EARTH was the precursor to what many believe to be THE original Heavy Metal band, BLACK SABBATH, the band having a massive influence on the genre and selling countless millions of albums. BLACK SABBATH, steered into their chosen doom / occult leanings by bassist and songwriter Geezer Butler, impose an enormous legacy upon the Heavy Metal scene. Guitarist Tony Iommi has laid down many of the classic all time riffs and is a versatile Blues inspired musician revered as a guitar hero despite having lost some fingertips in a 1966 machine accident, which nearly put paid to his chosen career.

Until 1978 the band was fronted by the irrepressible Ozzy Osbourne. Now renowned as one of the true legends of Metal from his BLACK SABBATH years and his subsequent, massively successful solo career Osbourne's trademark vocal style and outrageous on and off stage behaviour have gained the Brummie true Rock idol status.

The group was created in 1967 in the heart of industrial Birmingham, by a skinhead vocalist then known as Ozzy Zig (a.k.a. John Michael Osbourne), guitarist Anthony Frank 'Tony' Iommi, bass player Terry 'Geezer' Butler and drummer Bill Ward first united, albeit briefly, under the name POLKA TULK BLUES BAND. Osbourne's first attempts at singing came just after leaving school when, together with guitarist Jimmy Phillips, he founded the short-lived act THE PROSPECTORS. Previously Iommi and Ward had previously been part of THE REST, a band fronted by ex-METHOD FIVE vocalist Chris Smith. The group later changed its name to MYTHOLOGY.

Osbourne and Butler, the latter a rhythm guitarist at this point, were members of RARE BREED, an act that lasted a mere two gigs. Previous to this Osbourne had stints with local bands THE BLACK PANTHERS and APPROACH as well as having served a six week term of a three month sentence in the foreboding Winson Green prison for burglary. Having been caught robbing stockings from the Sarah Clarke clothing shop in Aston, Ozzy was given a fine, which because he could not afford to pay and his father refused to help him with, he was duly jailed. It was during his incarceration at her Majesty's pleasure that the singer gave himself his now famous 'Ozzy' and smiley face tattoos by rubbing floor cleaning paste into his skin.

The quartet joined forces when MYTHOLOGY lost both singer and drummer. With the recruitment of Osbourne and Ward, MYTHOLOGY changed its title to MUSIC MACHINE adding saxophonist Alan 'Aker' Clark and Jimmy Phillips on slide guitar. Before long MUSIC MACHINE became the POLKA TULK BLUES BAND and trimmed down to a quartet, with Butler adopting a new role as bass player by taking two strings off his Fender lead guitar. Phillips meanwhile would go onto become a keyboard player performing with PURPLE ONION, FROG and MAGIC ROUNDABOUT. Meantime the POLKA TULK BLUES BAND conducted their debut gig on 24th August 1968 at the County Ballroom in Carlisle supported by CREEQUE. Their next gig, at the Workington Banklands Youth Club, would be the last under that title.

Within a short space of time the revised band had altered their moniker to the shortened to POLKA TULK before another name change was enforced, the foursome becoming the EARTH BLUES BAND and subsequently simply EARTH, rehearsing at Newtown community centre in Aston. Once again the band debuted in Carlisle, appearing at the Gretna Tavern in late September of 1968. However, following an EARTH support slot to JETHRO TULL in Stafford On Trent, Tony Iommi was poached into the ranks of the headlining act. Iommi actually left to join JETHRO TULL for all of two weeks, to replace the departed Mick Abrahams.

Although the guitarist's stay in JETHRO TULL was brief he did appear with the band at the legendary ROLLING STONES 'Rock n' Roll Circus' film session, recorded at Internel Studios in Stonebridge Park, Wembley during December. Iommi and Anderson did not gel and upon completion of rehearsals for the 'Rock n' Roll Circus' he would quit. The guitarist returned for the day of filming but upon asking to be re-instated discovered he had already been replaced. After a short liaison with THE NICE guitarist David O'List, JETHRO TULL found a permanent replacement in Martin Barre. With Iommi reinstated EARTH got back to gigging, returning to Carlisle's County Ballroom on 21st December.

Signing up to a management deal with Jim Simpson's Big Bear Management during 1969. Simpson owned the legendary Birmingham haunt Henry's Blues House and managed nationally known acts such as BAKERLOO, TEA & SYMPHONY, his own LOCOMOTIVE band and later was to manage fellow brummies JUDAS PRIEST. EARTH had already put in an appearance in the capitol with a batch of gigs at the legendary Marquee club, commencing in January of 1969. Unfortunately their first appearance was nearly their last as they were banned by the management until TEN YEARS AFTER guitarist ALVIN LEE scored a reprieve for the band. Their first taste of Europe came when Simpson booked a tour of Germany. The shows included a ten date residency at Hamburg's infamous Star Club, the once famous haunt of THE BEATLES, before a return for more UK gigs including a date at the prestigious London Speakeasy.

In August EARTH ventured back into Germany for a second stint at the Star Club. Although still operating as EARTH the group's live set included songs such as 'Black Sabbath', 'N.I.B.', 'Warning', 'The Wizard', 'Faeries Wear Boots' and 'Rat Salad'. Just earlier to this trip the group had been presented with a problem when, arriving for a gig in Manchester, discovered the promoter had in fact thought he was booking a Tamla Motown styled R&B band of the same name. By the time the band was back on British soil they had taken on the title BLACK SABBATH, after the Boris Karloff movie and a newly penned song. An attempt by Jim Simpson for them to consider his suggestion of 'Fred Karno's Army' fortunately fell on deaf ears.

Jim Simpson upped the ante by getting the band and producer Gus Dudgeon, an ex-member of TEA & SYMPHONY, into the eight track Trident Studios in Soho to record their first demo on the 22nd August 1969. Engineer Rodger Bain would take over the sessions, featuring the tracks 'Song For Jim' and 'The Rebel', featuring LOCOMOTIVE keyboard player Norman Haines, duly became BLACK SABBATH's recordings. Performing at the Banklands Youth Club in Workington once again on 26th August EARTH announced they had now become BLACK SABBATH. Their very first gig under the new branding came on 30th August 1969 at the Winter Gardens in Malvern. To mark the transition the 'Earth' logo on BILL WARD's bass drums was covered by a hastily rendered 'Black Sabbath' in gaffa tape.

Subsequent gigs included showcase performances for major labels. With momentum building, BLACK SABBATH undertook a third round of shows at the Hamburg Star Club. The ground swell of support enabled the band to gain a deal with the then 'Progressive Rock' experimental label Vertigo Records, an arm of Fontana Records. Recording for the eponymous debut album began in October. The band gained some valuable exposure the following month with an appearance on DJ John Peel's 'Top Gear' radio show. The band had performed an expenses only gig at the Lafayette Club in Wolverhampton earlier in September for Peel's benefit and duly secured the influential DJ's support, recording their session, which saw 'Sleeping Village' still going by the formative title of 'Devil's Island', at BBC's Maida Vale Studios.

According to popular legend BLACK SABBATH recorded their first Rodger Bain produced album for a miserly £600 on a four track machine. (Interesting to note as an aside that the engineer for the first two albums was none other than 'Colonel' Tom Allom, himself later to find fame as a producer for JUDAS PRIEST). As an investment on Vertigo's part it was indeed a shrewed one, not only did 'Black Sabbath' define a whole genre of music it would sell millions of copies.