This past Saturday, Bill Ward hosted this month’s edition of Rock 50, his regular radio show. However, this month’s episode was a little different. It was Bill’s tribute to the >September 11th attacks from seven years ago now.

This show started off with a three minute or so speech by Bill Ward about the show. You can download an mp3 of that track here: https://www.billward.com/sounds/Bill_Ward_911_show_intro.mp3

You can view the track listing for the show here, and don’t forget, you can get all the latest (plus all the past track listings) at Bill’s Rock 50 page here:

http://rock50.billward.com

Calling out to all the inquisitive!

I’ve been reminded that I’m not answering the mail as we have in the past. So, for the next Hails & Horns column, send in your questions – any subject – except sex – I don’t go down that street. I know…”Boo, ya bastard.”

We will take questions between September 4 and September 24. Please send the questions to: bward@billward.com with “Hails & Horns Question” as the subject line.

OK. Rules:

No Stupid Questions, e.g. body part sizes; favourite food; vegan: Asian; times married (4). Why didn’t you play the first Reunion Tour in 1997? I wasn’t asked. What was it like to be sober again in’84? Terrifying! Personal questions about Ozzy, Geezer, Tony, and is that you singing on “Planet Caravan?” No, that’s Ozzy.

OK. Enough. I hope you know I love you all, and I’m fucking around. Send in music questions, drum questions, or send anything you want. Even “Hey, Bill, Fuck off,” will work!

Hey, stay strong. Stay safe.

–Bill Ward

Dear Everybody,

This July12th is our summer touring bands show, featuring some great newer bands and some of the older, established Hard Rock/Metal bands – Judas Priest, Metallica, and Testament. At The Gates and Children of Bodom are just a few of a host of Metal¹s Greatest on our playlist. Check out the show if you can. We’ve been around now for a while and deliver consistently good Metal shows each month.

Stay Strong.

Love Live Metal.

–Bill

If you’re a regular listener to Bill’s appearances on the Rock 50 show, then you know that the most recent episode (from early May) was a special one. It was a show where Bill celebrated his 60th birthday by playing basically whatever he wanted.

There was one unplanned moment though where instudio Bill was surprised with a birthday cake on the air. We’re bringing you a small two minute download where you can check out Bill’s surprise at the cake. He also tells a short story about how when on tour by himself or with the Sabs, how a Rainbow song is instrumental in his touring routine. Check out the audio file here:

https://www.billward.com/sounds/bills60thcelebration.mp3

Additionally, the Rock 50 page has been updated. The next show date has been posted, as well as the playlist archives for April and May now both being available.

Thanks for listening!

H! Everyone.

Our Metal show will be April 26, 2008. We¹re featuring In Flames, Slayer, Ministry, more Messhugga and At The Gates. For those of you who listen regularly, I hope I¹m bringing good stuff to you and hitting the spot.

Our May show will be May 10, 2008. I¹m making this show a bit different. It¹ll happen five days after my 60th birthday, so selfishly, I¹ll play my all-time favourite Metal bands, and that will include Sabbath, Priest, Ozzy, some surprise tracks, also Type O Negative, In Flames, Slipknot ­ all good stuff from past years up to now. It¹ll be my birthday Metal radio show, May 10th.

OK. Stay strong. Stay safe.

–Bill Ward

H! Everyone.

Thanks, Joe, for reminding us it’s been ten years since Cozy died. I think about him from time to time. I’ve always been grateful that our last phone conversation ended on a high note. I felt we were both sincere with each other, sharing mutual respect when touching on our individual histories in Hard Rock/Metal.

Over the years, death has sometimes come quickly to old friends, and I’ve felt the pain and dilemma of not returning a phone call as I would have liked to, but didn’t; not being able to say a proper good-bye in life; being upset, or undone, or unresolved from the last conversation, then feeling the loss of that end. With Cozy, I felt we had the perfect ending conversation. We talked from the heart. In hindsight, our conversation seems gift-like, fitting perfectly into the great order of things. Cozy died about ten days after he and I spoke, maybe sooner, I’m not sure.

OK. Drum students – listen to this man. Check out the band Rainbow. Listen to “Stargazer.” Cozy is a master. Listen to the top of the song – that’s Cozy Powell playing. Discover this giant of Rock drumming. He lives forever on records and in our hearts.

Thanks, Coze – nice work.

–Bill

H! Everyone.

Our radio show this month will air on February 23rd. I hope you will join us. We’ll be playing new releases in Hardcore Metal and some of the favorites from last year. I haven’t played any Pantera for a while, so I’m playing something this month. Disfear, I’m sure, will be back on the show from January, and right now, Korn kick off the top of the show.

