Black Sabbath

Black Sabbath was a British heavy metal band formed in 1968 in Birmingham by Tony Iommi (guitar), Ozzy Osbourne (vocals), Geezer Butler (bass) and Bill Ward (drums). Influenced by the music of Blue Cheer, Cream and Vanilla Fudge, the group incorporated from its beginnings lyrics about occultism and horror with guitars tuned to a lower pitch and achieved several gold and platinum records in the 1970s. They are the pioneers of heavy metal alongside other contemporary groups such as Budgie, Coven, Pentagram, and Sir Lord Baltimore. Being one of the first and most influential heavy metal bands of all time, Black Sabbath helped develop the genre with releases such as Paranoid, an album that achieved four platinum certifications from the RIAA. They have sold more than 80 million records worldwide, including 15 million copies in the United States alone.