Tony Iommi Wears a Black Sabbath Christmas Sweater for 2019 Recap
Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi dons some festive duds in a recap video looking back on his year. Wearing a Christmas sweater emblazoned with the name of his pioneering heavy metal act, the musician sums up his best 2019 memories in the clip shared on Twitter Monday (Dec. 23).
Those include the guitarist earning a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award for his work with his Black Sabbath bandmates Ozzy Osbourne, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward. Additionally, Iommi touches on revisiting the site of 1989's Rock Aid Armenia with Deep Purple singer Ian Gillan and stopping in at the Gibson Guitars factory in Nashville. Watch the full recap video down toward the bottom of this post.
"Well, it's been an interesting year for me and Sabbath," Iommi recounts. "We started at the beginning of the year getting a Grammy award, a Lifetime Achievement award, which is brilliant. I mean, it's really great. It's the highest award you can have, Grammy-wise. And then, a month afterward, I went to Armenia with Ian Gillan for the 30th anniversary of Rock Aid Armenia, which was a fabulous memory. We had a great time there. We went to visit the school that we built, and that was lovely. And see all the kids and see all the people."
The rocker continues, "And then, just recently, I went to Nashville, to the Gibson factory. I was invited there by the new owners, who — I've got to tell you — are great. And they're so enthusiastic — lovely people. I went around the factory and met all the people that work there. They're so dedicated to what they do, all of them there now. And the Gibson product is lifted a million times, I'll tell you. They're so good and want to do the best … for guitar players."
Of course, Iommi did plenty else throughout the year. In October, the Black Sabbath guitarist furnished a message of support for Metallica's James Hetfield after the frontman re-entered rehab for addiction treatment. This spring, Iommi got to work on a multitude of new guitar riffs.
Elsewhere in the recap video, the musician wishes his friends, fans and followers a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year for 2020. "I look forward to seeing you next year," Iommi says.
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