This fall, Gibson TV will launch a new series on YouTube called “Tony Iommi: The Godfather of Heavy Metal.” This limited series explores the musical legacy of Tony Iommi, the legendary guitarist of Black Sabbath. Throughout the series, music icons share their thoughts and stories. You’ll hear from Brian May of Queen, Slash from Guns N’ Roses, and Zakk Wylde of Black Label Society. Other rock stars like Dave Mustaine from Megadeth, Steve Vai, Scott Ian from Anthrax, and Rex Brown from Pantera also join in.
Zakk Wylde describes Iommi as “the Bach, Beethoven, and Mozart of the riff.” He adds that Iommi is a common ground for all guitarists. The series will take viewers back to Birmingham, England, where metal was born after the Summer of Love. It shows how Iommi’s unique sound created a musical revolution that changed the world.
Gibson is also reintroducing Iommi’s signature humbucker pickup for some guitars. This pickup combines ceramic and Alnico 2 magnets with special wire wraps, producing the dark, thick sound that Iommi is known for. Iommi expressed his excitement, saying, “I’m really excited that Gibson’s bringing back my signature humbucker; they were getting pretty hard to find!”
Iommi continues to work on new solo tracks, building on his last album, “Fused,” which was released in 2005. What started as purely instrumental music now includes vocals. He recently took part in Birmingham’s “Back To The Beginning” event, celebrating Black Sabbath’s final live performance with the original lineup.
Mark your calendars! The series will be available on Gibson TV’s YouTube channel this fall.
