Upon learning that Osbourne was looking for a new drummer, they recommended Castillo. Thus began a long-term association between the two, which lasted for nearly a decade.

With Osborne, his first appearance was on the LP known as The Ultimate Sin. He stuck around with Osbourne’s band for a while and even participated in their concerts. After moving out of his association with Osbourne, Castillo did a handful of projects for some time. He drummed for several tribute LPs issued by the label, Cleopatra. Castillo even returned to Osbourne’s band for a brief period in 1995. 

Worsening of Health

Four years later, he was chosen by the Motley Crue band to join their lineup for recording their eighth LP, New Tattoo. It was quite unfortunate that Castillo began experiencing pain after a show. He didn’t have much time to enjoy this new association.

When he was admitted to the hospital, the doctors discovered that he was suffering from a serious ulcer. His doctor told him that the cause of the ulcer was a contagious bacteria called h-pylori. Samantha Maloney was brought in by Motley Crue to fill in for Castillo as they embarked on their tour. While recuperating at the hospital following his ulcer surgery, Castillo’s health worsened. 

Death

He initially ignored a small lump under his jaw but sought medical help again when it got bigger. He was stunned when told by the doctors that he was going to receive a cancer diagnosis. The lump was removed after surgery and he started getting radiation and chemotherapy.

The medical term for Castillo’s condition is Squamous Cell Carcinoma. If it is detected on time, this form of cancer is often treatable. After undergoing aggressive therapy, he believed that he had beaten his cancer. To everyone’s disappointment, it returned after some time and took his life on the 26th of March, 2002.

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As a solo artist in the 80s, he looked like a ferocious and dark god of heavy metal. Everyone knows that they were all acts, yet they were quite convincing. It was during the television show called ‘The Osbournes’ that everyone came to understand the real Ozzy. His issues with drugs and alcohol surfaced in this show. 

Fans began to wonder whether these things were all made up. He has utilized some of the best talents for his performances, and one of them was Randy Castillo. No wonder the legendary drummer stayed with his band for a decade. Here are some of the top songs of Ozzy Osbourne that have always mesmerized his fans:

1. Perry Mason

This song begins in an amazing way and gets better as it progresses. The vocal rhythm of Ozzy on this track is worth listening to. It was released on the album, ‘Ozzmosis’, in 1995. He incorporates a brilliant swing feel on the verse. The writing of John Purdell proved to be a secret weapon in this song. 

Purdell had worked with Alice Cooper, Dream Theater, Foreigner, and many other bands before his death. Upon the release of Ozzmosis, many critics put down the album. Despite their criticism, the album was appreciated by fans and Perry Mason became the shining star of the album.

2. Flying High Again

This was one of the best songs in the album ‘Diary of a Madman’. Flying High Again had great chorus and an excellent hook. This album features the fabulous performances of Ozzy Osbourne, Bob Daisley, Randy Rhoads, and Lee Kerslake. 

This classic record was messed with during its reissues in 2002 owing to a dispute. The parts of Lee Kerslake and Bob Daisley were re-recorded, which left some of the fans truly disappointed.

3. Crazy Train

After all the music that Ozzy Osbourne recorded with ‘Black Sabbath’, he came up with his first debut album. It was called ‘Blizzard of Ozz’ and one of its songs, Crazy Train, became his most popular solo song. It is often regarded as his greatest solo work of all time. 

‘Blizzard of Ozz’ was released in the UK on the 20th of September 1980. The album was ranked among the 100 greatest metal albums of all time in the list of Rolling Stone.

4. Mama I’m Coming Home

Released as a part of the album ‘No More Tears’ in 1991, this is one of Ozzy’s greatest vocals. No More Tears was Ozzy’s sixth solo album and one of his two best-selling solo albums in North America. Mama I’m Coming Home became a chartbuster and reached the 28th position on Billboard Hot 100. This song was written by Ozzy Osbourne, Zakk Wylde, and Lemmy Kilmister who was the bassist of Motorhead. 

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