Also, while it's short notice (blame the webmaster for being sick for the last week and a half), if you have any questions for Bill for Rock 50 show, email them to rock50@billward.com.  Bill will answer some of them on the air!

Bill has a few words to add about Jim; check it out:

JIM CAPALDI

For those who don't know, Jim Capaldi, songwriter, drummer/percussionist and vocalist extraordinaire, died recently on January 28th at a London clinic from stomach cancer.

Jim Capaldi, probably best known for his creative work with Traffic, was for me, an inspiration. As a teenager, I would sit next to the stage at Birmingham's all nighters and study Jim's technique. At that time, Jim played with a Worcestershire-based band called Deep Feeling, which also included Luther Grosvenor, later of Spooky Tooth, and Chris Wood, later of Traffic. Jim was a unique player, and back then at the all nighters he had a heart of many talents.

I got to know Jim, and he gave me a most precious gift. A gift that as a teenage drummer, I probably needed more than anything else. The gift was validation. He validated my playing. At that time, this meant a lot to me. During the heady days of the all nighters, Dave Mason would visit, and in what seemed no time at all, Traffic with Steve Winwood, was born. Traffic's journey is rock history now.

I've admired Jim's work over the years and up until today. Jim Capaldi was a giant in music. I believe he took musical risks that are so important to do. He knew how to play in a band, and that requires in part, listening techniques and selflessness. His rhythms were always cutting-edge, and his songwriting was powerful.

I thank you, Jim, and pay my respects to you. I will never forget what you gave me and how much you've brought to music.

On Saturday, March 12th, we'll play some songs Jim wrote and recorded as a tribute to the man, legendary and very important to rock's history.

Thanks, Jim.

--Bill Ward
 

To this, he wants to collect your questions via email and will read and answer some of them on his show.  So, if you have a question for Bill Ward, please email it to the following address: rock50@billward.com.  Just make sure the question is about Black Sabbath.  :)

Then make sure to listen in to the February 5th edition of "Rock 50" and see if Bill reads your question on the air!

Bill will stop taking emails on Thursday Feb 3rd at 4PM EST, so get your questions in!
 

WPMD.org's "alternative stream" presents a Bill Ward Marathon. Every "Rock 50" show that the Black Sabbath drummer has done on WPMD over the last three years will be played, in order and repeated, from February 1st through the 8th.

From February 8th through the 15th, the WPMD.org "alternative stream" will celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the demise of the LA heavy metal legend -- Pure Rock 105.5 KNAC-FM. The celebration will include full shows, special programs, special guests and historical tidbits from the final days leading up to the end on February 15, 1995, when KNAC-FM left the air. On February 15th the final 8 hours will play in the same time slot that closed out the station in 1995 -- from 6am to 2pm. Special guests in those final hours include Lars Ulrich and James Hetfield of Metallica, along with air personalities from the entire history of "Pure Rock" 105.5 KNAC-FM.

For more information on Bill's appearances on Rock 50, visit the "Rock 50 page".
 

[ Click here to discuss this on Bill's forums ]
 

This is a special gift from Bill to his website visitors during this holiday season.  However, this is a limited time download, come January 1, 2005 - the download will be withdrawn, so if you're interested in it, grab it now (legally, too!) from the sounds page here on billward.com.  Enjoy!

If you'd like to discuss the release of this song, you can do so here on the billward.com forums!

Let us know what you think of the new site layout in this thread on Bill's forums.
 

June 3, 2004

Dear Sabbath People,

My very best respect to you.

I have read the new Ozzfest statement that it's going to be an original member line-up for Ozzfest '04.

In the immortal words of Buddy Holly, "Well alright."

And while maintaining some disagreement with the Ozzfest statement verbiage, all I can say is "God Bless Black Sabbath. Let's Fxxx-in' Rock."

Rock & Shine,
Bill Ward

UPDATE: After having posted this statement from Bill, several sites are reporting that Bill is back in Black Sabbath for Ozzfest 2004.  Please be aware that this has not happened yet.  This statement just means there are discussions, and while said discussions might lead to Bill being on the Ozzfest tour, it has not happened yet.  Any further developments will be covered here.

