News of a charity auction commencing Monday: We were about to announce a charity “evening with Tony Iommi” to raise... Posted by Tony Iommi on Saturday, April 4, 2020
Starting on Monday, April 6, BLACK SABBATH guitarist Tony Iommi will auction "a few things" from his collection to help support medical relief efforts in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Commented Tony: "We were about to announce a charity 'evening with Tony Iommi' to raise some money for the Birmingham hospitals, when this awful virus struck. Now as all charitable events have been cancelled, I wanted to still do something to help. So, I've put a few things together of my own up for auction. All the money raised will go to the Birmingham's Heartlands hospital charity.
"Please! I hope that you can help, they really do need our support ! Without these doctors and nurses, what would we do....we owe them so much!"
In February 2017, SABBATH finished "The End" tour in Birmingham, closing out the quartet's groundbreaking 49-year career.
"The End" was SABBATH's last tour because Iommi, who was diagnosed with cancer in 2012 and is currently in remission, can no longer travel for extended amounts of time.
SABBATH wrote and recorded its 2013 reunion album, "13", and toured it all over the world while Iommi was going through treatment for his illness, with the guitarist having to fly back to England every six weeks.
The original lineup of SABBATH came together in 1969 with Iommi, singer Ozzy Osbourne, bassist Geezer Butler and drummer Bill Ward. That lineup recorded and toured through 1978, and periodically reformed through the '90s and 2000s for live work.
They regrouped again in late 2011 for a new album and tour, although Ward dropped out after a few months over financial issues. SABBATH has used Ozzy's regular touring drummer Tommy Clufetos since then for live work. RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE's Brad Wilk laid down the drum tracks on "13", which came out in June 2013.
