(Credits: Far Out / TIDAL)
Tue 9 September 2025 20:15, UK
If you ever find yourself in a bad position in life, where it feels as though the odds are against you and the world is out to get you, just imagine how Tony Iommi must have felt in the 1960s, a few hours into his last day at work in a sheet metal factory.
You have to keep in mind that Britain was a difficult place to live for a large portion of the ‘60s. It was still licking its wounds from the war, as people attempted to regain a sense of normality and the economy tried to stabilise itself. The majority of people were working dead-end jobs with no hope of going on to anything else. Iommi, a talented guitarist, seemed to have a way out, as he was offered to leave the UK and go play for a band in Germany.
Naturally, Iommi decided he would take the opportunity, and so handed in his notice at work and was counting down his final few days. Unfortunately, Iommi’s hopes of leaving the country and playing in a band full-time were cut short, as a dodgy machine at his work had malfunctioned, slicing off the tops of his fingers. This would be a nightmare for anyone, but especially a budding guitarist.
“Oh, it was awful. I just couldn’t believe it, particularly as it happened on the day I was going to leave the job, which is insane,” recalled Iommi. “I’d given my notice to leave so I could join a band and go to Germany. It was a good opportunity. I went in on the last day, and that’s what happened. It shocked me. I never had any idea something like that was going to happen. I was truly devastated.”
Iommi will be the first to admit that he had a number of influences throughout his career. One of the guitarists he credited with being someone that nobody could catch up with was Jeff Beck. Having an opinion which is shared widely throughout the world of rock, Iommi was impressed by how Beck was able to play in a way which was dynamic and emotive, carving out his own unique style in the process.
“Oh yeah, Jeff was great. I met Jeff early on because we had the same manager,” said Iommi. “He was so different and unique. A truly great player who was just doing his own thing that was 100% him. It’s true what they said; nobody could play quite like Jeff.”
However, while Beck might have been an inspiration as far as actual playing style was concerned, Iommi also took influence from the mindset of other guitarists. It was musicians such as Django Reinhardt who helped Iommi out of his creative slump after he lost the tips of his fingers, as they showed him he could still be an effective player despite the incident at his work.
“It was actually the foreman at the factory I worked at,” he explained. “He came over to see me afterwards. He knew I had the accident and also knew the machine was wobbly and faulty. I shouldn’t have been on it, really. So he came over with a Django record and said, ‘Have a listen to this.’”
Influence comes in different ways. While Iommi didn’t think anyone compared to Jeff Beck, without the likes of Django Reinhardt, he may have given up on music altogether.
Related Topics