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Geezer Butler

From Alfawiki
Geezer Butler
Born
Terence Michael Joseph Butler

(1949-07-17) July 17, 1949 (age 77)
Birmingham, England
Occupation(s)Musician, lyricist
Years active1965–present
Known forBassist and chief lyricist for Black Sabbath

Terence Michael Joseph "Geezer" Butler (born 17 July 1949) is a retired English musician best known as the bassist and chief lyricist for the groundbreaking heavy metal group Black Sabbath. His career also includes collaborations with Heaven & Hell, GZR, Ozzy Osbourne, and Deadland Ritual.

Early life

The nickname "Geezer" originated from his brother’s army slang, where it simply meant "man." Raised in a working-class Irish Catholic household in Birmingham, Butler was one of seven siblings. His father, James, had served with the Royal Scots Regiment before transitioning to engineering work, while his mother, Mary, was a former nanny who became a homemaker. The family endured financial struggles, residing in a bomb-affected home lacking modern conveniences.

Despite limited resources, Butler describes his childhood as "incredibly loving" and joyful. At ten years old, he passed the eleven-plus exam and attended Holte Grammar Commercial School, where his exposure to English literature significantly contributed to his development as a lyricist. During his teenage years, he was influenced by writers such as Aleister Crowley but later distanced himself from religious beliefs.

Musically, Butler’s early tastes included The Beatles, The Kinks, Cream, and Jimi Hendrix. He notably met future bandmate John "Ozzy" Osbourne while waiting outside a television studio during a Beatles appearance in 1963.

Early bands and Earth

Butler’s musical journey began in 1965 with the Ruums, playing local Merseybeat covers before deciding to pursue music as a profession.

By late 1967, he had formed The Rare Breed, which soon featured Ozzy Osbourne as lead singer. Butler was introduced to Tony Iommi through a mutual acquaintance named Georgina, who later became Butler’s first wife. Iommi and Butler developed a friendship as their respective bands performed nearby each other. After The Rare Breed dissolved, Butler and Osbourne joined forces with Iommi and drummer Bill Ward—both formerly of Mythology—to create Polka Tulk. The band was renamed Earth before finally adopting the name Black Sabbath in early 1969 to avoid confusion with another group; this new name was inspired by a well-known horror film.

Black Sabbath (1969-1984, 1987, 1990-1994, 1997-2006, 2011-2017, 2025)

Originally playing rhythm guitar with influences from John Lennon, Butler switched to bass when Black Sabbath formed after Iommi declined adding a second guitarist. Having no prior experience on bass before their debut performance, Butler cites Jack Bruce of Cream as a key inspiration. Iommi described him during the band's early days as both eccentric and calm. Butler’s skills in accounting led him to initially oversee Black Sabbath’s financial matters.

In 1977, following the dismissal of drummer Bill Ward, Butler briefly left the group but returned after Ward invited him to rehearsals. This episode affected his trust in fellow band members and shifted his perspective on the band.

After Osbourne’s firing in 1979, Butler also departed temporarily amid his divorce but contributed bass tracks for the 1980 album Heaven and Hell prior to its release. He exited again in 1984 after touring for Born Again but rejoined months later during an attempted comeback featuring vocalist David Donato.

Butler returned for the Mob Rules reunion in 1991 but left once more following the Cross Purposes tour in 1994.

He took part in recording 13 and toured between 2012 and 2014. The band’s farewell tour extended from January 2016 until February 2017.

In July 2025, Butler reunited with Black Sabbath’s original members at Back to the Beginning.

Ozzy Osbourne (1988-1989, 1994-1996)

Butler reunited with his former Black Sabbath colleague Ozzy Osbourne in 1988 to join the No Rest for the Wicked World Tour.

He returned to collaborate with Osbourne in 1994, contributing to the Ozzmosis album released in 1995. Butler also participated in the Retirement Sucks tour alongside Osbourne, spanning from 1995 through 1996.

GZR (1995-2006)

Following the release of Ozzmosis, Butler established the band GZR, unveiling their debut album Plastic Planet in 1995. His subsequent solo effort, Black Science, came out in 1997. That same year, he rejoined Black Sabbath for the Ozzfest event and remained involved with the group during their later period. In 2005, Butler released his third solo record titled Ohmwork.

Heaven & Hell (2006-2010)

In October 2006, Butler and Tony Iommi revived the lineup from the Dehumanizer era of Black Sabbath, featuring Vinny Appice and Ronnie James Dio, under the name Heaven & Hell to differentiate from the Ozzy-fronted Black Sabbath. The ensemble produced two live albums—Live from Radio City Music Hall (2007) and Neon Nights: 30 Years of Heaven & Hell (2010)—along with one studio album, The Devil You Know (2009). The band dissolved following Dio’s passing in 2010.

Other projects

After Black Sabbath dissolved post their 1983–1984 Born Again tour, Butler formed The Geezer Butler Band, which included guitarist Pedro Howse and vocalist Carl Sentance. Although they did not issue any official recordings, they performed several live shows throughout the mid-1980s.

