Black Sabbath reunite with Bill Ward at Grammy event

Tony Iommi, Bill Ward and Geezer Butler attend the Ivor Novello Awards in London in 2015 (Image credit: Dave J Hogan - Getty)

Bill Ward and his old Black Sabbath bandmates Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler were reunite in Los Angeles on Saturday night for the first time since 2015.

The trio were attending the Grammy Salute To Music Legends ceremony at the city’s Dolby Theatre, where Black Sabbath were honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Grammy by the Recording Academy.

Rival Sons performed for Sabbath on the night, with the annual award given to artists who have "made outstanding contributions of artistic significance to the field of recording.” 

Iommi later posted a picture of himself, Ward and Butler, saying: “Another Grammy! Great performance from Rival Sons yesterday, thanks guys.”

Butler also posted a couple of images from the evening on his Twitter account.

Ward bowed out of the Sabbath’s reunion back in 2011 – just months after it was announced. He said he hadn’t been offered a contract he regarded as “signable” which led to a war of words, between him and frontman Ozzy Osbourne, who at one point suggested the drummer wasn’t healthy enough to play his role.

However, back in 2017, Ward said he held no grudges, telling Rolling Stone: “I’m at peace with those guys.”

Meanwhile, a Black Sabbath exhibition is set to get under way in their home town of Birmingham next month.

Black Sabbath 50 Years will run from June 26 until September 29 at the Museum & Art Gallery and will look back at their history, celebrate their contribution to British music, and explore the history between the band and their fans.

Scott Munro
Louder e-commerce editor

Scott has spent 36 years in newspapers, magazines and online as an editor, production editor, sub-editor, designer, writer and reviewer. Scott joined our news desk in 2014 before moving into e-commerce in 2020. Scott maintains Louder’s buyer’s guides, highlights deals, and reviews headphones, speakers, earplugs and more. Over the last 11 years, Scott has written more than 11,000 articles across Louder, Classic Rock, Metal Hammer and Prog. He's previously written for publications including IGN, Sunday Mirror, Daily Record and The Herald, covering everything from news and features, to tech reviews, video games, travel and whisky. Scott's favourite bands are Fields Of The Nephilim, The Cure, New Model Army, All About Eve, The Mission, Cocteau Twins, Drab Majesty, Marillion and Rush.