Bill recently spoke to the New York Daily News regarding the early days in Black Sabbath.   Check out a few samples of what Bill had to say:

Forty years later, I remember very well when [guitarist] Tony Iommi, [singer] Ozzy Osbourne, [bassist] Geezer Butler and I first arrived in the United States. We were on a TWA jet and we flew to New York at night. I will always remember seeing the Manhattan skyline and I was absolutely in awe.

I knew that we were into something different, and I really loved what we were into, the sound and the religious and political imagery, but I didn’t speculate much about it at the time. I just thought, “Wow, whatever this is, I love it, I want to be into it for the rest of my life.” We came up with an aggressive message. It wasn’t necessarily a new message, but it was a new aggressive message.

Quite honestly, I thought I would be dead by 25. You can’t even imagine being 62, which is what I am now. Sadly, those days have been over for us for a long, long time. And so, the best I can do after a gig is usually get in my bus and try to have a sandwich or a cup of tea. That’s pretty much the heaviest partying I do now.

Check out more by reading the entire interview at this link.

There’s two things you as a fan of this website should know. First are some new photos of Bill in the studio over the last couple of years. Some are from behind a kit, and some are behind a board.   Here’s a few samples..

These two photos (and all of them in the newly released gallery) were taken by Christopher Wagner.    You can see all of them over at our new Facebook page.   That’s right, Bill is now on Facebook.   If you are too, and want to check out the photo gallery, or “like” Bill, the Facebook link is this:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Bill-Ward/109213359124333

Likewise, Bill is also on Twitter.  You can reach Bill there at this URL:

http://www.twitter.com/billwarddrums

My wife and I would like to send our heartfelt condolences to Paul Gray’s family and friends. Our condolences also extend to each member of Slipknot. We wish everyone who knew Paul love, tolerance and eventual peace of mind.

Paul played in an incredible band. He was an incredible bass player. His death is another big loss for metal music, but his spirit and his love will forever ascend and teach.

Thanks for the music, Paul.

Bill & Bird Ward

My wife and I have sent our condolences and have felt very sad with the news of Ronnie’s passing.

We wish to extend our positive thoughts and love to all those who loved Ronnie, and we salute him as a singer, performer, songwriter and arranger.

We plan to make no further statements and prefer to remain private at this time.

–Bill Ward

Hi Everyone,

Because of the recent news of Ronnie James Dio’s death, our normal radio show format will be somewhat limited this month. I intend to start the show with a presentation of some of the great songs Ronnie sang on. We will honour what he brought to hard rock and metal music as a vocalist, songwriter and performer.

This month’s show was already dedicated in the second hour to Type O Negative and the recent loss of Peter Steele. We will play Type O’s music as planned.

Thanks,
Bill Ward

The flamboyant ambassador of Metal’s substratum is dead.  I am diverted from my next indicated thing to do.  I am compelled to pause and digress and re-listen to one of my all-time favorite bands, Type O Negative.  I fall into memorable moments, to enhance my first discoveries of Peter Steele.

I don’t want to believe he’s died.  I’ve felt in shock since the early morning sad news of today arrived.  Peter Steele – a brilliant musician, songwriter, singer has died.  His death is a tragedy and heartbreaking.  His passing is an enormous loss to the Metal community and to music period.

In music, he challenged life itself in a poetic, prophetic, charismatic and extraordinarily insightful way.  A world observer, a teller of tales, a renaissance man, a man from the future, a powerful force in today’s maladies and life challenges.

This man will not be forgotten.  I raise my goblet of water and praise him.  I thank him, and I burn candles and desire incense aromas to fill our house, now illuminated in his honour.  Candles burning outside flicker, and the sea crashes onto the shore.  We are still.  We are in memory.

Peter, you will be celebrated forever.

–Bill Ward

H! Everyone.
Our radio show airs on Saturday, April 17th.  We pay homage to Rob Zombie this month in our “Great Metal and Rock Bands” segment.  We’re playing seven incredible Zombie tracks.  Also, we’ll be playing new stuff and the very best of metal music.  Check us out.

Stay strong, stay safe.

–Bill Ward

If you’ve ever wanted to get a glimpse of what goes on when Bill does his monthly Rock 50 show, today’s your day! We have for you a clip filmed during a recent episode showing Bill doing his thing. You can view it below.

If you’ve never checked out Bill’s Rock 50 show, you should check it out! The schedule of upcoming episodes is available at our Rock 50 page here.

Thanks to Matt Hughes for the clip.

Dear Friends,

The radio show airs on Saturday, March 27th this month. Bands you can expect to hear will be Dew Scented, Cradle of Filth, Dimmu Borgir, Old Man’s Child and newly released bands. In our series titled “Great Rock and Metal Bands and Artists,” this month’s featured band will be Traffic. Primarily a Midlands-based band in England, UK, Traffic represented a completely original and outspoken musical message to listeners throughout the world. Dynamic and everlasting, Traffic have come before us, played, and have attached their influence to rock’s finest moments.

Check us out. I think it’ll be a very good show.

–Bill Ward

London Times – Black Sabbath 40^th Anniversary Article Disclaimer

I’ve just finishing reading the London Times article for Sabbath’s 40^th Anniversary of the album Black Sabbath, dated Saturday, February 13, 2010.  The interview I did for this piece was with journalist Will Pavia, and at the time, I felt it was a good interview.  My interview with Will was then added to the broader article written by journalist, Chris Ayers.

The headline of the article reads (partially) “their seminal album began as a gimmick, and they would rather be remembered as a hard rock band.”

Besides this unflattering headline, I’m particularly pissed off about the following, and I quote: “…Bill Ward ….told the Times.  Although it started as a gimmick, he said, ‘it matured into something that was almost waiting to arrive.’”

The way these sentences are constructed gives the impression that I called Sabbath a “gimmick,” or that I agree with the statement “it started out as a gimmick.”

I want to make it very clear to my fellow band members, musicians and our beloved Sabbath listeners worldwide, the word “gimmick” NEVER came out of my mouth.  I don’t own it – I’m not the source of the word “gimmick.”  There isn’t anything ‘gimmicky” about Sabbath as far as I’m concerned.

I consider the article roughshod at best.  It’s sad that on our 40^th Anniversary a more supportive and heralding composition could not have been written.  There IS a nice picture of the band and a nice picture of Oz with Sharon and Kelly.

I thought the light-hearted, or sarcastic look (depends on your point of view) at how to headbang, titled “Headbanging for Beginners,” was more slagging than anything else.  I’d like to remind whoever put that segment together that headbanging was a true phenomenon that began during the 60s and was a fulfilling form of expression and reaction to the music playing.  “Unison” headbanging mushroomed in 1969 and has remained intact up until today.  For me, it is a personal communion with every single fan. It’s positive energy; it’s healthy; it’s true love, even if, as the writer quirked in “Position 4,” I quote, “Keep body bent over after song to adjust balance and avoid collapse.  Experience sore neck and two-day headache.”

Even if the writer’s being “ha ha” about the segment, he or she is ever so slightly making a derogatory statement, in my opinion, about what most in Metal consider “sacred ground” and/or “sacred personal identity.”

Come on London Times.  Sabbath is homegrown British – one of Britain’s great bands, loved all over the world.  Perhaps if you can’t meet the occasion with a more positive headline, at least get this right:  Tommy Iommi (sidebar insert) is not Sabbath’s guitar player.  However, TONY Iommi is… 40 years, guys, and counting.

Respectfully,
Bill Ward