10 Rock Bands That Were Successful After Major Lineup Changes
8. Black Sabbath
The godfathers of heavy metal, Black Sabbath was birthed from the minds of Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward. The band formerly known as Earth took a turn toward the occult and began incorporating horror-themed lyrics to accompany their trademark downtuning. Sabbath released two albums in 1970, their self-titled debut and the classic "Paranoid", which is one of the most influential metal albums ever recorded. The band paved the way for generations of metal acts that would follow in their footsteps, although it wasn't until 1973's "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath" that critical acclaim began to accompany the fanfare. Ozzy Osbourne, one of the most unique characters in music history was ousted from the group in 1979 for drugs and alcohol. The entire band was abusing, but according to Ward, Ozzy's using was on a different level entirely. In a nice bit of irony, the future Sharon Osbourne, daughter of Black Sabbath's manager suggested Ozzy's replacement. Rainbow vocalist Ronnie James Dio was brought into the fold in June of 1979, and the band took on an entirely new sound and style. The classic "Heaven And Hell" was Sabbath's first release with Dio and the album was a success both critically and commercially. Eventually egos came into play (as they so often do for the wealthy and famous) and Dio was soon out the door as well. Tony Martin, Ian Gillen (formerly of Deep Purple), Ray Gillen, Glenn Hughes and David Donato would all take turns at the microphone for the band over the years. Today the original members, with the exception of Ward, are back together and touring once again. It just goes to show that time and the potential for lucrative earnings can heal all wounds. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-og87crqsCE
Brad Hamilton is a writer, musician and marketer/social media manager from Atlanta, Georgia. He's an undefeated freestyle rap battle champion, spends too little time being productive and defines himself as the literary version of Brock Lesnar.