Black Sabbath’s Geezer Butler Chose Folk Music to Escape His Parents’ Pop Records
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At age 13 in 1976, I was a stone Black Sabbath and Aerosmith head--then a Hot Tuna late show and the Dead at Roosevelt Stadium set my path. I still dig on Black Sabbath but don't keep up. Great interview with Geezer. Who from they day didn't make music their path after seeing the Beatles.
Black Sabbath’s Geezer Butler Chose Folk Music to Escape His Parents’ Pop Records
The English memoirist on his icy bedroom, his childhood nickname and giving Ozzy Osbourne a gig
By Marc Myers
June 13, 2023 11:00 am
Geezer Butler, 73, is the bassist and primary lyricist in the English hard-rock band Black Sabbath. He is the author of the memoir “Into the Void: From Birth to Black Sabbath and Beyond” (Dey Street). He spoke with Marc Myers.
I slept with a brick as a kid. Our home didn’t have heating and was so cold in the winter that my mom would heat one up in our old oven and wrap it in a towel. Then she’d slide it into the bed by my feet. If the towel came loose, the brick would scald me, but it got me to sleep. By morning, that brick would be like a block of ice.
I grew up in the Aston section of Birmingham, England. I was born in the house we lived in, an attached three-story terraced house in a working-class neighborhood.
I was the last of seven children, which was great because I was spoiled. In addition to getting the hand-me-downs, my older brothers and sisters paid me to go to the store for them for things like cigarettes and soda. I always had a bit of money.
Terence “Geezer” Butler in the Aston section of Birmingham, England, at age 5. PHOTO: GEEZER BUTLER,(FAMILY PHOTO)
Neither of my parents drank, and they both had an ironclad work ethic. If my mother, Mary, wasn’t cleaning the house until it was spotless, she was in the kitchen cooking for all of us. My father, James, worked for an engineering company packing steel tubes for worldwide export.
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Despite the tight times, I was happy. On weekends, my dad took me to local parks or the museums in Birmingham. We also had a great local soccer team—Aston Villa Football Club. And we had a great public library, where I read lots of fiction.
My brother, Jimmy, was in the Army and stationed with many cockneys. They called everyone “geezer,” which was slang for “bloke” or “dude.” On leave, Jimmy began calling me “geezer,” so I did the same at school. I wound up stuck with the nickname.
At 10, I passed an exam that sent me on to grammar school. That meant a better education and a white-collar job rather than labor. My parents were so happy. I was the first kid in our family to pass.
I attended Holte Grammar School and did well enough. I also began listening to Lonnie Donegan and skiffle, our version of folk. That was a turning point. Compared with the awful pop records my parents had, skiffle was exciting—simple and soulful and played mostly with homemade instruments.
When Jimmy came home in 1957, he had a copy of Elvis Presley’s “Heartbreak Hotel.” That record sent me off to Radio Luxembourg, the only station you could pick up in England that broadcast American rock ‘n’ rollers.
With a carpentry kit gifted at Christmas, I built a guitar, or what passed for one. I attached two elastic bands, which were enough. Then came the Beatles and their release of “Love Me Do” in 1962.
I took to John Lennon, so Jimmy bought me a new six-string Rosetti semi-acoustic guitar. I taught myself to play using Bert Weedon’s book “Play in a Day.” Soon I put a small deposit down on a beautiful, red Hofner Colorama electric guitar and amp.
Butler, left, with Black Sabbath members Tony Iommi, Bill Ward and Ozzy Osbourne in the early 1970s. PHOTO: MICHAEL OCHS ARCHIVES/GETTY IMAGES
At 16, I graduated from high school but needed a job. Music wasn’t a moneymaker, so I went to work at a local steel company as a cost-and-works accountant trainee. The job was terrible.
That’s when I realized that music was my only way out. I traded in my Hofner for a Fender Telecaster and joined Rare Breed in 1967. Then our singer left, which meant no gigs and no band. I decided to make a fresh go of Rare Breed.
First I needed a singer. At a music shop, I saw a notice that said, “Ozzy Zig needs a gig.” I left word at his house. The next day, a shoeless, head-shaven Ozzy Osbourne with a chimney brush over his shoulder was at my door.
Ozzy promised to grow his hair and said he had a P.A. system, which we didn’t have and needed. We also needed a drummer. Ozzy recommended Bill Ward, who had been in a band with Ozzy and guitarist Tony Iommi. We went around to Tony’s house. Bill was there and said he’d join only if Tony did. They both came aboard.
I switched to bass. It wasn’t a stretch. I had long been inspired by bassist Jack Bruce after seeing Cream perform. The four of us played blues at pubs and clubs and were on our way. Soon we began writing our own songs. I handled the lyrics. A year later, we became Black Sabbath.
Today, my wife, Gloria, and I divide our time between homes in Las Vegas, Utah’s Park City and England’s Midlands. We bought our Midlands house in 1988. Now we’re renovating so it will have an open plan.
The exterior is made of brick. Whenever I drive up to the house, the bricks take me back to when I was a kid. Seeing them outside the house beats having them in my bed.
Jazz singer Samara Joy, a favorite of Mr. Butler’s, in February. PHOTO: TODD OWYOUNG/NBC/GETTY IMAGES
Geezer’s Chill
Midlands kickback? Our old-fashioned sofa.
Why? I’m an avid reader, mostly crime fiction.
Home music? Jazz singer Samara Joy’s new album and jazz in general.
Black Sabbath name? It comes from the 1963 film, “Black Sabbath.” My brother, Peter, saw it. I was too young but loved the name.
Ever see it? I bought the DVD when it came out. It was terrible.
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