In the wee hours of the morning, I received another statement from Bill Ward regarding the Ozzfest 2004 situation.  Without further ado, here it is.  If there are any further developments, they will definitely be posted here.

Dear Sabbath People,

I have communicated to Sharon that I will accept the proposal of 5/11/04 regarding me playing Ozzfest, and today I received a very positive response from her.  At this time, I am taking this response as a move forward.  This announcement is for the benefit of all those who these past few days have been so  outspoken favouring and supporting me as a member of Sabbath.  I personally thank all of you.  To All Sabbath People On Earth - Rock & Shine.

-Bill Ward
5/20/04
 

Earlier today, the news broke that Black Sabbath was to headline Ozzfest 2004, with a lineup of Ozzy Osbourne/Tony Iommi/Geezer Butler/Mike Bordin - without Bill Ward on drums.  Here is a statement from Bill Ward about Ozzfest 2004.

"Dear Sabbath People,

This morning I received the very sad news that Mike Bordin is to play drums with Black Sabbath on Ozzfest '04.

Black Sabbath is, and always will be an important priority in my life.  I support Geezer's, Tony's and Ozzy's decisions to move ahead into Ozzfest '04 without me.  I can appreciate they may not be overjoyed with the decision, and I'd really like to be with them.  Nothing would please me more than to be a part of the show.

Last week I did receive a proposal which allowed no room for negotiation.  It was a cul-de-sac proposal in my opinion, where the only answer was yes or no.  I was asked to respond by Friday. May 14th.  I wrote a brief letter of decline on Thursday, May 13th.  I answered directly at the proposal, and left out any personal comments, other than I was sad to have to decline.  What I did not put in my response was this:

I'm willing to be flexible
I'm willing to compromise
I'm willing to negotiate
I'm willing to play.

I understand and believe in a united front when it comes to Sabbath.  I can appreciate the fallout from such a decision will upset some people, and I am so sorry.  I'm more than willing to support Ozzfest in any way I can.

I've walked down this street before when Sabbath did the first reunion without me and had Mike Bordin play instead.  I want you to know, I'm not being the bad guy here.  I'm not trying to hold anyone to ransom.  And I'm not trying to reverse my decision to decline in hope of a positive managerial response to this letter.

I'm ready, willing and able to rock.  There are some details on the proposal that don't work for me.  I guess it's a case of the importance of things on both sides and I think that's all I can say for now."

Bill Ward
5/18/04
 

'll just get straight to the point.  Bill Ward has released a song to the Internet today entitled "The Dark Half Hour".   Here's a message from Bill about the release...

Hello everyone,

It's been an extremely busy beginning of the New Year, and I would like to wish you all a happy, healthy, and rockin' 2004. We've been hard at work in the studio completing mixes for "Beyond Aston," and I wanted to share one of the new songs with you now. The song is titled "The Dark Half Hour," and it's about sexuality and sexual shame in part. This version is a close master mix, and therefore, will be different than the final master that will end up on the album. This version will only be available here as a free download. I hope you like the song.

I would also like to thank everyone who purchased a copy of "Straws" over the past few months to help raise money for several deserving charities. For those of you who have e-mailed to ask if you may still purchase a copy "Straws" -- yes, the CDs are still available via the web site. I greatly appreciate all your generosity and your support of this project.

Hope you enjoy "The Dark Half Hour" and look for more information on "Beyond Aston."

-- Bill Ward

[ Download "The Dark Half Hour" here! ]
[ Discuss "The Dark Half Hour" here! ]
 

Bill Ward has decided to release a close master mix of one of the songs from the Beyond Aston album free online.  The name of the song Bill will be releasing is "The Dark Half Hour".  More details as to exactly when you will be able to download this file along with further details regarding it's release, Beyond Aston and other information will be available shortly here on this website.  If you'd like to discuss this topic online, you can do so here on the Bill Ward Online Forums.

In related news, the MP3 download of Straws which has been available here on billward.com will be withdrawn when The Dark Half Hour is made available, so if you still haven't downloaded Straws, you should do so now.

