Bill talks about early days of Black Sabbath
Posted on Jun.09, 2010 under Black Sabbath
Bill recently spoke to the New York Daily News regarding the early days in Black Sabbath. Check out a few samples of what Bill had to say:
Forty years later, I remember very well when [guitarist] Tony Iommi, [singer] Ozzy Osbourne, [bassist] Geezer Butler and I first arrived in the United States. We were on a TWA jet and we flew to New York at night. I will always remember seeing the Manhattan skyline and I was absolutely in awe.
I knew that we were into something different, and I really loved what we were into, the sound and the religious and political imagery, but I didn’t speculate much about it at the time. I just thought, “Wow, whatever this is, I love it, I want to be into it for the rest of my life.” We came up with an aggressive message. It wasn’t necessarily a new message, but it was a new aggressive message.
Quite honestly, I thought I would be dead by 25. You can’t even imagine being 62, which is what I am now. Sadly, those days have been over for us for a long, long time. And so, the best I can do after a gig is usually get in my bus and try to have a sandwich or a cup of tea. That’s pretty much the heaviest partying I do now.
Check out more by reading the entire interview at this link.
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Hi Everybody.
It’s Bill here. First off, I want to thank you all for the support you’ve given me throughout the years. I love to play– whether it’s playing drums in Black Sabbath, making music with my own band or working with other musicians, period. Being able to do what I love for my whole life, pretty much, has been an honour and privilege.
When I started playing in Sabbath, there was an energy of truth about us. We believed in what we were saying, the music we were making and the lives we were living. As time has moved on, I’ve nurtured and tried to save a lot of what I learnt playing in Sabbath. During the more recent years at the Ozzfest concerts, I’ve found myself immersed in the musical rewards of playing in such a unique and devastatingly, powerfully effective Metal band. Sabbath have been, and are, my greatest teachers, and I am forever grateful for the musical journey so far.
Today, I love what’s happening in music. I’ve been given the rare opportunity to play bands I like – Classic and newer Metal – on our Rock 50 radio show. These bands energize me.
I am humbled to know many of you. Music lives and brings and maintains life. Music has always brought me through.
Stay strong, safe and live. Enjoy the site.
Long Live Metal.
--Bill Ward
June 16th, 2010 on 4:02 pm
Absolutely nothing wrong with slowing down; I usually ditch my bandmates after a gig so I can chill in peace and quiet! LOL!
June 20th, 2010 on 6:35 am
If they ever make a movie on Ozzys life….I’m sure they will include several of Bill’s stories like coming from England in 1970 to the weird and wild U.S.A.It must have been so weird for you Bill????Who is gonna play the Bill Ward character in Ozzy Movie???Any ideas Bill?Someone who looks cool with a beard and a beer?haha.Peace Bill.
June 25th, 2010 on 2:43 pm
bill, you have been a solid person in all your statements and have remained a true friend to ozzy over the years, and you are sabbath and sabbaths drummer.
i loved heaven and hell with dio, and have listened to sabbath for 30 years
i have seen you play in birmingham and nothing beats that night.the only thing that matters is your health and your familys health.
god bless wendy for her loss.
god bless ronnie james as we have all suffered losses in our lives.
July 4th, 2010 on 8:02 pm
Bill,
Saw Sabbath twice in Pittsburg and Boston in 2004 and 2005 as I drove from Quebec City to see the original line-up and to this day it’s one of the best things I’ve done, will never forget. Lot of respect for Sabbath and lot of respect for you, you’re an amazing drummer and your playing in the whole Sabbath Bloody Sabbath album is awesomefor instance. Long live to you and hopefully I’ll see you again on stage!
July 19th, 2010 on 6:20 am
i,am a great fan of B/S,i tray to play drums/guitar.
your way damit.i will like to sendt a gift from my
home contry denmark,to you or oz ,it is a very fynny
and srange figure bord in a spirituel shop.
but how can i get in tutch ??
last consert i wissit was moter-head at Christania grey-hall and i think.A set with You- Tony-lemmy .ozzy
+ lita ford or doro plesch. when rock band some times
do ballads it wins big time.
April 10th, 2011 on 5:09 pm
Hi, Bill.
I often watch some video footage of your arrival in the U.S. and though I’m much younger than you guys and living in a completely different country, I can almost feel like being there with you when I watch those. I think part of that sentiment was captured by the camera.
Sabbath has a very strong and profound message, indeed. And the message remains as true today as it was fourty years ago, though most people are still unable to get it. A message that has always helped me through the good and the bad times. If I had to translate that message into a single statement, it would probably be something like: Life’s hard, but it’s worth living it.
I have always felt privileged for having such gifted ears. I’m utterly frustrated by the way those last four Sabbath albums as well as your drumming style as a whole are underestimated. Not diminishing the first four albums, if I had to pick a single album it would probably be Vol. 4, but let’s face it, Never Say Die! and Technical Ecstasy are so rich, musical and elaborated. Sabbath got sophisticated and the world wasn’t mature enough to cope with the music. Still isn’t and sadly never will be as far as I know.
Live long and rest assured that you are one of the guys that helped building the apotheosis of music. It’s not your fault that not everyone is literate enough to realize that.
Cheers,
Diogo