We’ll make a brief tribute to Buddy, Ritchie and the Big Popper. It’s been 49 years since their fatal plane crash after playing the Surf Ballroom gig in Clear Lake, Iowa, February 3, 1959.

OK. We’ll be there February 23rd.

Stay safe. Stay strong.

–Bill Ward

H! Everybody,
It’s Bill.

I wanted to wish you all a Merry Christmas and Happy New year.

I’m looking forward to, hopefully, a few days of quiet over the holidays. The year has been long and bittersweet. Musically, it’s been a great year. However, in saying that, I have failed to get the album “Beyond Aston” finished. I never experienced ever being part of a project with so many stops and starts. June 2nd – that was the date I singed off to start mixing. It felt at times that we were doomed not to progress. Technical problems and production loss gradually ground us to a halt. I even started another album at Keith’s home studio (Keith Lynch, Bill Ward Band guitar player), in early November. We have six songs done so far on that album, untitled as yet.

I do regret that “Beyond Aston” didn’t become available in 2007. We’re in the action of re-setting up a production team to finish up in Jan/Feb 2008.

Highlights of 2007:

My daughter, Em graduated, and I was there. I missed my youngest son’s graduation (I was on tour), so seeing her graduate was a first-time experience (my oldest son didn’t graduate – he dropped out and joined a band). I sat with my grandson in my arms and watched her graduate – brilliant.

I saw Ronnie, Tony, Geezer and Vinnie in Fresno. It was very nice to see them. I’ve definitely missed walking with Tony this year, and I always miss playing with them (Tony and Geezer). I watched the show and found myself taking a walk down memory lane when they played “Heaven & Hell.” The show was great, and I’m still thinking about Geezer’s bass playing. That night, he played brilliantly, I thought. I’ve never watched him play before, not even with Oz. I’ve never seen him live, not since the Rare Breed days. When I’m playing with Geezer, it’s a totally different experience, so watching him perform on stage as I stood in the mix area was very powerful visually, and sound-wise, demolishing. He’s just brill, period. His chops were tight, I’m honoured that I know the bloke.

Our cats have taken over the house. I’ve finally surrendered to their will. For me, I have become their walker, waiter, scratcher and general servant, doing the most meaningful labour, some of which is too sordid to mention.

I didn’t go anywhere this year – Fresno, but I think that was it. Nearly all of my time was spent either writing or being in the studio. My wife went traveling. My oldest boy, Aeron, flew in from the UK. with his girlfriend. He did a quick visit/trip up and down the west coast, and headed in no time at all, back to Blighty (GB.).

I’ve been walking and working and struggling and overcoming and laughing and getting past it; healing, speaking, singing, playing and talking to a lot of other people and musicians (there’s a difference). I’m alive, and I’m not roaming the streets anymore like I was doing in December 1983.

I can appreciate Christmas can bring heartache and financial worries (above the already possible existing financial worries). I hope you find solace among the shortfalls and anxieties. The healing focus to the suffering rich and poor alike, I hope, will always be thoughtful and strong. I hope that the misery of mankind stops or becomes less. I hope that all nature’s animals and creatures will reign in prosperity. My Christmas wish is that our eyesight and hearing will continue to better detect the truth of any matter. I hope that we all grasp a little tighter to understanding the words “objectification” and “should.”

Merry Christmas.

Love,
Bill

Place your head upon whatever you’ve been chosen to call bed. ©

As the Christmas season begins, Bill is participating in a new series by the website classicrockrevisited.com. Bill’s contribution is a reading of the classic story, “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas”. It’s quite cool to listen to. You can grab yourself a copy of it by downloading this mp3.

You will want to check out the rest of the series over at crr’s website. Here is their press release for the entire series:

ROCK STARS RECITE TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS. A CLASSIC ROCK REVISITED EXCLUSIVE

Tis the season to be jolly and at Classic Rock Revisited that means bringing something cool and unique to our readers. This year we asked several of our musician friends to recite the classic Christmas poem Twas the Night Before Christmas. They did an amazing job! Check out Bill reading the poem here!

First up is Black Sabbath’s Bill Ward. He did a great job! Every few days during the holiday season we will add to the list. We have members of the Heart, Boston, Uriah Heep, Krokus, The Tubes, Tower of Power and more all coming your way.

Kevin DuBrow, Quiet Riot

On Monday, November 26th, I was saddened and shocked to hear the CNN News report announcing the death of Kevin DuBrow.

Sincere condolences to Kevin’s family and friends. We shall make an announcement of his passing on our Christmas radio show on December 8th, and also dedicate the show, in part (as we sadly do far too often these days,) to Kevin’s family. In January, during our Metal show, we’ll play two Quiet Riot songs as an acknowledgment to Kevin’s work.

His voice was like no other – an original artist aligned to passion, mayhem and verse.

–Bill Ward