10 Things Only Old School Heavy Metal Fans Will Understand

Once upon a time, in a city named Birmingham, lived a boy named Anthony. Anthony loved to play the guitar, but one day while working in a factory, the tips of two of the fingers on his right hand were cut off. 

He thought he'd never play again, but upon listening to the music of Django Reinhardt - and hearing about the similar injury Reinhardt had sustained - Anthony was inspired to keep going. He played for several outfits, and in 1968, joined the Polka Tulk Blues Band - which, after a few name changes over the course of the following year, would pick one that stuck: Black Sabbath.

While with Sabbath, the boy - now a man called Tony - found that his injury caused him difficulty in playing. To compensate, he tuned his guitar down (from E to E flat), and bassist Geezer Butler did the same to match. Thus, Sabbath's heavy, dark, downright disturbing sound was born.

Iommi has spent the past 46 years with Sabbath - he's seen many singers, bassists, and drummers come and go, but he's been a constant presence. Iommi was diagnosed with lymphoma in 2012, but he recovered and was able to join Sabbath for their 2013 album (13) and subsequent world tour.