What is Geezer Butler's Net Worth?
Geezer Butler is a retired musician and songwriter with a net worth of $70 million. He is best known as the bassist and primary lyricist of the iconic heavy metal band Black Sabbath. Butler was also a member of GZR, Heaven & Hell, and Deadland Ritual, and occasionally collaborated with Ozzy Osbourne's band. As one of the most influential bassists in heavy metal, Butler was among the pioneers in using a wah pedal and down-tuning his instrument.
Early Life and Education
Born Terence Butler on July 17, 1949, in Birmingham, England, Butler grew up in a working-class Irish Catholic family. He had six siblings and enjoyed a happy childhood despite financial hardships. He attended the prestigious Holte Grammar School, where he learned to play guitar on a two-string acoustic guitar.
First Bands
Butler's musical journey began in 1965 when he joined his first band, the Ruums. Although the band only played a few local gigs before disbanding, it set the stage for his future. In 1967, Butler teamed up with vocalist Ozzy Osbourne to form the band Rare Breed.
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Black Sabbath
After Rare Breed disbanded, Butler and Osbourne joined forces with guitarist Tony Iommi and drummer Bill Ward to form the Polka Tulk Blues Band, which was later renamed Earth and finally settled on the name Black Sabbath in 1969. Black Sabbath's self-titled debut album was released in 1970, followed by the hugely successful "Paranoid" later that year. The band produced many classic albums in the 1970s, including "Master of Reality," "Vol. 4," "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath," "Sabotage," "Technical Ecstasy," and "Never Say Die!" The latter was the last studio album featuring the original lineup before Osbourne's departure in 1979.
The band recorded "Heaven and Hell" in 1980 with vocalist Ronnie James Dio, marking a new era. Butler's last studio album with Black Sabbath until the 1990s was "Born Again" in 1983. He reunited with the band in the early 1990s to record "Dehumanizer." Subsequently, the original lineup reunited in the late 1990s and released the live album "Reunion." They came together again in 2011 and released their final studio album "13" in 2013, culminating in a farewell concert in Birmingham in 2017.
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GZR
In the mid-1990s, Butler formed the heavy metal band g/z/r, also known simply as Geezer or GZR. The lineup included vocalist Burton C. Bell, guitarist Pedro Howse, and drummer Deen Castronovo. They released their debut album "Plastic Planet" in 1995, followed by "Black Science" and "Ohmwork." The band disbanded in 2006.
Heaven & Hell
In 2006, Butler joined forces with Iommi, Dio, and Appice to form the supergroup Heaven & Hell. They toured extensively and released their only studio album, "The Devil You Know," in 2009. The group disbanded in 2010 following Dio's death.
Deadland Ritual
From 2018 to 2019, Butler performed with Deadland Ritual, a hard rock supergroup featuring vocalist Franky Perez, guitarist Steve Stevens, and drummer Matt Sorum. The group released two singles, "Down in Flames" and "Broken and Bruised," before disbanding.
Ozzy Osbourne Collaborations
Butler frequently collaborated with Ozzy Osbourne outside of Black Sabbath. He played bass on Osbourne's 1990 live EP "Just Say Ozzy" and his 1995 studio album "Ozzmosis" and also appeared on his 1993 live album "Live & Loud."
Personal Life
Butler's first marriage was to his childhood sweetheart Georgina, whom he later divorced. He then married Gloria, and they have two sons named Biff and James. Butler has been a vegan since the 1990s and is a staunch supporter of Aston Villa Football Club. In 2023, he published his autobiography, "Into the Void: From Birth to Black Sabbath – And Beyond."
