Tony Iommi and the secret to his legendarily famous playing style

The Man in Blackwhose unique sound dates back to an accident - Tony Iommi rewrote rock history and became a legend of heavy sound! Despite the difficulties and the realisation that it is virtually impossible to "get out of the swamp" when you are up to your neck in it - Iommi overcame a lot of obstacles and proved that even the most daring dream is achievable.

Thanks to the already mentioned accidentTony created a whole new, unique sound - rumbling and layered. He opened the territory of metal, and became the inspiration for thousands of followers! And the "fault" of this is an accident that happened to 17-year-old Tony at a sheet metal factory. The future icon lost the tips of the middle and ring fingers of his right hand, but was able to turn his adversity into an advantage! Iommi manufactured soft caps for his injured fingers, and to relieve the pressure on them, he tuned the guitar strings lower. The result was an instantly recognisable sound that made Black Sabbath one of the most legendary bands in history!

Early years

To call Iommi's early years "stylish" or "bohemian" is unequivocal can'talthough music was a favourite in his family. The future star's childhood was challengingTony's father constantly told his son that he "never wanted him". They had strained relationshipand you could say there was no love in it. But one thing is certain about Iommi's early years: he was the coolest guy in the neighbourhood! As the guitarist himself once put it:

"I was the coolest kid on the block!"

Tony's awesomeness was expressed in his defiant anti-social behaviour. His main "victim" at school was his future Black Sabbath mate Ozzy Osbourne! Iommi constantly bullied Ozzy, because of which he didn't even want to play with the "bully" in the same band for the first time. From memory Geezer Butler:

"Ozzy literally hated Tony for constantly bullying him at school!"

But eventually fate brought Tony and Ozzy and Geezer and Bill Ward together and the gang burst onto the world stage Black Sabbath (formerly "Earth" - Earth).

Iommi's influence on the band

Iommi has repeatedly stated that success is. the fruit of hard work and discipline. Over time, his commanding nature and unwavering perseverance instilled the same work ethic in the other members of the band, and soon Black Sabbath showed the world that they were more than serious. Agreed: the band did a lot, even during the years when substance and alcohol addiction took its toll on the members. Tony was the guy who ran the band like a real company and treated his mates like employees.

https://youtu.be/vwLQw_95hX0

After Ozzy left, an era began Ronnie James Dioand Iommi continued to demonstrate his brilliant mind both creatively and managerially. He was not a leader, but his influence on Sabbath has always been undeniably - and it didn't matter who was at the microphone. With the arrival of a new singer, the band remained the same "good old Black Sabbath", because the legend never left his post.

In Black Sabbath, Tony demonstrated his virtuosity and skill. In the opinion of most critics, his riff in "Symptom of the Universe" was ahead of his time and brought the discovery of thrash metal at least five years closer!

And there are plenty of examples of Iommi opening new forbidden territories and playing against the clock! I mean, he was always playing against the clock. to myself.

"I tried not to be inspired by other guitarists. I always kept my eyes on myself first and foremost. My goal was to surpass myself, to get ahead of myself, to do something I hadn't done before. That desire was my main vector!"

In retrospect.

Today, the heavy-sounding legend turns one. eighth decade. The crazy rock'n'roll routine is a thing of the past, but not the craftsmanship. Even nowadays, from time to time Sabbath members would get together to play powerful concerts and delight their loyal fans. But, of course, nothing like that will ever happen again - there will never be that chemistry and rage that drove the young guys who just wanted to get out of their "swamp". Toney himself said it all this way:

"We've been doing this for 50 years. It's time to draw the line, isn't it? It's been great, but it's time to stop. I can't do this anymore. My body can't take it anymore..."

The doctors diagnosed him lymphatic cancerbut after the operation, they claim to have got the deadly disease under control. Nevertheless, you can understand Tony: he has been playing guitar all his life. He has endured pain and hardship, the loss of fingertips and poverty, childhood psychological trauma and the crushing effects of a rock 'n' roll lifestyle... Today he feels he has done enough to simply relax a little. By the way: there's a long-standing legend that Iommi worshipped the Devil as a teenager. Who knows, maybe his amazing success story is the result of a deal with Satan? And the factory accident a victim? We're kidding, of course! But who knows...