Bill Ward on Black Sabbath and drumming on LSD | Metal Hammer 

I wonder if when Bill is just walking around somewhere and some teenager sees him, if the teen thinks he's just some ordinary person. Somebody's grandfather. Not really realizing that they're walking by a living legend.

This man could lay down some stone cold grooves. If you listen carefully to the drumming on the debut LP, this is a jazz drummer who found his way into a metal band.

bill ward was a beast, he doesn't get enough credit for black sabbath's incredible success, he should be on the same pedestal as john bonham.

Too bad black sabbath is ended without you Bill

Rat Salad is an underrated showcase of Bill’s insane drumming skills.

Bill you are still Mr Badass to me and every rock drummer

One of THE greatest drummers of all time. He never gets enough credit.

Not only a great drummer he's a living legend. He always seem modest and humble.

I totally respect Bill Ward for not only his talent but his honesty and integrity as a person.

This grandpa used to smash the kit back in 1970 War Pigs Paris live performance. What a beast of a drummer Bill was, pioneering in every aspect as the whole band did back then. Before any Portnoy & Mangini was Bill Ward and Neil Peart.

It’s a shame that he wasn’t the drummer on the final tour.

The guy, for unknown reasons, gets a fraction of the accolades he has earned. An absolute monster behind the kit, and by far the best drummer that band ever had, for that music especially.

The jazziest metal drummer, along side Gar Samuelson

Bill Ward was a funky drummer, too. Such a heavy groove this guy put down, just an incredible legend on his instrument.

Black Sabbath was an exceptional band because each member was an artist at his craft, Bill Ward was no exception, phenomenal creativity and Groove, timeless music

one of the great rock drummers. even though he was not included in all those Black Sabbath reunions, he knows he has proved his worth a long time ago and he doesn't need none of the guys from the band to keep his legacy alive.

Bill, in the 70s was an absolute beast on the drums. Absolute beast. Huge part of Sabbath.

One of the more underrated drummers in rock and metal history

This unassuming man was a big part of the band that changed rock forever. I think his contribution, along with Geezer, is under appreciated. His jazz influenced drumming was the bedrock of their sound

I worked very hard in a Sabbath tribute to play Bill's parts from the records, just dazzling, never really gotten the credit he deserves. Hats off to you, B Dub !!

His work on Master of Reality affected my life on so many levels... That is probably the most badass thing ever came out from rock music, I mean the whole fucking album and his performance. This man is a true legend.

Symptom of the Universe is a display of Bill’s ability no one could touch.

Bill seems like a great guy....they REALLY should have used him on the final tour. It's really a shame they didn't.

Absolute legend. Bill was a huge part of the sound that made Sabbath famous and yet sadly he's the least known member of the band.

I love Bill Ward; direct, to the point, and full of wonderful stories. Legendary drummer of a truly legendary band.

I could just sit and listen to this man talk all day! I don't think he'd see my comment here, but if he did, Bill, you are one of the greatest drummers and people I've ever heard! God bless you and rock on!

Man,,,, this guy was a real drummer ! A fucking ledgend ! Now,, just a humble older gentleman with memories only few can really understand,,,,, What a guy ! God Bless you Sir ! 😁🖒✌🕆💕

If you don't believe that Bill Ward is one of the best drummers ever just listen again to how he brings the band out of the middle part of Sweet Leaf. The guy is a wizard.

I attended a small drum seminar with Bill Ward. WOW! Even being a Sabbath fan seeing him up close and personal was even more mind blowing. He just hung out and chatted for a couple of hours after.

Bill Ward delighted me in the way he provided "riffs for the drums" in a memorable way usually reserved for guitars. I remember in high school tapping out Snowblind on my desk with my fingers and a pencil. Into the Void was another favorite. I can't speak to technique or speed. I was not a drum enthusiast; and yet I remember many Black Sabbath songs as much for their drums as for vocals and guitars. I never could understand why Bill Ward wasn't omnipresent in rock's list of best drummers. Perhaps he didn't overwhelm experts with his technique or pedigree. But he sure was enjoyable to just listen to. Perhaps his greatness lies not so much in the size of his kit, speed, or outrageous solos; but in his originality and creative abilities.

Bill Ward is the reason I became a drummer. My drumming idol.

The drumming on Lord of This World is amazing!

One of the greatest and , I feel, most underrated drummers of all time. Now that I'm older, the more I listen to Sabbath the more I can hear how incredible he was. And he seems to be an even greater person, God bless you Bill .

A legend!

This man is forever a part of musical history as the grandfather of Heavy Metal Drumming

Bill Ward was such a key ingredient to Black Sabbath, a phenomenal drummer. One of my favorites for sure. Keep kicking ass Bill. Love ya.

Bill Ward is such a badass, definitely one of my inspirations for drums

Bill’s body of work… from Sabbath to his solo projects will live on forever…

This man was a beast behind the kit live...Truly a legend!

