Bill Ward
 |
Bill Ward |
Bill Ward (born
May 5,
1948,
Birmingham, England), is the drummer for the British
heavy metal band
Black Sabbath.
Prior to the formation of Black Sabbath, Bill Ward and guitarist
Tony Iommi played in a band called "Mythology", and joined vocalist
Ozzy Osbourne and bassist
Geezer Butler, who had played in a band together called "Rare Breed". Between 1970 and 1980, Ward played drums on every Sabbath album. He left the band for personal reasons in August 1980 during a tour for the album
Heaven and Hell. He sat out one album (1981's
Mob Rules) before returning for 1983's
Born Again. He once again left the band following the recording of that album, due to ill-health. He was officially back in the band again in the summer of 1984, but the band did not record or tour then. Before the full-blown reunion, Bill Ward and the original Sabbath had re-united twice for short sets, firstly for Live Aid in 1985 and then at a Costa Mesa Ozzy Osbourne show on November 15th, 1992. Sabbath, with ex-Judas Priest singer Rob Halford replacing the recently-departed Ronnie James Dio, opened the show for Ozzy in honor of it being his last show ever. Then the Ozzy Osbourne band (Ozzy, Zakk Wylde, Mike Inez, Randy Castillo and John Sinclair) did a full set before Ozzy was reunited with Tony, Geezer and Bill for four numbers. Ward made a brief return to the band for a South American tour in
1994, before finally rejoining the band for the two shows at the Birmingham NEC, England on December 4th and 5th 1997, which made up the 'Reunion' album. (When what was billed as the original line-up reunited for the
Ozzfest tour in 1997 Mike Bordin played drums.) Ward then had to skip all but the last two band appearances in 1998 whilst he recovered from a heart-attack suffered during the tour rehearsals that May. As was the case in 1980, he was again replaced at short-notice by
Vinny Appice, although this time it was always intended to be a temporary absence for Ward, health allowing. Thankfully he was well enough to return for good in
1999 and has remained with Sabbath ever since.
Ward has dealt with
alcoholism and
drug abuse during his career, as well as severe
depression. After leaving the band, Ward made three suicide attempts.
In addition to playing drums, Ward sang lead vocals for two Black Sabbath songs; "It's Alright" (from
Technical Ecstasy), and "Swinging The Chain" (from
Never Say Die!).
Ward's drumming style is pretty unique in the fact that he often plays the same thing the bass or guitar is playing, while also keeping a rhythm. This technique helped emphasize the notes played by the guitar and bass and as a result, produced a more powerful sound overall. An example of his style can be heard easily in the song "Iron Man" off the
Paranoid album. He is also characterized by playing badass quick drum rolls in between riffs and his powerful rhythm. ("Symptom of the Universe" is a good example of his unique style.)
1970s
*1970 - Black Sabbath -
Black Sabbath*1970 - Black Sabbath -
Paranoid*1971 - Black Sabbath -
Master Of Reality*1972 - Black Sabbath -
Volume 4*1973 - Black Sabbath -
Sabbath Bloody Sabbath*1975 - Black Sabbath -
Sabotage*1975 - Rinky Dink & The Crystal - Cameo Roles
*1975 - Black Sabbath -
We Sold Our Soul for Rock 'n' Roll*1976 - Black Sabbath -
Technical Ecstasy*1978 - Black Sabbath -
Never Say Die!*1978 -
Dean Friedman - Well Well Said the Rocking Chair
1980s
*1980 - Black Sabbath -
Heaven and Hell*1980 - Black Sabbath -
Live At Last*1982 - Dean Friedman - Rumpled Romeo
*1983 - Black Sabbath -
Born Again1990s
*1990 - Bill Ward -
Ward One: Along the Way*1993 - Ozzy Osbourne -
Live and Loud*1994 -
Nativity In Black: A Tribute To Black Sabbath*1996 - Black Sabbath -
The Sabbath Stones*1997 - Bill Ward -
When the Bough Breaks*1997 - Ozzy Osbourne -
The Ozzman Cometh*1998 - Black Sabbath -
Reunion2000s
*2000 - Tony Iommi -
Iommi*2002 - Black Sabbath -
Past Lives*2002 - Bill Ward - Straws (single)
*2002 - Black Sabbath -
Symptom of the Universe: The Original Black Sabbath 1970-1978*2003 -
Dio - Stand Up and Shout: The Dio Anthology
*2004 - Black Sabbath -
Black Box: The Complete Original Black Sabbath (1970-1978)*2006 - Black Sabbath -
Greatest Hits 1970-1978*(TBA) - Bill Ward - Beyond Aston
*Ward was reportedly given a hard time during his time with
Black Sabbath. Apparently, when he would pass out from drinking too much, the other band members would strip him naked and throw him off the tour bus, sometimes handcuffing him to a lampost. However, he always managed to get to the next venue, which to this day, the rest of the band have no idea how he managed. This took place most frequently during the later Ozzy-era tours.
*Ward's beard was set alight twice by guitarist,
Tony Iommi. The second resulting in a trip to the hospital, where Iommi visited him and got shouted at by the nurse.
*
Official Website*
Black Sabbath Online - Bill Ward*
Drummer World - Bill Ward