Also, remember, Straws is a charity song - we urge you to make a donation to one of Bill's charities and help out some needy folks.  In exchange for your donation, Bill will send you one of his hand autographed Straws CD's - more details on purchasing Straws is available online here.

As regular site visitors have noticed, not much has gone on lately.  Beyond Aston is still not out, as Bill continues to tweak and work on it.  At this point, I do not have a firm release date for it, but once I find out something, believe me, this will be the first place it's posted.

The Merchandise page is now back in operation.  On it, you can purchase Bill's most recent CD, "When the Bough Breaks" (with the correct cover art) as well as a couple of posters.  Bill hopes to have more merchandise up eventually, but for now, you can order these things now.  You can also pay online with a credit card through Paypal - an option that wasn't available before.
 

http://www.sptimes.com/2003/01/16/Artsandentertainment/Ozzy_he_s_not.shtml
 

UPDATE: I got an update from the producer of the show.  He sent me this:

Black Sabbath's Bill Ward returns to "Rock 50" on Saturday, February 15th at 11:00am Pacific Time.  As always, Bill will be playing his favorite tunes and giving insight into his life over the last 30 years with the band that helped create and shape heavy metal music.

A HAPPY NEW YEARS
GREETING FROM BILL WARD

Just got back from South TX, very tired, celebrated Christmas with my two youngest children. Real nice Christmas, I made it into the relax and fun zone and gave frequently to the ringing bells outside each mall entrance. I was actually able to detach enough from world crime and anticipatory doomsday feelings to see the incredible beauty in my wife’s strength, and my children’s hopes and resourcefulness, I sure got my Christmas present.

Today has been pretty much a day of, opening mail, answering e-mail, unwinding from the holiday travel. My eldest son, Aeron, sent me over some CDs I’d requested from the U.K. Spent this morning getting melancholy and listening to some great stuff. I got the Undertakers CD, Unearthed, which features Jackie Lomax, great Liverpool band circa 1963. Also just for the record, Black Sabbath were by no means the first band to be photographed in graveyards, which we seemed to do a lot in the late 60s. I have a photo of the Undertakers at Liverpool Cathedral Graveyard, and I see at least one tombstone, so there’s one for the debaters and history buffs.

OK. What a year. Ozzy and Sharon did everything and in hindsight gave us something to laugh about during a pretty morbid and treacherous year. Good people shouted out loud, and killers killed. The bad guys repositioned themselves. I feel like the round two bell will be ringing as soon as we let the new year in. I’ve got lots of things I want to do, mostly finishing some unfinished projects the first part of the year. Got some travel plans, too.

God Bless America.
I really hope America will not have to be dragged into conflict with other nations and suffer any more loss than what it already has. I hope world peace will remain uppermost in our hearts. I hope that leaders across the world will commit to themselves to better understand the word and action of humility to all things great and small.

Happy New Year
Long live Black Sabbath
Long live Rock and Roll
and God bless you.

Bill Ward
 

STRAWS INTERVIEW
ABC RADIO NETWORK 11/14/02

On Thursday, November 14 Bill Ward did an interview with Vinny Marino (New York) for ABC Radio Networks. The focus of the interview was about Straws. During the interview Ward said that Straws was not an anti-war song, and added "sometimes war is inevitable." He further went on to say, "Straws is a reaction song to the almost obsessive desire to bring war to Iraq." He explained, "the song was borne primarily out of the fears a father might have" (Bill has two American sons who are both eligible for the draft if that comes about). Ward also spoke about the seemingly unpreparedness, at a local level, to have in place emergency directions if terrorist incidents were to happen at that level. Ward spoke out for the men and women in San Pedro and Long Beach who have been affected by, what Ward considers to be, lack of good judgment on the part of the United States government in which there seems to be only a modicum of support towards the workers who keep the ships moving in and out of LA Harbor. Ward expressed that these ships that are still on the water could potentially be accidents waiting to happen, and went on, "surely the terrorists can see this situation at Long Beach, also." Ward questioned why so much expense could be placed into bolstering the war economy while denying the ship workers a decent wage. Finally, Ward broached the issue of using children to notify their parents of any strangers that are new on the block, adding, "I can appreciate that idea would immediately be shot down in flames. But, keep in mind the Irish Republican Army used children to notify them if there were strangers on the streets in Belfast" (British agents, etc.). Ward said he hoped that we can learn much from the British and European community on how to defend ourselves more efficiently, and especially at a local level.
 

