Ward helped found Black Sabbath in 1968 alongside bandmates Ozzy Osbourne (lead singer), Tony Iommi (guitarist), and Geezer Butler (bass).

Bill started to play drums as a child, listening to the big bands of the 1940s; his early major influences were Gene Krupa, Buddy Rich and Louie Bellson.

[2] Later he was influenced by drummers such as Larrie Londin, Bernard Purdie, Joe Morello, Keef Hartley, Hughie Flint, John Bonham, Ringo Starr, Jim Capaldi and Clive Bunker.

In 1989 he went to work on a solo album, which featured a huge array of guest musicians, including former Black Sabbath bandmate Ozzy Osbourne and his guitarist, Zakk Wylde.

Sabbath, with Judas Priest singer Rob Halford replacing Ronnie James Dio who had recently left the band, opened the show for Osbourne.

Ward was forced to skip all but the last two Black Sabbath appearances in 1998 while he recovered from a heart attack suffered during the tour rehearsals that May.

Upon returning to the rehearsal space a short time later, a frantic Osbourne informed them "Bill has had a heart attack!

"[4] As was the case in 1980, he was replaced at short notice by Vinny Appice, although this time it was always intended to be a temporary absence for Ward, health permitting.

[12] In October 2006, news leaked that Ward would be reuniting with Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Ronnie James Dio for a tour though under the moniker Heaven & Hell.

On 11 November 2011, Iommi, Butler, Osbourne, and Ward announced that they were reuniting to record a new album with producer Rick Rubin and to start touring in 2012.

[21] This prompted a rebuttal from Osbourne on his Facebook page:[22] Bill, stop this smokescreen about an "unsignable contract" and let's be honest.

Ward's surgery on his shoulder prevented him from playing drums again until May 2014,[23] delaying his third studio album Accountable Beasts.

[26] In 2016, Ward debuted with a new band called "Day of Errors", which played its first gig in June that year at Gaslamp in Long Beach, California and also features Joe Amodea on guitar/vocals and Kill Devil Hill singer Jason "Dewey" Bragg on vocals.

Ward was due to play a string of dates with his new band in December 2017 but had to cancel these when he was hospitalised with heart problems in November.

[27] He once again reunited with Iommi and Butler in Los Angeles in May 2019, as Black Sabbath were awarded a Lifetime Achievement Grammy.

[29] Ward announced three weeks later on his Instagram that he loved all three of his former Black Sabbath bandmates very much and was open-minded to playing a final show with them.

[30] The last show Black Sabbath played was on 4 February 2017 in their native Birmingham, with Tommy Clufetos on drums instead of Ward.

"[32] In February 2025, it was announced that Ward would reunite with Black Sabbath, for a final one-off show at Villa Park on 5 July 2025.

[34] However, more recently Osbourne has criticised Ward's health, describing him in 2013 as "incredibly overweight" and suggesting that he would have been unable to drum for Black Sabbath had he stayed in the band following their 2011 reunion, given his physical condition, although Ward himself has insisted his health has not affected his ability to play the drums.

"[36] By 2021, he admitted that he was no longer able to play his drum parts for Black Sabbath, but was open to recording another studio album with them.

[37] In 2016, Ward expressed his distaste for religion saying that he grew up in a "heathen" family and did not believe in a "fire and brimstone god [...] bloody rubbish!"