Tony Iommi – Bio, Net Worth, Age, Family, Wife, Career, Height, Wiki

Tony Iommi is a British guitarist who is renowned for being the co-founder of the English heavy metal band “Black Sabbath” known for albums like Paranoid and Master of Reality. He was the band’s guitarist, leader, and primary composer, and sole continuous member for nearly five decades. As a teenager, he lost the tips of the middle and ring fingers of his right hand in an accident, an event which crucially impacted his playing style but he continue playing after listening to a Django Reinhardt album. He briefly left Black Sabbath (then known as Earth) in 1968 to join Jethro Tull and again he returned to Black Sabbath in 1969. In 2000, he released his first solo album Iommi, and his second solo album The 1996 DEP Session (2004) followed by 2005’s Fused, which featured his former bandmate, Glenn Hughes. He formed Heaven & Hell, which disbanded after the death of Ronnie James Dio in 2010. In 2011, Iommi published his autobiography, entitled Iron Man: My Journey Through Heaven and Hell with Black Sabbath. On 8th August 2022, he reunited with Osbourne to play at the closing ceremony of the 2022 Commonwealth Games in their home city of Birmingham. 

What is Tony Iommi Known For?

• Being a British Guitarist. 
• For co-founding the English heavy metal band “Black Sabbath”.

What is Tony Iommi’s Real Name?

Tony Iommi’s real name is Anthony Frank Iommi. He took birth on 19th February 1948 in Birmingham, England. He holds British-Italian nationality and his ethnicity is Mixed. His present age is 74 as of 2022. He is the only child of his parents; Sylvia Maria (née Valenti, born in Palermo) Iommi, and Anthony Frank Iommi. His mother ran the shop while his father was a carpenter by trade. Iommi attended Birchfield Road School, where future bandmate Ozzy Osbourne was also a student one year behind him. At age 8 or 9, while being chased by another boy, Iommi fell and cut his upper lip. As a result, he gained the nickname “Scarface”, which made him more self-conscious of the scar, so he eventually grew his trademark mustache as a means of covering it. He began working out and learned judo, karate, and later boxing as a means of protecting himself from the local gangs which congregated in his neighborhood when he was around 10. He initially wanted to play the drums, but due to the excessive noise, he chose the guitar instead as a teenager, after being inspired by the likes of Hank Marvin and the Shadows. He has always played guitar left-handed. He then worked briefly as a plumber and later in a factory manufacturing rings. He stated that at one point he worked in a music store, but quit after being falsely accused of stealing. At the age of 17, Iommi lost the tips of the middle and ring fingers of his right hand in an industrial accident on his last day of work in a sheet metal factory. He described how he “was told ‘you’ll never play again’. It was just unbelievable. I sat in the hospital with my hand in this bag and I thought, that’s it – I’m finished. But eventually, I thought ‘I’m not going to accept that. There must be a way I can play’.” He then decided to play the guitar with two fingers and even experimented with switching to a right-handed playing style.

Is Tony Iommi Religious?

In 2016, Tony Iommi said that he believed in God and was a Catholic, but that he had not attended church services since childhood. In January 2017, a choral work by Iommi entitled “How Good It Is” – with lyrics inspired by Psalm 133 – received its debut performance at Birmingham Cathedral. Catherine Ogle, the Dean of Birmingham, said, “This is a most wonderful gift Tony offered to the cathedral.” In his autobiography, Tony writes that his parents were Catholics but weren’t regular churchgoers. He continues, ‘I hardly go to church either. I wouldn’t know what to do there. I actually do believe in a God, but I don’t feel that I have to press the point.’ 