Dear Joe,

I wanted to give you some more info on Straws & Beyond Aston.

Regarding “Straws” as you know my company Aston Cross Music, Inc., is making 2,000 copies of Straws, 1,000 copies are already ear marked for family, friends, musicians, journalists, politicians, etc.

The remaining one thousand copies of Straws I’m thinking about putting on E-Bay to raise money for people in need here in America. However I haven’t chosen the U.S. charities yet. Also, in my private mail, I’ve been receiving requests to visit Sao Paulo and to play some small concerts to raise funds for a hospital down there.

At the moment, I’m a bit stuck, because three weeks ago I had shoulder surgery. In the summer, we (Bill Ward’s band) did start some preliminary work to tour this fall, specifically Bosnia and surrounding areas, and we also considered going down to Sao Paulo. The injury will hold me up until at least Jan. (By the way, the operation was a complete success.) And to add, won’t hold me back from touring with Sabbath, if that opportunity arises.

So, anyway, getting back to E-Bay, I had the mind to try to raise money to help out some people. There’s a shelter in my hometown of Aston in Birmingham, England that I’d like to support also, as well as what’s already been mentioned.

So, that’s where I am right now. And, regarding, Bosnia and Sao Paulo, I will continue to look into playing gigs in both areas at a more suitable time.

OK. Straws as a single, i.e. to record shops, etc., well that is not planned, so no to Straws as a single. Again, its a free download from billward.com. Straws will appear on Beyond Aston.

And, regarding Beyond Aston, here’s the progress report.

Artwork/credits underway and progressing.

Songs – all in full production, some at finite mixing stage, everyone is working hard, to get “beyond” Beyond Aston.

Following is a list of all songs appearing on Beyond Aston, with a brief critique. Please note these songs and titles have been copywritten and rights are protected. It would be an illegal act to copy or use these titles in any way whatsoever.

Beyond Aston© – Bill Ward
(Titles not in order of appearance)

1. Crow
   A song about Irish struggles over the years, (soft rock) including choir and accordian
2. The Dark Half Hour
   (Hard Rock) A song about the memory, child abuse and deep passion. Saxophone/Fender Strat Licks.
3. Straws
   (Medium Rock) A song which appears as part of a trilogy of war songs on Beyond Aston – gimmicky effects and hardcore lyrics.
4. God and the Law
   (Medium Rock) Religion and war, part of the trilogy of war songs, Bill played drums.
5. Hi Fi Life
   (Medium Rock) Featuring the Perry Sisters, uplifting grooves, about music for what ails you.
6. Ashes
   (Hard Rock) Takes a poke at current systems in place that are accepted as “normal,” excellent drums Ronnie Ciago.
7. Angel in the Rain
   (Medium/Hard Rock) The gathering of human oddities and people from all walks of life and asking “Who left that angel in the rain”©. Bill played drums.
8. Beyond Aston
   (Medium Rock) A song written originally about 10 years ago (after a long and sad conversation with Oz). Upon completion of lyrics it was realized the song not only reverberated the conversation but also reflected possible everyman/woman’s experiences. Small choir accompanies Bill’s vocals.
9. Monmouth Nights
   (Medium Rock/Jazz) A song about Sabbath getting back together to rehearse for shows at one of their old haunts, Monmouth, a Roman town in Wales, the birthplace of Henry V in 1387, Paul Ill Bass/synth excellent.
10. First Day Back
    (Medium Rock) Song’s about returning from whatever hell you’ve been in, and it’s your first day back. Gibson guitar licks/Keith Lynch.
11. Everybody Loves Me
    (Slow Hard Rock) About the ego, and the loneliness that comes with ego, drugs and sexuality. Exceptional drumming by Ronnie Ciago, featuring Perry sisters.
12. Powder on the Moon
    (Medium Rock) Cross fades from end of Everybody Loves Me, about obsession to be liked at all costs, even when dead.
13. Soldiers
    (Medium Rock) Part of trilogy of war songs on this album. Respectful song in part about soldiers at the front line.
14. Abandoned Gift
    (Soft Rock) I think it’s a song about me, I think it came out of the feeling of loss or grief.
15. Somebody’s Heart
    (Soft Rock) Song’s about Bill’s reaction to the first Sabbath reunion at Ozzfest, played without Bill, sad and very loving song. Great slide guitar by Keith Lynch.
16. Elephant Man
    (Medium/Hard Rock) Excellent drumming by Ronnie Ciago, song of assassinations and suffering.
17. Woodshop
    (Medium/Hard Rock) About trying to find God inside chaos. Bill plays drums. Straight ahead rock bass and guitar.

