Geezer Butler
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| Geezer Butler | |
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 Geezer Butler, on stage with Heaven & Hell in 2007. |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Terence Michael Joseph Butler |
| Also known as | Geezer |
| Born | 17 July 1949 Aston, Birmingham, England |
| Genres | Heavy metal, blues rock, hard rock |
| Occupations | Musician, songwriter |
| Instruments | Bass |
| Years active | 1966–present |
| Labels | Sanctuary, TVT |
| Associated acts | Black Sabbath, GZR, Ozzy Osbourne, Heaven & Hell |
| Website | Official website |
| Notable instruments | |
| Lakland Osborn Signature Model Rickenbacker 4001 Vigier basses |
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Geezer Butler (born Terence Michael Joseph Butler on 17 July 1949 in Birmingham, England) is an English musician and songwriter. Butler is best known as the bassist and lyricist of heavy metal band Black Sabbath. He was also involved in Heaven & Hell from 2006 to 2010.
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[edit] Career
Butler formed his first band, Rare Breed, with old friend John "Ozzy" Osbourne in the autumn of 1967. Separated for a time, Osbourne and Butler 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.[1]
Butler played rhythm guitar in his pre-Sabbath days, including with Rare Breed, but when Sabbath was formed, Iommi made it clear that he would not want to play with another guitarist, so Butler moved to bass.[2]
Butler 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. He was also one of the first bassists to down-tune (from the standard EADG to the lower C#F#BE), in order to match Iommi who had started tuning his guitar to C# (one and a half steps down).[2] While Ozzy Osbourne was the frontman of the band, Butler wrote almost all of the band's lyrics, drawing heavily upon his fascination with religion, science-fiction, fantasy and horror, and musings on the darker side of human nature that posed a constant threat of global annihilation.[1]
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.[1]
In 1995 Butler joined with Osbourne to play on the Ozzmosis album.[3] After recording Ozzmosis, he formed G/Z/R, issuing Plastic Planet in 1995.[4] His next solo album, Black Science, followed in 1997. Butler 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 Butler, along with Tony Iommi, would be reforming the Dehumanizer-era Black Sabbath lineup with Vinny Appice and Ronnie James Dio, under the name Heaven & Hell to differentiate between the reunited touring band fronted by Osbourne, and the current Sabbath lineup.[5]
Butler is currently endorsed by Lakland basses and plays Joe Osborn and Bob Glaub signature basses.[6] For amplification Butler plays Ampeg SVT-2PRO heads and SVT-810E 8x10 cabinets.[2] According to a 1995 interview, Butler is known to use effects such as wah wah, chorus and flanger pedals.[7] In the past, he has been known to use Fender Precision Basses and Vigier Basses.
[edit] Personal life
He is married to Gloria Butler who managed Heaven & Hell. He also shares his home with several cats and has posted pictures of his cats on his website. He currently resides in Los Angeles. His son, Biff Butler was the frontman in the Nu Metal band Apartment 26. According to Ozzy Osbourne's autobiography, I Am Ozzy it states that Geezer "never uses foul language". Butler appeared as a famous vegan in a advertisement for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals in 2009.[8] He does not eat or use animal products of any kind.[citation needed] He has also stated on his website that he is a pacifist.[citation needed]
Geezer is a passionate fan of Aston Villa football club and can be seen attending games along with fellow Sabbath member Tony Iommi. In 2006 when Black Sabbath were being inducted into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame, Butler was quoted as saying into the microphone "Up The Villa".
[edit] Discography
- 1995 - Plastic Planet (as "g//z/r")
- 1997 - Black Science (as "geezer")
- 2005 - Ohmwork (as "GZR")
- 1970 - Black Sabbath
- 1970 - Paranoid
- 1971 - Master of Reality
- 1972 - Black Sabbath Vol. 4
- 1973 - Sabbath Bloody Sabbath
- 1975 - Sabotage
- 1975 - We Sold Our Soul for Rock 'n' Roll
- 1976 - Technical Ecstasy
- 1978 - Never Say Die!
- 1980 - Live at Last!
- 1980 - Heaven and Hell
- 1981 - Mob Rules
- 1982 - Live Evil
- 1983 - Born Again
- 1992 - Dehumanizer
- 1994 - Cross Purposes
- 1994 - Cross Purposes Live
- 1996 - The Sabbath Stones
- 1998 - Reunion
- 2002 - Past Lives
- 2002 - Symptom of the Universe: The Original Black Sabbath (1970-1978)
- 2004 - Black Box: The Complete Original Black Sabbath (1970-1978)
- 2007 - Black Sabbath: The Dio Years
- 2007 - Black Sabbath: Live at Hammersmith Odeon
- 1990 - Just Say Ozzy
- 1995 - Ozzmosis
- 2007 - Live from Radio City Music Hall
- 2009 - The Devil You Know
- 2010 - Neon Nights: 30 Years of Heaven & Hell
- Non-album compilations
- 1989 - Stairway To Heaven/Highway To Hell (with Ozzy Osbourne)
- 1994 - Nativity in Black (with Bullring Brummies)
[edit] References
- ^ a b c Ankeny, Jason. "Biography–Geezer Butler". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/p61332/biography. Retrieved 22 January 2010.
- ^ a b c "Artist profile-Geezer Butler". Ampeg. http://www.ampeg.com/artists/artist.php?artistID=43. Retrieved 22 January 2010.
- ^ "Overview Black Science". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r889168. Retrieved 22 January 2010.
- ^ Jeffries, Vincent. "Overview Plastic Planet". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r224098. Retrieved 22 January 2010.
- ^ Monger, James Christopher. "Biography-Heaven & Hell". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/p916527/biography. Retrieved 22 January 2010.
- ^ "Artist profile-Geezer Butler". Lakland. http://www.lakland.com/geezer_butler.htm. Retrieved 22 January 2010.
- ^ MattCake - http://www.mattcake.com+(1995-10-14). "Black Sabbath Online: Geezer Butler Interview 1996". Black-sabbath.com. http://www.black-sabbath.com/interviews/butler96.html. Retrieved 2012-01-03.
- ^ "Geezer Butler Appears in Peta Ad as a Confirmed Vegan". Guitar World. 2009-04-28. http://www.guitarworld.com/geezer-butler-appears-peta-ad-confirmed-vegan. Retrieved September 30, 2011. "[...] teamed up with peta2 [...] to shoot a brand-new pro-vegetarian ad featuring Butler [...] next to the tagline "I'm Geezer Butler, and I'm a Vegan.""
[edit] External links
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