Bill Ward

Born in Birmingham, England, during 1948, Bill Ward first felt drawn to drumming while still a toddler and had begun performing live shows by age fifteen. After several earlier group affiliations, he encountered Tony Iommi in 1964. The pair collaborated inside Mythology before linking with Ozzy Osbourne and Geezer Butler inside Polka Tulk Blues. That blues ensemble later adopted the name Earth, yet the new identity lasted only briefly; in 1969 the musicians became Black Sabbath, a shift that permanently altered the course of Ward’s career and those of his bandmates.

The self-titled debut appeared in 1970 and launched their ascent. Paranoid followed just months afterward and ushered in their period of greatest recognition. Ward remained through the stretch many regard as the band’s classic era, staying even after Osbourne’s exit in 1978. He participated on the first album to feature Ronnie James Dio, 1980’s Heaven & Hell.

Ward stepped away in 1981 to join Max Havoc, although the move proved temporary because further Black Sabbath obligations soon arose. He rejoined in 1983 for the recording of Born Again, but this return lasted only until the following year. In 1985 he played with England’s Glory; by 1986 he had assembled the Bill Ward Band, whose debut Ward One: Along the Way surfaced in 1989. Eight years passed before the follow-up When the Bough Breaks appeared, initially in limited form until wider release in 1999.

Late in 1997 the original Black Sabbath lineup reunited, with Ward once again in place. Health difficulties surfaced in 1998 when he suffered a mild heart attack during tour rehearsals. He recovered fully and has remained with the group ever since, also contributing to Iommi’s solo album Iommi. In 2000 he shared a long-awaited Grammy Award with Black Sabbath.