Black Sabbath is a band.
Black Sabbath were an English rock band , formed in Birmingham in 1968 , by guitarist and main songwriter Tony Iommi , bassist and main lyricist Geezer Butler , singer Ozzy Osbourne , and drummer Bill Ward . The band experienced multiple line-up changes , with Iommi being the only constant member throughout its history . A year after embarking on a farewell tour , the band played their final concert in their home city of Birmingham on 4 February 2017 , after which they broke up . They were ranked by MTV as the `` Greatest Metal Band '' of all time , and placed second in VH1 's `` 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock '' list .