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Post by Monsters of Rock on Oct 16, 2022 19:40:26 GMT 10
Rockers Whose Bands Tried to Erase Them - Geoff Nicholls
Geoff Nicholls was part of every Black Sabbath album between 1980's Heaven and Hell and 1995's Forbidden; he also was a regular member of their touring band, as heard on 2007's Live at the Hammersmith Odeon. The initial connection with Black Sabbath actually went back much further: Tony Iommi produced Nicholls' band Quartz's self-titled debut. Later, Nicholls toured with former Sabbath singer Tony Martin's band Headless Cross.
Yet most concertgoers probably couldn't have picked him out of a police lineup, because Sabbath made Nicholls perform backstage – presumably because having a keyboard player didn't seem "metal" enough. Still. that flair for quiet support made him invaluable, Bill Ward said following Nicholls' 2017 cancer death. "To me, he was a great musician, because he never stepped out," Ward said. "He always respected the privacy of wherever we were in our thinking and in our balance. And that's what makes a good musician — when you can see where the other guy is, and you can make room for them."
Ultimate Classic Rock
Geoff Nicholls was part of every Black Sabbath album between 1980's Heaven and Hell and 1995's Forbidden; he also was a regular member of their touring band, as heard on 2007's Live at the Hammersmith Odeon. The initial connection with Black Sabbath actually went back much further: Tony Iommi produced Nicholls' band Quartz's self-titled debut. Later, Nicholls toured with former Sabbath singer Tony Martin's band Headless Cross.
Yet most concertgoers probably couldn't have picked him out of a police lineup, because Sabbath made Nicholls perform backstage – presumably because having a keyboard player didn't seem "metal" enough. Still. that flair for quiet support made him invaluable, Bill Ward said following Nicholls' 2017 cancer death. "To me, he was a great musician, because he never stepped out," Ward said. "He always respected the privacy of wherever we were in our thinking and in our balance. And that's what makes a good musician — when you can see where the other guy is, and you can make room for them."
Ultimate Classic Rock
