Tony Iommi, guitarist of Black Sabbath, is up there with some of the most well-known musicians. Though many people don’t know that a failure created his signature sound.
On the last day of his job as a welder, Iommi lost the tips of his two fretting fingers. While he was recovering from the accident, the guitarist actually found it easier to play his instrument by using lighter gauge strings and dropping the tuning. This helped create Black Sabbath’s renowned sound.
On his injury, Iommi stated:
“The bones were sticking out of them. There was blood everywhere. I was so much in shock it didn’t even hurt at first.”
The failure of losing his fingertips didn’t stop him from continuing to jam. In reality, his failure led to success! Check out the video below of one of Sabbath’s most iconic songs, Iron Man, filled with Iommi’s iconic tone.