Black Sabbath

One of the first and most influential bands to explore the genre of heavy metal, Black Sabbath began in Birmingham, England in 1968 when Geezer Butler and Ozzy Osbourne, who had previously played together in the band Rare Breed, joined forces with Tony Iommi and Bill Ward, previously of the group Mythology. The sound that the foursome created was heavy and dark, and after a few name changes, they arrived at the name Black Sabbath, after the Mario Bava horror movie. The band were signed to Philips Records in 1969 and released their self-titled debut the following year. It proved a hit, and they followed it up in close succession with six albums over the next five years. Eventually, industry pressures coupled with drug and alcohol problems led lead singer Osbourne to leave the band. He was replaced for a time by Rainbow vocalist Ronnie James Dio, with whom the group recorded Mob Rules. He eventually left to pursue a solo career, and the group would undergo many more lineup changes over the next several years as they released albums like The Eternal Idol and the Norse mythology inspired Tyr. The original lineup of Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, Ozzy Osbourne, and Bill Ward would eventually reunite for the 1998 live album Reunion, and again to headline Ozzfest in 2004. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame the following year. After releasing a reunion album with the original lineup titled 13 in 2013, Black Sabbath toured for the final time in 2016, fittingly dubbing the series of concerts "The End."