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ABOUT TONY IOMMI
Tony Iommi is widely regarded as one of the most influential guitarists in modern music. As the founding member and primary composer of Black Sabbath, Iommi is credited with helping create the sound and vocabulary of heavy metal.
Iommi's contributions have been recognised with multiple Grammy Awards, induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and honorary academic distinctions in the UK. He was awarded a doctorate from Coventry University, a Lord Mayor's Award and the Freedom of the city of Birmingham. Most recently, in June 2026 he has been awarded an MBE, one of the highest honours in British public life.
In his youth, Iommi overcame a serious industrial accident that cost him the tips of two fingers—an event that led him to develop a distinctive playing style and the darker, heavier guitar tone that defined Black Sabbath's music. Formed with Ozzy Osbourne, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward, the band released pioneering albums throughout the 1970s and became one of the most culturally significant British exports of the era.
Across his six-decade career, Iommi has continued to record, perform and collaborate internationally. He worked extensively with the late Ronnie James Dio, released acclaimed solo material, and reunited with the original Black Sabbath lineup for the chart-topping 2013 album 13 and the global farewell tour The End (2016–2017) which played to 1.6m fans.
In recent years, his work has expanded notably into broader cultural spheres. In 2023 he collaborated with the Birmingham Royal Ballet on Black Sabbath – The Ballet, a groundbreaking production based on his early compositions. Black Sabbath headlined 2025's monumental metal show 'Back To The Beginning' in Birmingham, an all-encompassing show revisiting Black Sabbath's origins and a poignant farewell to fans, that took place just a few weeks before the death of his bandmate Ozzy Osbourne.
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