Vinny Appice has revealed why he was not invited to participate in Ozzy Osbourne’s farewell event “Back to the Beginning.” He explained his absence from the Black Sabbath-related celebration in an interview with Talkin’ Rock with Meltdown.
The drummer addressed his exclusion from the farewell event. He cited his association with a different era of the band’s history.
“They didn’t contact me because times have changed and I’m associated with [the Ronnie James] Dio [version of] Black Sabbath,” Appice said.
Appice reflected on his positive experiences performing with the original Black Sabbath lineup despite this exclusion.
“Even though I did play — at one point I did the European tour with Ozzy and Black Sabbath, which I thought was cool,” he continued. “I’m sitting there on the drum set facing the audience, and then I see Ozzy in front of me, and then Tony [Iommi, Black Sabbath guitarist] and Geezer [Butler, Black Sabbath bassist], I go, ‘This is pretty damn cool. I’m with the original band now.’ It was cool with Ronnie, of course, but now this was, like, ‘Wow.'”
The drummer acknowledged his unique position in the band’s history. He accepted his exclusion from current events.
“I’m the only other drummer that played with them at that point. So that was very cool for me,” Appice said. “So I’m associated more with Dio, so I’m not involved in this whole thing there. So that’s okay.”
Appice’s comments highlight the complex history of Black Sabbath’s different lineups. They also show the lasting impact of his contributions during the Dio era.
Vinyl Records reported that Appice originally joined Black Sabbath in 1980. He revitalized the band with his powerful drumming on landmark albums such as Mob Rules (1981) and Live Evil (1982). These albums helped define the band’s heavy metal sound during that era. He then followed Ronnie James Dio to form the band Dio. He contributed to classic albums like Holy Diver (1983) and The Last in Line (1984). This further cemented his reputation as a premier drummer in rock and metal circles.
Wikipedia documented that Appice rejoined Black Sabbath in 1992 to record the Dehumanizer album after drummer Cozy Powell was injured. This showed his continued value to the band during the Dio-led era. This demonstrated his ongoing relationship with the band members despite the different musical directions they pursued.
Columbus Calling noted that he later joined the reunion project Heaven & Hell in 2006 alongside Dio, Tony Iommi, and Geezer Butler. The project toured and released the album The Devil You Know before Dio’s death in 2010. This project allowed the Dio-era members to continue their musical partnership. It also distinguished them from the Ozzy-led version of Black Sabbath.
These contributions highlight why Appice’s tenure is often viewed as distinct from the Ozzy Osbourne-led chapters of Black Sabbath. This explains his absence from Ozzy’s farewell event focused on that specific era of the band’s history.
