| Geezer Butler |
| Background information |
| Birth name |
Terence Michael Joseph Butler |
| Born |
July 17, 1949 (1949-07-17) (age 58)
 Birmingham,
England |
| Genre(s) |
Heavy metal |
| Occupation(s) |
Musician, Songwriter |
| Instrument(s) |
Bass, Rhythm
Guitar |
| Years active |
1966 to Present |
| Label(s) |
Sanctuary
TVT |
Associated
acts |
Black Sabbath
GZR
Heaven and Hell |
| Website |
geezerbutler.com |
Terence Michael Joseph "Geezer" Butler
(born 17
July 1949 in
Aston, Birmingham,
England)
is the founding bassist for heavy metal band Black
Sabbath. His nickname supposedly arises from his habit as a teenager of
referring to everyone as "Geezer". He is currently involved in Heaven and Hell.
Geezer formed his first band, Rare Breed,
with schoolmate John "Ozzy" Osbourne in the autumn of 1967. Separated for a
time, Ozzy and Geezer reunited in the blues foursome, Polka
Tulk, along with Guitarist Tony
Iommi and drummer Bill Ward. They renamed their band Earth,
but after finding a band in the small-time English circuit with the
same name, soon adopted Black Sabbath in early 1969.
Butler played rhythm guitar in his pre-Sabbath days, including
with Rare Breed, but when Sabbath was formed, Iommi
made it clear that he wouldn't want to play with another guitarist, so
Geezer moved to bass.
Geezer is noted as being one of the first bassists to use a Wah-wah
pedal on his bass, as showcased at the beginning of N.I.B. which
inspired many later bassists, such as Cliff
Burton who cited him as an influence. He was also one of the first
bassists to de-tune ( tune lower than the standard E tuning), in order
to match Iommi when he started tuning his guitar to C# (one and a half
steps down). De-tuning was soon adopted as a standard in many heavy
metal bands to follow.
The name "Black Sabbath" was borrowed from the Boris
Karloff film of the same name, at the time he was an avid follower of
occultic novelist Dennis Wheatley. Although Ozzy was
the focal point of the band, Butler wrote most of the band's lyrics,
drawing heavily upon his fascination with the black arts to explore
recurring themes of death and destruction.
During the latter half of the 1970s, Black Sabbath's popularity dwindled,
although the group continued on in the early 1980s with ex-Rainbow
frontman Ronnie James Dio and then with ex-Deep
Purple frontman Ian Gillan. Butler quit the
band in the middle of 1984,
forming the Geezer Butler Band. In 1988 he
joined Ozzy Osbourne to take part in the No Rest For The Wicked
World Tour. Butler re-joined Black Sabbath in 1991 for the reunion
of the "Mob
Rules" lineup, but again quit the group after the Cross
Purposes tour of 1994.
By 1995, Geezer was back together with Osbourne, to play on
the Ozzmosis
album. After recording Ozzmosis, he formed G/Z/R, issuing "Plastic Planet" in 1995. His
next solo album, "Black Science" followed in 1997. Geezer returned
to Sabbath one more time for the 1997 edition of Ozzfest, and has
remained with the band since. In 2005, he released Ohmwork, his
third solo album. In October 2006 it was announced that Geezer would be
reuniting with Tony Iommi, Vinny
Appice and Ronnie James Dio for a tour under
the moniker Heaven and Hell - the latest
incarnation of Black Sabbath.
Trivia
- He tuned his bass down from the standard EADG
to C#F#BE after Tony Iommi began to tune down.
- Butler is the seventh son of a seventh son,
born on the seventeenth day of the seventh month (July 17) in the
forty ninth year (1949),
which is equal to seven times seven. He claims this explains the
strange, often occult experiences he's had in his lifetime.
- Butler and his Black Sabbath bandmates are
supporters of Aston Villa F.C.
- He is vegan.
- He currently plays Lakland basses.
Discography
Solo
- 2005 - Ohmwork (as "GZR")
- 1997 - Black Science (as "geezer")
- 1995 - Plastic Planet (as "g/z//r")
Black Sabbath
- 2007 - Black Sabbath: The Dio
Years
- 2004 - Black
Box: The Complete Original Black Sabbath (1970-1978)
- 2002 - Symptom
of the Universe: The Original Black Sabbath (1970-1978)
- 2002 - Past Lives
- 1998 - Reunion
- 1996 - The Sabbath Stones
- 1995 - Cross
Purposes Live
- 1994 - Cross Purposes
- 1992 - Dehumanizer
- 1983 - Born Again
- 1982 - Live Evil
- 1981 - Mob Rules
- 1980 - Heaven and Hell
- 1978 - Never Say Die!
- 1976 - Technical
Ecstasy
- 1975 - We Sold Our Soul
for Rock 'n' Roll
- 1975 - Sabotage
- 1973 - Sabbath Bloody Sabbath
- 1972 - Black
Sabbath, Vol. 4
- 1971 - Master
of Reality
- 1970 - Paranoid
- 1970 - Black
Sabbath
Ozzy Osbourne
- 1995 - Ozzmosis
- 1990 - Just Say Ozzy
Non-Album Compilations
- 1994 - Nativity
in Black (with Bullring Brummies)
- 1989 - Stairway To
Heaven/Highway To Hell (with Ozzy Osbourne)
External links
| v • d • e Black Sabbath |
| Members |
| Ozzy
Osbourne • Tony Iommi • Geezer Butler •
Bill Ward |
| Ronnie
James Dio • Vinny
Appice • Ian
Gillan • Glenn
Hughes • Tony Martin •
Cozy
Powell • Geoff
Nicholls • Bev Bevan •
Neil Murray •
David
Donato • Dave Spitz
• Eric
Singer • Ray Gillen
• Bob
Daisley • Jo Burt • Terry
Chimes • Laurence
Cottle • Bobby
Rondinelli |
| Discography |
| Studio albums:
Black
Sabbath • Paranoid
• Master
of Reality • Black
Sabbath, Vol. 4 • Sabbath Bloody Sabbath
• Sabotage
• Technical
Ecstasy • Never
Say Die! • Heaven and Hell
• Mob Rules
• Born Again
• Seventh
Star • The
Eternal Idol • Headless
Cross • Tyr
• Dehumanizer
• Cross
Purposes • Forbidden |
| Live albums:
Live Evil
• Cross
Purposes Live • Reunion
• Past
Lives • Live at Hammersmith Odeon |
| Compilations:
We Sold Our Soul
for Rock 'n' Roll • The Sabbath Stones
• Symptom
of the Universe: The Original Black Sabbath 1970-1978
• Black
Box: The Complete Original Black Sabbath (1970-1978)
• Greatest Hits 1970-1978
• Black Sabbath: The Dio
Years |
