Iron Man: My Journey through Heaven and Hell with Black Sabbath

Anthony Frank “Tony” Iommi was born 19 February 1948 and is an English songwriter, producer, left handed lead guitarist and founding member of the pioneering heavy metal band Black Sabbath.

As left handed guitarists go, Tony Iommi is unique in more ways than one! Without him and Black Sabbath there may not have been heavy metal!  Also, while working in a factory as a teenager, he lost the tips of the middle and ring fingers of his right hand in an accident; an event which crucially affected his playing style – how many guitarists play with plastic fingertips? Only the one and only, Tony Iommi!

This book is Tony’s story of his life (although written with T J Lammers). It tells of his troubled childhood, the accident that would have ended any other guitarists career before it started, his marriages, addictions and band mates. Tony has truly lived the sex and drugs and rock n roll lifestyle and survived to tell the tale.

My only problem with this book is that it sometimes reads more like a compilation of interviews or diary entries than a biography. Having said that “Iron Man” gives the reader a better understanding of Black Sabbath and Tony Iommi, surely one of the greatest left handed guitar players ever.

Check out an interesting article on Tony writing a piece of choral music, check it out here on the BBC.

On February 4, 2017 Black Sabbath played their last ever gig (allegedly!) at the NEC Arena in their home city of Birmingham, UK. The two-hour gig saw the rock legends play 15 songs ending with, Paranoid. Check out what the BBC had to say about The End.

Check out Tony Iommi on Amazon

Check out Black Sabbath on Amazon