December 5, 2006

Rumors, Lies, and Nasty Letters

It's Bill.

I have been expecting negative letters, rumors, and general gossip mongering over my not participating in the "Heaven & Hell" project. It's not unusual, as yet I've made only one brief statement to confirm that I would not be involved.

It has been brought to our attention that there is a posting on a few web sites which discloses a supposed statement I made to a Clear Channel personnel. THIS IS COMPLETELY FALSE. Every piece of verbiage therein that posting - supposedly quoting me - is FALSE also.

OK. I'm off to get on with my life. Hopefully there won't be too many shite letters floating around, as I don't think anyone out there - myself included - wants to waste anymore time on complete falsehoods.

Sincerely,
Bill Ward

Posted by Joe Siegler at 3:26 PM

November 26, 2006

Bill Ward not participating in Heaven & Hell

Bill Ward today announced that he will not be recording new tracks for the "Black Sabbath: The Dio Years" CD or playing drums on the "Heaven & Hell" tour.

"I realize there has been some speculation as to whether or not I am participating in the Heaven & Hell project," said Ward. "I want to confirm that I will not be involved in either the recordings for the upcoming CD or the subsequent tour. I want to wish the guys ­ Tony, Geezer, Ronnie, and Vinny - much success for the coming year."

No further statements are available at this time.

Posted by Joe Siegler at 1:57 PM

April 17, 2006

"And I'd like to thank the band."

Something I didn't say on the night of March 13, 2006 at the Waldorf Astoria, New York, NY. Better late than never. I'd planned to put up a Thank You to the band on my web site the week of the Hall of Fame. Finally, several weeks later, here's the Thank You.

I'd like to thank Tony, Geezer and Ozzy for a lifetime of fun, achievements, musical satisfaction, musical progress, unity, love, laughter, wonderful memories, strength to accomplish, and valuable life lessons. I could probably add an infinite list of gifts I've received from them, however, I'll share the March 13th accolades with a short story instead.

On the morning of March 13, 2006, Walter and I were finishing our walk through Central Park. Heading out of the park near Columbus Circle to go toward 5th Avenue, we walked past several construction workers sitting on benches against the wall of the park. I guess it was around lunch time, and these ruddy-faced workers were on chow break. My eyes met one of the workers, and I half acknowledged a nod to him. After walking past the guy, I sensed someone had gotten up and was coming towards my back.

"Yo, Bill Ward, Bill Ward!"

Walter and I stopped, and a bulky guy with a grin from ear to ear asked,
"Bill Ward, right? What the fuck you's doing here?"

"Hall of Fame," says I.

His New York/New Jersey accent bowling me over somewhat, "Hall of Fame! Congratulations! Sabbath deserves it! I'm with the Iron Workers Union, New York." He said it with such pride. He deserved immediate respect. "We love Sabbath... all my life...Sabbath."

Then he pointed to a building across the street under construction. "We're on the 7th floor right now, going to 38 stories [I think he said 38]." I glanced at the iron framework, solid and echoing New York's greatness.

"Bill, so's you know, we play Sabbath everyday in our building," I felt completely honoured as he continued talking, "everyday, man, Sabbath on every floor. 'Iron Man,' 'War Pigs,' all the way to the top."

I felt truly moved by the sincerity of this larger-than-life man. We shook hands, and I thanked him. I couldn't have received a nicer compliment or gift that day, even with the Awards still ahead. I felt my day had already been made, and I mentioned as much to Walter as we walked away. I regretted Tony (Tony Iommi) wasn't with us. Tony and I walk regularly in Central Park when we're in New York. I think he (Tony) would have gotten a huge kick out of this New York encounter.

A new reality awoke inside me, and I saw with much insight the rippling effect of Sabbath's reach - the iron worker playing Sabbath on every floor, to the top of "his" building in the heart of New York, New York. Again, I want to thank that iron worker and send all my best regards to all the iron workers in that great city and across America.

This short story I dedicate to Tony, Geezer and Ozzy, who got the most sincere accolades from a Sabbath fan, who builds high. In their absence on that Monday, March 13th morning, I guess I did the Thank You's on the band's behalf.

In summary, these are things you keep close to the heart. These memories and these precious moments somehow make the world go around more easily.

My sincere thanks to Tony, Geezer and Oz. Without them, there would be no story, and our world surely would be less without them.

Sabbath Forever.

--Bill Ward

Posted by Joe Siegler at 8:55 AM

March 15, 2006

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Speech

Here is the complete text of Bill's speech onstage at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction ceremony on Monday night.

Thank you to Sabbath fans everywhere. Congratulations to all those being inducted this evening. Extra-special greetings to Metallica.

Hopefully, our induction tonight will add further validation, as other bands already inducted in the past years have begun to establish, which is that hard rock and heavy metal have an endearing and forever lasting place in Rock history.

In the US, the ceremony will be on TV on VH1 on Tuesday March 21st at 9PM EST. Click here for further details.

Posted by Joe Siegler at 2:10 PM

November 22, 2005

UK Hall of Fame Ceremony to be on VH1

Bill Ward will be on VH1 in the US this coming Saturday with Black Sabbath as part of VH1's coverage of the UK Hall of Fame.

The ceremony will air on VH1 this Saturday, November 26th at 10/9C PM with an immediate rerun right after the first showing. Further repeat showings will be on VH1 Classic starting on November 27th at 8/7C PM as well as on VH1 itself. Please check your local listings to confirm the date/times from your provider.

If you want to see more information from VH1 about this program, check out their page for the program.

