English guitarist born February 19, 1948, in Aston, Birmingham. Founding lead guitarist for Black Sabbath (1968-present, with various hiatuses). Foundational influence on heavy metal guitar; his use of detuned guitars (a workaround after losing the tips of two fingers on his fretting hand in a sheet-metal factory accident at age 17) and dark, minor-key riffing largely defined the heavy-metal genre.
Released two solo studio albums: Iommi (2000, featuring guest vocalists Ozzy Osbourne, Henry Rollins, Dave Grohl, Skin, Phil Anselmo, and others) and Fused (2005, with Glenn Hughes). Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Black Sabbath in 2006.