Thanks a lot, Joe.  If you could please post this, I'd appreciate it.

Bill
 

You can discuss Bill's radio appearance on his forums here.

Click here to read it.
 

You can listen to an archive of the program here. It is Shoutcast, so you need a player that can handle that, such as Winamp or MusicMatch Jukebox (although there are plenty others - both of these are free).

Anyway, the end of the broadcast mentions that Bill will be doing this regularly - once I get some details on when this will be happening, I'll definitely pass it along.
 

However, there was a new interview posted with Bill Ward over on the Classic Rock Revisited site. It's a great interview, talking about topics ranging from Bill's solo career, his exclusion in the Ozzfest Sabbath 1997 shows, Ozzy's The Osbournes TV show, and a whole lot of things. Here's a few clips from the full interview, which appears here.

Jeb: Who would have thought that Black Sabbath would have a happy ending?

Bill: I know. I hope that things will carry on. The only thing that I wish is for everybody to have good health. I am 54 coming on 55 and it is that time when it all becomes about good heath and staying sane. I can’t do that fucking crazy shit anymore. One of the beautiful things about Black Sabbath is that when we are backstage or in the studio or in rehearsals we will have a cup of tea at about 4:00 in the afternoon and we all sit down and we talk about what is wrong with us. We will talk about needing a new pair of glasses or we will ask “How’s your stomach?” or “How’s your shoulder? Did somebody fix it?” We talk about things like that. When we were 17 years old we would never think about things like that. The first thing on our mind was shagging somebody! Now it is about “How’s the dog? How are the kids?” and stuff like that. That is what Black Sabbath is like. That is what Black Sabbath does when they get together. We still kick-ass.

Jeb: What is Bill Ward currently doing?

Bill: I just came back from my drummer’s studio -- I have a drummer in my band and we were recording some new songs for a new album, which I want to release in the future. I don’t have a title yet but it is going to be a Ward II album. We did Ward I back in the 1980’s and we want to do another. There were a lot of guests on the Ward I album and some were well known and others were not. I have been writing some songs for it today. The major thing that is going on right now is that we are mixing a brand new album that we are trying to get out this year called Beyond Aston. All of the guys in Sabbath -- we were all born in Aston. It is basically a reflection of looking back on my life in Aston and the kind of energy that came from there and where we are now. It is kind of a retro thing.

If you have problems with that URL, you can go to the main site, and find the link there.
 

Regarding re-releasing Along the Way, Bill's been trying to find some songs that he's written that might work on that album.  Bill has also been looking for musicians to play the new material.  Bill's not sure yet how many new tracks will appear on Along the Way.  To say the least, it's a slow moving project.  Bill hopes that Along the Way could be resolved and reprinted this year.  The Ozzy tracks will not appear on the new release.  Bill's second album, When the Bough Breaks, update:  a world wide album deal is in the works at this time.  And again, Bill's hoping to be resolved on a re-release date sometime this year.  Finally, Beyond Aston, Bill's third album is scheduled for final mixes starting March 15th.  This album is scheduled to be released as soon as possible.  If there is a good reaction to Beyond Aston, he will do live dates this year.