Butler also joined forces with Rob Halford and Bill Ward in the supergroup Bullring Brummies, contributing a cover of Black Sabbath’s The Wizard for the 1994 tribute compilation Nativity in Black: A Tribute to Black Sabbath.

He had a brief stint with the supergroup Deadland Ritual, formed by former Guns N' Roses drummer Matt Sorum. The group released the single and accompanying video Down in Flames in December 2018 and performed a handful of shows during 2019 before Butler announced that the project had ended.

In 2023, Butler authored his autobiography titled Into the Void: From Birth to Black Sabbath—And Beyond, which was also produced as an audiobook. He made a brief guest appearance at Foo Fighters’ Birmingham concert in June 2024.

Style and legacy

Butler’s introduction to guitar began on a two-string acoustic instrument, which fostered a "very strange style" that later influenced his distinctive bass playing with Black Sabbath.[1] A Rosetti acoustic guitar gifted by his brother Jimmy allowed him to learn chords and progress to a Höfner Colorama electric guitar paired with a Bird Golden Eagle amplifier, marking the start of his first band.[1]

Recognized for his melodic bass techniques, Butler was among the earliest musicians to incorporate a wah pedal and detune his bass strings—from standard E-A-D-G tuning down to C#-F#-B-E—matching guitarist Iommi’s tuning on Master of Reality.[2] He penned most of Black Sabbath’s lyrics during Ozzy Osbourne’s tenure, exploring themes such as religion, science fiction, fantasy, horror, and the darker facets of human nature.[3]

Butler is widely acknowledged as an influential pioneer within heavy metal, shaping generations of bassists. Billy Sheehan of Mr. Big described him as "a founding father" who set new standards for integrating bass into song composition.[4] Steve Harris from Iron Maiden credits Butler’s bass work on "Paranoid" as a major influence on his own playing style. Former Metallica bassist Jason Newsted identified Butler as his "number 1 influence," referring to him as the "Godfather" of metal bass.Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name Additionally, Rex Brown of both Pantera and Kill Devil Hill recognizes Butler’s significant impact.[4] Other notable bassists influenced by Butler include Peter Steele,Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name Mike Watt,Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name and Cliff Burton.Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name

In 2020, Butler was ranked twenty-first on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the 50 Greatest Bassists of All Time.Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name

Shortly before their final performance on the Back to the Beginning tour, Butler along with original members of Black Sabbath were bestowed with the title of Freemen of Birmingham.Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name

Personal life

Butler first encountered his initial wife, Georgina, during his teenage years; their marriage ended in divorce by 1980. He met his second spouse, Gloria, in 1978 prior to a Black Sabbath concert in St. Louis. Gloria later took on the role of manager for Heaven & Hell. Together, they reside in Los Angeles with multiple cats, which are also featured on his official website.

His eldest son, Biff Butler, served as the lead singer for the nu metal group Apartment 26, while another son, James, holds a degree in social sciences from Oxford University and lives in London. Butler describes James as "deeply politically engaged," contrasting his youngest son's progressive political stance—shaped by a privileged upbringing—with his own more humble origins.

A devoted animal advocate throughout his life, Butler adopted vegetarianism during childhood and transitioned to veganism in the 1990s. Influenced by early personal experiences and his vegetarian mother, he has been an outspoken supporter of animal welfare, participating in a 2009 PETA campaign and calling for a boycott of Fortnum & Mason due to their sale of foie gras.

Butler is a passionate fan of Aston Villa Football Club, referring to it as his "second religion" and later as his "only religion" after becoming disenchanted with Catholicism. Having grown up near Villa Park, he attributes a significant early influence to the club’s atmosphere and regards former player Peter McParland as a personal hero.

Despite spending many years alongside Ozzy Osbourne, Butler is known for refraining from using profanity, crediting this restraint to strict discipline during his upbringing. He has expressed skepticism towards politics, perceiving it as corrupt and manipulated, and similarly critiques religion as "inherited brainwashing." Additionally, he has voiced concerns regarding the expansion of government surveillance within England.

In January 2015, Butler was briefly taken into custody following an incident at a bar in California involving misdemeanor charges related to assault and public intoxication; he later clarified that the confrontation arose from addressing a man who was making anti-Semitic comments about his Jewish wife.

In June 2023, Butler declared his retirement from live performances and initially dismissed the possibility of further Black Sabbath reunions. Nevertheless, a one-time reunion concert was scheduled for July 2025.

Equipment

Butler endorses Lakland bass guitars, including a signature model bearing his name, along with DR Strings, EMG pickups, and Hartke amplification systems.

Discography

Studio albums

Ozzy Osbourne

Studio albums
EPs and live albums

Heaven & Hell

Studio albums
Live albums

Black Sabbath

Studio albums
EPs and live albums

Sources

External links

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named 2023 autobiography
  2. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named ampeg
  3. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named allmusic
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named loudwire
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