Although Ozzy Osbourne is the first singer that many think of when they hear the name Black Sabbath, the band has had several other vocalists throughout its history. One of the shortest tenures was held by Glenn Hughes, a former member of Deep Purple, who contributed to Sabbath’s album “Seventh Star.”
While Hughes was primarily known as a bassist, his time with Sabbath marked one of the few occasions when he served exclusively as a singer. However, this arrangement lasted only a handful of shows in 1986 before he was replaced by Ray Gillen, who was best known for his work with Jake E. Lee in the band Badlands.
During an interview with The Metal Voice, Hughes discussed his brief association with Sabbath and how he initially landed the gig.
“Look, back then, if you if you can remember now, I did the album for Tony [Iommi]. It was supposed to be a Tony Iommi solo album. Tony’s one of my best friends ever, and he asked me to come in and sing.”
“Didn’t think we were going to do any touring, and I didn’t play bass, maybe on one song. And I found myself now in Black Sabbath, because the manager wanted to call it ‘Black Sabbath.'”
Soon, Hughes realized he was part of a gig that he didn’t necessarily sign up for in the first place. Or, had turned into something else entirely.
“And now I’m fronting the band, having to play and sing Ozzy songs, God rest in peace, and my friend Ronnie [James Dio].”
“And it was the first time without the bass guitar. If you see me in the last 30 years, I can do either bass or singing, either easy. But back then, it wasn’t the right thing for me to do. I was just doing something that I was asked to do.”