This is good news, and hopefully we will be seeing new music from Bill shortly!  Any further updates will be posted here.
 

Now that it's over, Bill can again turn his attention to his delayed third solo album (Beyond Aston), as well as the forthcoming recording sessions for a new Sabbath studio album (to happen in early 2002).

I'll get an update from Bill himself online here shortly.
 

"We're nearly there. I just want to finish it" laughs Bill, "because I've been working on it for the last three years. And also, I don't want to go into a major touring situation wondering about 'cut five, did we do the Protools? Did we cut out A and B during the Protools session?' I don't want to have those kinds of numbers in my head. I'm going out there to rock and to drive Black Sabbath, and that's my total intention and to do that I have to have focus and an absolutely clear head. So no, the whole reason why I'm kind of working a little harder in April is to make sure my decks are cleared so that when we go on that stage I know exactly where I am, best as I can be. So I wouldn't do things that would either jeopardize my energy for my own album or jeopardize my energy for Black Sabbath."

It seems that Ward's found an even keel with his health and that there's been no question of other drummers for the upcoming tour, Geezer emphatically reiterating that "oh for sure, there's only one Black Sabbath and that's the four of us together. He's always had stamina; that was never a problem. I don't know where he gets it though (laughs)."

"Yeah, I'm good. I totally stopped smoking cold," notes Bill. "And I'm vegan now, although saying that on one hand, I still like to have a piece of cheese every once in awhile. And I like that Starbucks coffee too (laughs). Even though it's non-fat milk, it's not really vegan. I'm probably not exercising as much as I'm supposed to. But I do, yeah. I work out on the exercise bike and I walk. Yesterday I walked five miles."

And how are the chops these days? Have you added anything to your drum style in the last few years?

"I'm trying to (laughs). I think I have, actually. I'm trying different things. I think I've improved a little bit between my feet and my arms and my head. I'm trying to put extra little things in. By the time when we finished with the Sabbath tours and the Ozzfest tours in 1999, I felt pretty good about my drumming. I felt that it was starting to awaken. And I thought, well, you know, you're having a good time here because I was starting to put some jazz chops in between all the hard rock. So I was enjoying doing that. I don't think the audience could ever hear it, but I was having a blast doing it. It just kept everything nice. So when we start rehearsals for the coming tour of America and of England on May the 12th, I'm kind of hoping to come out of the gate pretty hard and heavy. We've been rehearsing for six weeks already so my chops aren't too bad."

Ward has also scrapped for now plans to reissue Ward One: Along The Way, with or without the Ozzy tracks, with or without re-recording the entire album, an idea which was bandied about over the years as an additional disc completing a two disc set.

There's more about Sabbath, plus there's Geezer's chat, too.  Check out a copy of the interview over at Black Sabbath Online.  Also, make sure and check out hardradio.com too!
 

This is very exciting news for fans of Black Sabbath - the original Sabbath will put out a new album of music!  The band is currently rehearsing and writing in the UK, and after the Ozzfest 2001 dates will go back into the studio to record and finish the album.  It is hoped that the new Sabbath album will be out before Christmas 2001, but no firm date is available.

For more details, check out http://www.black-sabbath.com.

No word as of yet as to how this will delay Bill's third album, "Beyond Aston".
 

There's no need for hype, hoopla, and puffery. The Ozzfest 2001 will showcase the heaviest line-up yet. The Main Stage bill is confirmed.

BLACK SABBATH
Marilyn Manson
Slipknot
Papa Roach
Linkin Park
Disturbed

Tour dates, venues, second stage line-up, ticket on-sale dates, and other announcements to follow in the coming weeks.

A quick call to Sharon's office confirmed that the Sabbath lineup is Tony, Ozzy, Geezer, & Bill.  More information to come when I receive it.

No word as of yet as to how this will delay Bill's third album, "Beyond Aston".
 

Shown here is the cover art for the album, and if you wish to purchase a copy of it, you can do so by clicking on the cover art.

If you want more information, you can visit the Tony Iommi site at http://www.iommi.com.