Posted by Joe Siegler at 9:05 AM

November 11, 2005

Bill Ward on UK Hall of Fame Induction

Bill has sent along a few words about next week's induction of Black Sabbath into the UK Music Hall of Fame..

'Wow, I¹m shocked,' was my first reaction. Then, 'This feels pretty good. What a nice surprise, Black Sabbath being honoured in the U.K.'

Yes, I think that¹s a really cool thing to happen for us. Thanks U.K. Hall of Fame. --Bill Ward/Black Sabbath

Bill has more online to say about the Hall of Fame next week in his latest edition of his online diary. Make sure to check that out.

Posted by Joe Siegler at 9:42 AM

October 28, 2005

Ozzfest 2005 Backstage Photos

A special thanks go out to Richard Johnson, who provided Bill with several behind the scenes pictures he took during several Ozzfest 2005 gigs. There's plenty to check out, so click on the thumbnail below to view the photo gallery.

Posted by Joe Siegler at 1:57 PM

March 29, 2005

Bill's on the road with Sabbath again

Sabbath will be touring during the spring and summer, and Bill Ward will be back out on the road again playing the drums for Black Sabbath. A list of tourdates is now available for both the European tour, and the US Ozzfest tour. They are:

Black Sabbath European Dates:

Jun 09 Dortmund, Germany
Jun 11 Derbyshire, UK
Jun 14 Leipzig, Germany
Jun 16 Munich, Germany
Jun 18 Nijmegen, Netherlands
Jun 20 Vienna, Austria
Jun 23 Sofia, Bulgaria
Jun 25 Athens, Greece
Jun 29 Prague, Czech Republic
July 1 Roskilde, Denmark
July 3 Stockholm, Sweden
July 5 Helsinki, Finland
July 7 Oslo, Norway
July 9 Bergen, Norway

Ozzfest 2005 Dates:

Jul 15 Boston, MA
Jul 17 Hartford, CT
Jul 19 Camden, NJ
Jul 21 Buffalo, NY
Jul 23 Pittsburgh, PA
Jul 24 Washington, DC
Jul 26 New York, NY
Jul 30 Chicago, IL
Aug 02 Columbus, OH
Aug 04 Detroit, MI
Aug 07 Minneapolis, MN
Aug 11 Seattle, WA
Aug 13 Sancisco, CA
Aug 14 Sacramento, CA
Aug 16 Salt Lake City, UT
Aug 18 Phoenix, AZ
Aug 20 Los Angeles, CA
Aug 23 Albuquerque, NM
Aug 25 Dallas, TX
Aug 27 Houston, TX
Aug 28 San Antonio, TX
Aug 31 Nashville, TN
Sep 02 Charlotte, NC
Sep 04 West Palm Beach, FL

For further information and for tickets, please visit http://www.ozzfest.com.

Posted by Joe Siegler at 4:05 PM

June 3, 2004

Bill Ward statement on Ozzfest 2004

Bill released this statement today regarding Ozzfest 2004 and his participation. Here it is.

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

Posted by Joe Siegler at 3:30 PM

May 21, 2004

Bill Speaks out again on Ozzfest

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

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.

Posted by Joe Siegler at 3:31 PM

May 18, 2004

Bill's Statement on Ozzfest 2004

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."

Posted by Joe Siegler at 3:32 PM

March 15, 2001

Bill to record with Black Sabbath

Yesterday afternoon, it was announced that Black Sabbath (Tony, Ozzy, Geezer, & Bill) will be recording their first album of new material since 1978's Never Say Die.

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".

Posted by Joe Siegler at 1:38 AM

February 2, 2001

Bill to tour with Black Sabbath again

Today I received an email from Sharon Osbourne's office regarding Ozzfest 2001. Here it is:

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".

Posted by Joe Siegler at 1:39 AM

February 24, 2000

Black Sabbath Wins Grammy Award


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.

Posted by Joe Siegler at 1:45 AM

February 10, 1999

Sabbath Tour Progressing

The Black Sabbath Reunion Tour is progressing. Bill's not having any problems at all health wise on the tour, and is enjoying the tour immensely. Thanks to all that have seen Bill so far, your enthusiasm for his return to the drumkit in Black Sabbath means the world to him.

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.

Posted by Joe Siegler at 2:02 AM

October 21, 1998

Black Sabbath Update

To commemorate the first album released by the original lineup of Black Sabbath in twenty years, the band is on a short multi-city in store record signing tour. Bill Ward (shown here to the right sporting his new buzz cut) is along with Tony, Geezer, & Ozzy signing copies of Reunion. Here is a listing of the cities he is at (contact the record store in your local city for more info):

If you are interested in purchasing a copy of the new Black Sabbath album, which is the first official live album by the original Black Sabbath, as well as the first new studio recordings by the original lineup in 20 years, you can click here to order it from CD-Now!

Bill is also scheduled to go out on tour with the guys in support of Reunion. The tour is going to start on December 31st, 1998 in Phoenix Arizona at the Bank One Ballpark. More tour dates will be added here once they are officially released by Black Sabbath.

Posted by Joe Siegler at 2:13 AM

December 10, 1997

Bill Returns from NEC gigs


On December 8th, Bill Ward returned to Los Angeles, Ca, after playing two concerts with Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Ozzy Osbourne, at the National Exhibition Centre near Birmingham, England, 4th and 5th of December.

Bill enjoyed playing the concerts and was happy to be a part of the Sabbath shows.

The question of a new album and some tour dates in 98 seems now to be the question everyone is asking.

Bill Ward doesn't know if he would be included in either of those plans if they were to happen. Bill, however, is saying he'd be willing to have an open mind if an opportunity to play with Sabbath came again.

Posted by Joe Siegler at 2:22 AM