Bill Ward, Ian Paice, two great drummer's

Bill had fought a long hard road ( personally ) all through his stint with Black Sabbath. I had an opportunity to meet him through personal friends one time back in the mid 80's, but he cancelled at the last moment because he wasn't feeling well. The main guy in our group, who happened to be totally blind and wasn't only a personal friend of Bill's and was our contact, he had also become a friend of Bill's parents who lived in St. Louis, MO.( they were all living there, but in separate residences ), received a phone call back from Bill saying that he felt bad that we wouldn't be able to visit with us, but that his parent's would be happy to have us as dinner guests. Sadly, my buddy who trusted me as his guide, started feeling ill as too much time on his feet would start making him feel unbalanced ( essentially sea sickness ), so we too, had to decline. Man, I sure wish that day would have come together.

Great interview! A drummer who never seemed to get enough credit for his amazing drumming talent

1 of the greatest Rock Drummers of all time, and most kids nowadays have no clue how Bad Ass this man is

Bill you are and always will be my favorite drummer you have made your mark on rock music in a historic way. Respect and props, to you my friend thankyou for the years of enjoyment.

love you Bill thanks for being my favourite drummer.

Bill can be heard doing vocals on Technical Ecstacy "It's Alright". That was my first BS concert (1976 "Tech Ecstasy") tour. Guess i was just 17, but i remember the fantastic grooves Bill & Geezer were laying down for Tony & Ozzy. Bill Ward was essentially an orchestral style jazz drummer, whose tight timing & quick rolling tempos were the foundation of Heavy Metal pioneers =Black Sabbath

I remember always feeling tired and lazy and the whole "Yeah I don't feel like playing right now" mentality. This guy just makes me feel like a sorry ass snob, they could own a stage at any time of the day,week, month or year, not a single fuck given. These are REAL artists.

That early "War Pigs" video was fricking crushing ! Bill's playing in that video is legendary. I was learning drums to add to my guitar and bass playing, War pigs with that video helped clarify what I was hearing. I am still amazed every time I watch it. Actually ... gonna watch it a few times right now. Bill is "The" Black Sabbath drummer...the rest are hired substitutes .

Bill Ward is a rock LEGEND!

Sabbath, The First band I was introduced when discovering heavy metal, 40 years later Ill still crank them up!

BILL WARD RULES!!! One of the greatest drummers of all time, in any genre (plus how many can say they helped CREATE a genre!) Plus, he has always been a class act and a true gentleman, at least as far as I can tell.

One of my all time favorite dudes and band!! BLACK SABBATH FOREVER!!!!!! And long live Billy Ward!! 🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘

As a kid learning to play the drums back in the early 80's, I remember trying to play Sweet Leaf. It was heavy but also funky, at 13 yrs. old it was an epic fail. After some years of drum lessons I learned to play the song correctly and in the process found my deep appreciation for the "heavy" drummers of the 70's. Bill Ward, John Bonham, and Ian Paice had the largest impact on my playing and my desire to become a better drummer. The stuff that Bill Ward played on the early Sabbath material is classic, the most underrated drummer of that generation.

Bill is THE DRUMMER... still the best drummer Sabbath ever had!

I remember back in the early 70s me and my pal weasled our way back to the dressing room and I can confirm what Bill said. They were all soaking wet with sweat. We barged in and met our heros. Can you imagine when Bill said he recognized us from a previous London gig. We had close to front seats. Bill is a wonderful man and me and my pal were on cloud 9 for weeks !! God bless you Bill and get exercising!!!

One of the greatest of all time. Has his own style and brought a new dimension to the band, irreplaceable.

No Bill Ward, No Black Sabbath. Simple as that.

To me, the ultimate definition of "cool" is this man playing in SYMPTOM OF THE UNIVERSE off "Sabotage". Honest to God! I emphasize the studio version, mind, because in some of the videos of live shows he's just kind of chugging along like none of the band give a rat's arse, which they probably sometimes were, considering what he just said! But that studio version...I discovered Black Sabbaff when they were already veterans in 1976, in Brazil where I was brought up despite being from Birmingham myself.

I like the way Ward explains this. Experience and wisdom. And like he says you have to go through it. If a kid sees this he will be like, "Whatever man. I'm going to have fun and do it all." Then 40 years later he's sitting on a red velvet couch in black warmups.

Bill you kick ass \M/.

Only love and respect for this man! Living rock legend.

You really have to admire Bill for his candor and ability to see his past mistakes. Anybody that can do that shows that they are continuing to grow as a person. We can all learn from Mr. Ward!

Bill, you are my living hero. The reason why I picked up the sticks. Cheers 🥁

Dear Bill, when I was 11 years old in '74, you was the first drummer that made my jaw drop to the floor. Now at 58, I still listen to Black Sabbath as loud as it goes on my chunky BIG sound system vinyl. You ROCK !!! God Bless You Bill Ward.

God bless you Billy Ward!!! - Your drumming has so much soul. Great to hear you talking, and I hope you're not feeling too much animosity.

Hell yea!!! Long live Bill Ward!!

Listening to him speak about the past and that time. i guess you had to live it. I can't imagine how much those guys must have indulged . I did my share of all of it back in the day but I was only a spectator out in the audience watching them. Just a teen. Now an older man hearing it from my rock heroes it really hits home. Being happy and having clarity of thought and being able too remember things from long ago is the advantage to aging gracefully and leaving all that self indulgent nonsense in the past.