Divine Recordings, the web site for the record company that is handing the forthcoming Tony Iommi Solo album has just posted this news:

Ozzy has given his blessing to the final mix of 'Who's Fooling Who', the last song completed for the long-awaited Tony Iommi solo album. The song is an almost-Sabbath reunion: Bill Ward plays drums! Hallelujah!

Bill was in the studio in early April, and worked in the studio during most of the month.  However, the appearance of Black Sabbath at the recent weenie roast in Los Angeles took up some time, as the guys had to plan for that, and do a couple of rehearsals.  Furthermore, studio time just ran long to begin with, mostly due to a lot of equipment problems and breakdowns.  Also, there was some time spent getting album art together, drawn up, liner notes, as well as all the other fiddly details that most people don't think about that go into an album production.  

What's left to do for the album?  Well, there's about two or 3 days left of mixing work to do, and then it's off to mastering.  After mastering, the album can be delivered for mass duplication by a record company.  Who will be distributing it is still up in the air, but that should be settled shortly.

What's the release date?  Well, that's not completely known yet because it's not complete yet, but the current target release is mid August, although Bill hopes to be done faster than that.

There is one big piece of news on it.  It's had a name change.  It was formerly called "Remembering".  It is now called "Beyond Aston".  

More info on this as we get it.

One other thing - the planned re-release of Bill's first studio album "Ward One: Along the Way" has been scrapped for now.  There's a lot of issues relative to that album, and what will become of it is unknown at this time.
 

The Bill Ward Band returns to the studio today to begin work on completing Bill's third solo album, Remembering.  As you may remember, Bill was at work on this album in 1997 when his second solo album, When the Bough Breaks was released.  Then in late 1997, Tony, Ozzy, & Geezer came calling, and a little side project named Black Sabbath <g> took up Bill's time, as did a heart attack in 1998.

Bill's back and ready to complete the studio work that was laid down in 1997 for this album.  The first studio date is today, and Bill hopes to have the album completed and mastered by mid May.  More detailed information about how it's progressing with a projected release date will be coming shortly.

Keep your eyes here - we hope to have some concrete info regarding this situation this coming week.
 

After 30 years of neglect, Black Sabbath was awarded a Grammy Award for their song "Iron Man" from the Reunion album.  The ceremonies were held yesterday in Los Angeles, and Bill Ward was on hand, receiving the award on stage.  Bill had this to say about Black Sabbath's winning the award for "Best Metal Performance"...

Drummer Bill Ward said it was gratifying to see artists from the Woodstock generation, including the night's top winner, Carlos Santana, doing so well.

``I think it's totally cool,'' he said. ``I didn't think that 31 years ago, I'd be  standing up in a suit. I feel more like an accountant than the guy who plays drums in Black Sabbath.''

Unfortunately, this award was not shown on the television broadcast, but there was a mention of the award during the show.  Furthermore, there was a brief picture of Bill on stage accepting the award on the show during the telecast.

If you are interested in purchasing a copy of the Grammy Award Winning album Reunion, the only official live album by the original Black Sabbath, you can do so by clicking on the album cover below.

The long awaited reprint of Bill's second record "When the Bough Breaks" is completed, and will be available shortly.   It will be made available directly off this web site - details will be made available shortly.  The details need to worked out insofar as payment, credit cards, and the lot, but we should hopefully be offering direct sales of Bill Ward CD's, merchandise, T-Shirts and the like (hopefully) by Spring.

BILL'S THIRD SOLO ALBUM - REMEMBERING

Bill gave it a listen in January and then set up some studio time to finish it up, and get it out this year.  A date is not yet available, as Bill hasn't looked at the record since the Black Sabbath reunion tour.  A decision needs to be made as to how much work is left to do on the record - but you should expect a new Bill Ward solo record in 2000!
 

Click here to see a fax which has the layout for the drum kit that Bill used during the Black Sabbath reunion shows of the last couple of years.
 

