Tony Iommi

British rock guitarist

Frank Anthony "Tony" Iommi (born 19 February 1948, in Birmingham, England) is a British guitarist and songwriter. He is most famous for starting the heavy metal band Black Sabbath. He is the only person who has stayed a member of the band since it began in 1968. He lost two finger tips in a work accident, and made two fake finger tips from a plastic bottle. This helped give Black Sabbath their heavy sound.

Tony Iommi
Background information
Birth nameFrank Anthony Iommi
Born (1948-02-19) 19 February 1948 (age 76)
Birmingham, England
GenresHeavy metal
Occupation(s)Musician, songwriter
InstrumentsGuitar
Years activesince 1966
WebsiteOfficial website

In 2003, Iommi was listed at number 86 in Rolling Stone Magazine's "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" issue.[1]

Along with Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin, Iommi is oft considered one of the greatest riff writers of all time. Iommi used several riffs in Black Sabbath's songs.

He was born to an Italian immigrant family and has dual Italian British citizenship.

In 2006 Tony Iommi was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

  1. "The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time". Rolling Stone. Jann S. Wenner. 18 September 2003. Archived from the original on 2008-07-01. Retrieved 2009-08-27.