Metal, Hardcore, Indie, Rock
Tony Iommi, guitarist for Black Sabbath, thinks it is “unbelievable” to be honoured with a King’s Birthday Honour, as per Blabbermouth. In recognition of his contributions to music and charity, the renowned 78-year-old musician was named a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the King’s Birthday Honours.
What an unbelievable honor to receive an MBE. Music has been my life and I’ve been very lucky to share this journey with many amazing people and fans, and I’m very grateful for all the support along the way. It’s been a privilege doing something I love and then to see that music connect with so many over the years. And to be able to help raise money for charities close to my heart has meant the world to me.
Tony Iommi is a heavy rock icon whose inventive, detuned, gloomy riffs are thought to have served as a model for hundreds of bands who came after. Tony, a left-hander who was born in Birmingham, England, on February 19, 1948, took up the guitar as a teenager after being influenced by bands like Hank Marvin & The Shadows. Iommi had a terrible accident at a sheet metal shop where a machine cut off the tips of his right hand’s fingers, almost ending his musical career too soon. He thought his days of playing the guitar were over, until a buddy introduced him to Django Reinhardt, a guitarist who lost two fingers in a campfire accident involving a gipsy caravan.
Tony was motivated by this to try the six-string again, attaching soft plastic tips to the tips of his fingers. He performed with a number of blues-based rock groups by 1967, including Polka Tulk (later renamed Earth and then Black Sabbath), which included drummer Bill Ward, singer John “Ozzy” Osbourne, and bassist Terry “Geezer” Butler.
