IRON MAN - Moja podróż przez NIEBO i PIEKŁO z BLACK SABBATH - TONY IOMMI

"Without Tony, heavy metal wouldn't exist. He is the creator of heavy! Tony is a legend. He took rock and roll and turned it into heavy metal''. - Eddie Van Halen “Mr Iommi, the Riff Master. It's all his fault that I became who I am''. - James Hetfield "Tony Iommi is the true father of Heavy Metal, forever creative, a brilliant Riff Master and one of the greatest people in the world''. - Brian May "Black Sabbath is the foundation – the cornerstone on which all of heavy metal is built''. - Ian Christie, author of ‘Sound of the Beast. The Complete History of Heavy Metal’ In the last years of the Beatles, when folk and psychedelic rock still reigned in America and Britain, a new sound appeared. A working-class sound, derived from hard rock and sharp blues played in poor, working-class districts. It was heavy metal, which was to become one of the most important varieties of rock and roll, and behind it stood none other than Black Sabbath. It is hard to overstate the influence of Black Sabbath, and especially of its leader, guitarist and composer, Tony Iommi, on contemporary music. At the age of fifteen Tony left school and joined the ranks of the working class to help support his family. However, such a life was not enough for him; he decided to leave the factory and pursue his dream of becoming a professional musician. Then his world collapsed. By a cruel twist of fate, on his last day at work, when he was about to set off on a tour of Europe with the best band in Birmingham, a sheet-metal cutting machine cut off two of Tony's fingers. As sometimes happens, this tragedy was of particular importance in the creation of the heavy metal sound. By making fingertips from melted plastic and his old leather jacket, Tony devised a new way of playing, suited to his disability. His style of playing strengthened the sound of the guitar, gave it more power, and also made it darker and gloomier than any music played until then. However, on the road to artistic and commercial success Tony still had to overcome many complications. One day, in a music shop, he came across an advertisement from a fledgling vocalist, Ozzy Osbourne. Together with the drummer, Bill Ward, and the bassist, Geezer Butler, they founded Black Sabbath, a band that created a sound and a distinctive, dark image that changed the history of music for ever and inspired hosts of successors. Iron Man is a chronicle of the band that Rolling Stone magazine dubbed the "Beatles of heavy metal" and reveals the face of the real man behind the mask of a rock icon. Tony reveals the full story of his difficult childhood, failed marriages, personal tragedies, the members of the band, his long-unseen daughter and his own ups and downs as an artist. Black Sabbath missed none of the adventures of hard rock life: drugs, debauchery, alcohol, conquests, contracts, a flammable drummer, critics, comebacks, vocalists, dubious managers, a Stonehenge stage set, music, madness and metal. Tony Iommi is a co-founder and the guitarist of Black Sabbath. He is one of the most influential guitarists of all time. Iommi's characteristic, understated style and his deep riffs set the standard for most later heavy metal music. The musician lives in Birmingham, in the United Kingdom. 340 pages + 12 pages in colour, paperback.