Black Sabbath was an English hard-rock and heavy-metal band from Birmingham that formed in 1968. Their original lineup—guitarist Tony Iommi, vocalist Ozzy Osbourne, bassist Geezer Butler, and drummer Bill Ward—defined the band’s early sound, releasing eight studio albums between 1970 and 1978, including Black Sabbath, Paranoid, and Master of Reality. Signature tracks such as “Iron […]
Rainbow was an English hard-rock band formed by guitarist Ritchie Blackmore following his initial exit from Deep Purple in 1974. The band released two albums and a live double-LP on Polydor-subsidiary Oyster between 1975 and 1977, followed by five further studio albums on the parent label between 1978 and 1983. Blackmore was the one constant […]
Dio was an American metal band that Ronnie James Dio formed in 1982 after his split from Black Sabbath. The first lineup with guitarist Vivian Campbell, bassist Jimmy Bain, and drummer Vinny Appice produced the Warner Bros. albums Holy Diver, The Last in Line, Sacred Heart, and Dream Evil between 1983 and 1987. A rebuilt […]
Elf was an American hard-rock band that released a self-titled 1972 album on Epic, followed by the 1974/75 MGM albums Carolina County Ball and Trying to Burn the Sun. They were a frequent opening act of Deep Purple, whose bassist, Roger Glover, produced Elf’s three albums. Singer Ronnie James Dio joined guitarist Ritchie Blackmore in […]