One of the best and most inspirational drummers ever!

One of the greatest British drummers ever, Supernaut is one of my all time favourite drum performances by Mr Ward. He, along with Tony, Geezer and Ozzy put the Heavy into Metal.

To someone who has taken psychedelic trips I have absolutely no idea how anybody could play an instrument, such as drums, on lysergic acid. Nonetheless, two of my favorite Sabbath songs are Solitude and It's Alright and I believe Bill wrote both those. \•••/

He's so right. I use to do the same thing. Now that I'm 48 and still have my life and brains and more mature. I don't want to miss a thing by being under the influence of something else. Playing music live, is enough of an influence. Time for me now has become priceless.

His playing of "Symptom of the Universe" was so unbelievable back then. So tough for him to play it was never played by him again... One outdoor huge show he was taking oxygen while playing. :)

The last gig will be with Bill Ward. I think that's what Tony was getting at when he says we have retired from touring but we will do the odd gig.

Wise words Bill. Thank you for all of your music:)

We miss you Bill ! You have one of the most unique signature trimmings I've heard. Instantly recognized instantly ! Cheers from across the pond in Utah ! \m/✌🍻

Bill is an architect on the drums. His parts are not just smashing. It is real creativity. He always reminds me of John Densmore of The Doors who also wrote creative parts.

i like his drumming in "junior's eyes"

Good man Bill.Count me amongst those who refused to go and see Sharon’s boyband when they treated you like shit with the ridiculous salary contract. No Bill Ward=No Black Sabbath.

He speaks truthfully - most serious performing musicians know the music itself rejuvenates and also it's our job! Most performers put it on when it's time to go, no matter what. It's an 'act' !!! :)

Love you Bill and your drumming and musicianship!!!!! Loved you all my life!!!!!

Your a hell of of man Mr Ward. God bless you, Thank you..

Taking risks with your music is the benchmark of a great artist. Sometimes it comes off and sometimes it does not. If you do not take risks your performance risks becoming formulated and generic. Bill was successful in this area of risk taking. Just listen to prime era Sabbath live recordings. Always unique and interesting.

"every head must bow, every tongue must confess, this is the greatest of all time" Cheers, Bill!

I now see why Bill Ward didn't join the rest of the band on their final tour. In his prime he was the most underrated drummer of all time. Playing drums is probably the most physically demanding job in most bands...especially when you're in a band like Black Sabbath. God bless Bill Ward

Wonderful drummer

No idea how he manage drum on acid.

Thank you Bill. You've inspired me to be the drummer I am today. I'm still learning from your recordings today and you are still an influence on me. R.ock. I.n P.eace

Great guy. Absolutely great guy. They gave out their bodies and souls on stage. They did not joke about being professional.

Under the influence or sober Bill Wards drumming had a major impact and influence on me as a drummer growing up. If it wasnt for Bill Ward and my Dad bringing home black Sabbath live in Paris 1970 on vhs I woulda never got the confidence to actually teach myself and learn how to play. I remember coming home from school and the vhs tape was on my counter and asked my old man whats this? And he replied "watch that... youll see what a real drummer is." Lmao from that day on I played drums to that performance and Black Sabbath paranoid album everyday religiously after school. Even switched my 1st drum kit at the times set up to 1 rack tom 2 floor toms like Bill used to use during that era b4 he switched to 2 bass drums. What did it for me was his simplicity in doing those triplet drum phils. Soo simple but so technical I immediately said to myself I can do that! Ive always been drawn to hard hitting drummers too. Bill and Dave Grohl and Mitch Mitchell my 3 fav drummers growing up... thank you! Hope young and up an coming drummers continue to discover Sabbath and Ward. 🤘🏾

It's a real Miracle that he is still alive after All that drugs

He's the ultimate back bone, in my book. - My favorite drummer of all time. (and I'm obviously all about drums) - Bad Ass! "Symptom of the universe", Sweet Leaf", "The Wizard". - Holy shit! - This guy. You kick ass Bill Ward! All the best to you!

I love how he put it as midly as he could,' we kicked complete ass' , Dudes slayed every stage.

A true rock and roll warrior.

It sickens me the other 3 chose to offer Bill far less than an equal 1/4 share of their final tour because they needed to carry a back up drummer incase bill wasn't able to play a show ,the cost would have been minimum and they could have went out as a united band for the end ,as rich as Ozzy is I can't help but feel Sharon Osborne was the Yoko Ono of sabbaths final tour .

You're the best! Love hearing the story. Thanks for everything thing Bill!

"Hopefully they'll come out with their life and their brains intact." Indeed.

BILL IS AWESOME !!

This man deserves a fair financial reward for his pioneering work, such a shame he was robbed blind.

Absolutely amazing band I was very young around 14 listening to Black Sabbath would have been in the 80s for me . Absolutely love this music Huge part of my life With my brothers

I remember when i first heard War pigs. I was mesmerized on how good the drums were. Now i drum for 2 death metal bands who play gigs every second week. This man is god!