Geezer Butler Reveals Why He Left Home Before Sabbath Debut
Black Sabbath bassist Geezer Butler has reflected on the moment he decided to leave home before the band’s self-titled 1970 debut arrived in shops, describing fears about how his strict Catholic parents would react to the album’s presentation. Speaking at Steel City Con in December, Butler said the circumstances around the record’s artwork and packaging prompted him to move out rather than face what he expected would be an explosive family response.
Butler said he and the band only saw the finished sleeve right before release, and Ultimate Guitar reported that the English gatefold edition included an inverted cross inside. Butler recalled thinking, “Oh no! If my dad sees this, he’s gonna kill me!” adding that because his parents were “ultra-Catholics” and he was still living at home, he “preempted them and left home.”
In the same appearance, Butler also revisited how Black Sabbath’s original name, Earth, led to chaos at an early gig. He said the band turned up to play heavy material like “N.I.B.” to a crowd dressed for a more traditional night out, only to be told they weren’t the Earth people expected because another act with a pop hit used the name, and the promoter paid them off and sent them away.
Butler’s recollections arrive as he continues to speak publicly about the band’s legacy and misconceptions surrounding early Sabbath, and they follow other recent remarks that made headlines, including his criticism of producer Rick Rubin in separate coverage.
While the anecdotes were delivered with humour, Butler’s comments underline how quickly Black Sabbath’s early imagery attracted controversy, even within the band’s own families, before the group became one of heavy music’s defining names.