Anyway, there hasn't been much going on with Bill Ward solo lately, that's because Bill's time has been spent with the Black Sabbath Reunion tours of the last year or two.  Now that this is over, Bill will be getting back to his solo stuff in "Y2K".  :)

There's also some exciting developments in store for this web site - there will be some unique things available only to visitors of this web site that will be available nowhere else, so make sure to keep your eyes peeled!
 

Now: Bill's back home now - spent some time with his girlfriend, and has come back to Seal Beach. The bulk of this time (before the December shows) will be used for his own solo stuff. Next week, he's getting together with his band to evaluate the situation.

When the Bough Breaks: The final revised cover art for "When the Bough Breaks" has been finalized, and they will be going to press very very shortly with the reprint. Musically, it's exactly the same as the existing print, but you won't be blinded trying to read the liner notes or lyrics. :)

Ward One: Along the Way reissue: Around the same time, a reissue of "Ward One: Along the Way" will also be released. It's got all new cover art too, which means it will be the third version of the Ward One cover art.  However, the previously announced plan to release a double album (one disc was to be a re-release of the album w/o the Oz tracks, and the second disc was to be a complete re-recording of the album with his current band) is not going to happen. What is going to be released is the original album, without the two Oz tracks, and that's it. The re-recording has been shelved. When I asked why, I got simply "Bill didn't want to do it". If I find out more on this, I'll pass it along.

Remembering:  After the band gets together, and sees where they stand, the intent is to clean up Bill's third album, "Remembering". It's mostly completed, only needs touchups here and there, and then it's off to the mix. Should be released early in 2000. There's a chance it could come out before the end of the year, but that's unlikely.

The Future:  Bill does plan a fourth solo album, but no details at all are available on this - only the fact that he will do one.

There's a few more things going on, but I'm not at liberty to talk about them yet - more on them once I can talk about 'em. Bill Ward solo will return! :)
 

Bill is still very committed to his solo works, and once the European dates for Black Sabbath are fulfilled in December of 1999, the guys will go back to work on their various solo projects.

Next up for Bill is a regroup to see where everything stands, and then it's probably back to completing his third studio album, "Remembering".   There's no time table yet, a decision won't happen most likely until early in 2000.

There is also the issue of the re-recorded "Along the Way".  That also will be decided early next year - so hopefully 2000 will bring Bill's solo works back in full force.

Also, the autograph requests are still backlogged, and Bill hopes to get some of them dealt with shortly.

We should have some more updates for you in September.
 

Mark Jones out racing

In the first round, Jones finished 12th in the Sportsman class, but failed to make the start of the Middleweight class due to carburation problems. Round 2, held at Buttonwillow Raceway Park saw him finish 12th again, this time though in the Middleweight class. In the Sportsman race Mark took a light tumble and posted a DNF. The next round takes place at Willow Springs on April 3rdand 4th, when Mark and the Mungus Shine team will be going for higher finishes and more points to add to their championship totals.

You can follow the race team's progress throughout the year here, or, you can visit the STTARS official website at http://www.supertt.com. Race results and championship standings are posted there following each event, along with schedules of upcoming races. So if you are in the area of a race, and you feel like having a day full of fun, pop on out and watch the races, and don't forget to stop by and say hello to the team. Bill has said that he will turn up whenever possible, so who knows, you may get a chance to meet the man in person.
 

Let us know what you think of the new look!

The picture shown here was taken from the article Bill was interviewed for in Modern Drummer magazine.  This magazine is on the stands now!  

Bill's article is entitled "Bill Ward: From Iron Man to Gentle Giant".  Scroll down for a snapshot of the magazine cover.



 

For the latest tour reports, please visit Joe Siegler's Black Sabbath site at http://www.black-sabbath.com for all kinds of tour reports, phots, and other things.

Vinny Appice: Also along on the Black Sabbath tour is Vinny Appice.  Vinny is not playing, he's been brought along by Sabbath management just in case something (god forbid) would happen to Bill again.   Vinny has several tour photos online at his web site.  Make sure and check them out at his site!  The shot of Bill here was one taken by Vinny Appice backstage at the Minneapolis, MN Black Sabbath show on January 17, 1999.