The band was formed in 1968 by John "Ozzy" Osbourne (vocals), Tony Iommi (lead guitar), Terence "Geezer" Butler (bass guitar), and Bill Ward (drums).

[1] Though the second most recent line-up of the band to work together were Ronnie James Dio, Vinny Appice, Iommi, and Butler, for three new songs for a compilation in 2007, the original line-up was still considered the "current" lineup at the time and had been since their reunion in 1997.

The 2007 sessions were deemed a one-off which led to the Heaven & Hell side project, resulting in a new studio album in 2009 titled The Devil You Know.

In June 2013, a partial reformation of the original line-up released 13, which was the first album to feature Osbourne on vocals since 1978's Never Say Die!.

After 49 years together, Black Sabbath announced their breakup in March 2017.