Tony Iommi Career Timeline

• During his early days, he played in several blues/rock bands including the Rockin’ Chevrolets from 1964 to 1965. Then, he joined The Birds And Bees. From 1966 to 1967, Iommi played in a band named the Rest.
• He first met future-Black Sabbath drummer Bill Ward, who played drums and sang in the band. 
• From January until July 1968 Iommi was a guitarist in Mythology with Ward. Mythology split up after a gig in Silloth on 13 July 1968.
• Later, vocalist Ozzy Osbourne joined with Iommi and Ward after the duo responded to an advert in a local music shop proclaiming “Ozzy Zig Requires Gig – has own PA”. Osbourne mentioned his former Rare Breed bandmate Geezer Butler, who was subsequently hired along with slide guitarist Jimmy Phillips and saxophonist Alan “Aker” Clarke. The six-piece band was named the Polka Tulk Blues Band. 
• Iommi, Butler, Ward, and Osbourne renamed the band Earth in September 1968. 
• The group later renamed themselves “Black Sabbath” and released their debut album “Black Sabbath” (1970) followed by “Paranoid” (1970). 
• Master of Reality is the third studio album by English heavy metal band Black Sabbath, released on 21 July 1971 by Vertigo Records.
• The band released their next album Vol. 4 (1972), Sabbath Bloody, Sabbath (1973), and Sabotage (1975). 
• Technical Ecstasy is the seventh studio album by English heavy metal band Black Sabbath, produced by guitarist Tony Iommi and released on 25 September 1976 by Vertigo Records followed by the album Never Say Die! (1978). 
• In the summer of 1979, the band replaced Osbourne with Ronnie James Dio, the former vocalist for Rainbow. 
• With Dio, Black Sabbath produced Heaven and Hell, an album that attempted to update Black Sabbath’s sound for the 1980s and includes the soaring vocals that characterized the NWOBHM (New wave of British heavy metal) scene. 
• Seventh Star is the twelfth studio album by the English heavy metal band Black Sabbath. Released in January 1986, it features founding guitarist Tony Iommi alongside musicians Geoff Nicholls, Eric Singer, and Dave Spitz, playing keyboards, drums, and bass, respectively, and Glenn Hughes, ex-Deep Purple bassist, and vocalist, as lead singer. 
• In 1992, he appeared at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert. 
• 13 is the nineteenth and final studio album by the English heavy metal band Black Sabbath. They disbanded at the conclusion of The End Tour in early 2017. 
• He released his first proper solo album, titled “Iommi” (2000) which was followed by The 1996 DEP Sessions (2004), “Fused” (2005). 
• He then signed with Mike Fleiss’s movie production company Next Films to score a series of horror films entitled Black Sabbath.
• He alongside his colleague Ian Gillan formed the supergroup WhoCares and recorded a single called “Out of my Mind”, which was released on 6 May 2011. 
• It was reported in October 2006 that he would tour with Ronnie James Dio, Geezer Butler, and Bill Ward under the name Heaven & Hell. 
• Rhino Records then released “The Dio Years” (under the ‘Black Sabbath’ moniker) album on 3rd April 2007.
• The band started an American tour in April 2007. The tour finished in November in England with the prospect of an album to follow in 2008. 
• The band’s first and only studio album, “The Devil You Know”, was released on 28 April 2009. 
• Sadly, Ronnie James Dio died of stomach cancer in May 2010, and on 14 June 2010, Iommi announced that Heaven & Hell would perform a one-off tribute to Ronnie James Dio at the High Voltage Festival, London on 24 July 2010. This was the band’s last performance under the name. 
• In the 2013 Eurovision Song Contest, he wrote the song “Lonely Planet” which was sung by Dorians for Armenia. 
• On 22nd July 2022, Osbourne released a song called “Degradation Rules”, which features Iommi and will appear on Osbourne’s thirteenth solo studio album Patient Number 9. 
• Iommi is also set to be featured on one more song from this album, which will release on 9 September 2022. 
• On 8th August 2022, he reunited with Osbourne to play at the closing ceremony of the 2022 Commonwealth Games in their home city of Birmingham. They were joined by 2017 Black Sabbath touring musicians Tommy Clufetos and Adam Wakeman for a medley of “Iron Man” and “Paranoid”. 
• He was also involved in the opening ceremony on 28 July 2022, where he played guitar on a song called “Hear My Voice” performed by British saxophonist and rapper Soweto Kinch. 

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Awards and Achievements

• Iommi has won a number of awards. These include Q Awards (Gibson Les Paul Award, 2015), Kerrang! Awards (Icon, 2018), as well as three Grammy Awards, won as a member of Black Sabbath. 

Who is Tony Iommi’s Wife?

Tony Iommi is currently married to his beautiful wife, Maria Sjoholm. They got married in the year 2005. Maira is a former vocalist for the Swedish alternative metal band Drain STH. They met around 1998 when Tony was working on music for Drain STH. After a year of talking on the phone, in 1999, Maria relocated to England and moved into Tony’s home. On 19 August 2005, without telling anyone, Maria and Tony married at the Sunset Marquis hotel. At present Tony and Marie are living a happy life. 

Previously, he married Susan Snowdon in late 1973, to whom he had been introduced by Black Sabbath’s then-manager Patrick Meehan. They divorced in 1976. After that, he married American model Melinda Diaz in 1980. They had a daughter, Toni-Marie Iommi, (born in 1983), who was the vocalist for the now-defunct band LunarMile. He divorced Melinda in 1985. When Toni-Marie was 12 years old, Iommi won custody of her after she was placed in foster care. Next, he met an English woman named Valery (1986–87), and after a six-year relationship, they married. They divorced in 1993. During the mid-1980s, he was briefly engaged to rock musician Lita Ford, formerly of The Runaways.

How Rich is Tony Iommi?

Tony Iommi is a renowned guitarist who has made a huge fortune from his career work and his continuous dedication. At the time of writing, the  net worth of Tony is estimated to have $170 Million. His salary is in millions of dollars. His main source of wealth is from the music industry and he is living a lavish lifestyle as of now. Iommi is a role model for young metal guitarists. He purchased his first house in Stafford, England, in 1972. He also purchased an adjacent property for his parents. 

How tall is Tony Iommi?

Tony Iommi is a cool singer whose vocals have attracted a lot of people towards him. He has a tall height of 1.83 m. His body weight consists of 65 KG. His eye color is pale green and his hair color is black. He has a charming smile. His hair length is long. 

In early 2012, Iommi was diagnosed with the early stages of lymphoma. He underwent successful treatment. As of 11 August 2016, Tony Iommi announced that his cancer was in remission. According to a report in Rolling Stone magazine from 9 December 2016, Iommi revealed that he was due to have an operation to remove a lump from his throat. In an early 2017 interview with the UK radio show Planet Rock, Iommi explained that the lump wasn’t cancerous.