Geoff Nicholls

• Name — Geoff Nicholls • Birth Name — Geoffrey James Nicholls • Born — 29 February 1944 • Birthplace — Birmingham, England • Died — 28 January 2017 • Genre — * Psychedelic pop • heavy metal • Occupation — Musician • Past Member Of — * Black Sabbath • Quartz • Johnny Neal and the Starliners • World of Oz • Instrument — * Keyboards • guitar

• Illustration — Nicholls in 1986 Nicholls was originally brought in as a second guitarist when Black Sabbath doubted whether they would even continue under that name. Nicholls then switched to bass when Geezer Butler left briefly, and then became the band's keyboardist upon Butler's return and the decision to keep the Sabbath name. Nicholls' first appearance on a Black Sabbath album was on Heaven and Hell (1980), and he was credited as keyboardist on every Sabbath release from that time until Forbidden (1995), although he was not an official member until 1986. He remained an official member until 1991, then regained member status from 1993 to 1996. He was an unofficial member once again since the reunion with Ozzy Osbourne in 1997. Although his main role with Sabbath was on the keyboard, Nicholls also played some rhythm guitar on the reunion tours, e.g., during Iommi's solo in "Snowblind" and a few tracks during the Headless Cross (1989) and Forbidden (1995) tours. Nicholls' touring involvement with the band ended when Adam Wakeman (a member of Ozzy Osbourne's solo band) was chosen to play keyboards during Sabbath's 2004 and 2005 tours as part of Ozzfest, and Scott Warren (Dio) handled keyboard duties on the 2007 Heaven & Hell tour.

Black Sabbath ex-keyboardist Geoff Nicholls dies Until his death, Nicholls played keyboards with former Black Sabbath singer Tony Martin, in his band Tony Martin's Headless Cross. Nicholls had performed on Martin's first two solo albums Back Where I Belong and Scream, and their support tours. • Illustration — Gravestone Nicholls died from lung cancer on 28 January 2017, aged 72, surrounded by his family. "Geoff was a real true friend and supported me all the way for nearly forty years," said Tony Iommi. "I will miss him dearly and he will live in my heart until we meet again."

• Year — Album details — Peak chart positions — Certifications • UK — AUT — DEN — FIN — GER — NLD — NOR — NZ — SWE — SWI — US • 1980 — Heaven and Hell * Released: 25 April 1980 * Label: Vertigo, Warner Bros. * Format: CD, CS, LP — 9 — — — — — — — 37 — — — 22 — 44 — 25 — — — 28 — *UK: Gold *US: Platinum *CAN: Gold • 1981 — Mob Rules * Released: 4 November 1981 * Label: Vertigo, Warner Bros. * Format: CD, CS, LP — 12 — — — — — — — — — 47 — — — 45 — 30 — — — 29 — *UK: Silver *US: Gold *CAN: Gold • 1983 — Born Again * Released: 12 September 1983 * Label: Vertigo, Warner Bros. * Format: CD, CS, LP — 4 — — — — — — — 37 — — — 14 — 44 — 7 — — — 39 — *UK: Gold • 1986 — Seventh Star * Released: 20 January 1986 * Label: Vertigo, Warner Bros. * Format: CD, CS, LP — 27 — — — — — — — 51 — — — 17 — — — 11 — — — 78 — — • 1987 — The Eternal Idol * Released: November 1987 * Label: Vertigo, Warner Bros. * Format: CD, CS, LP — 66 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — 168 — — • 1989 — Headless Cross * Released: 17 April 1989 * Label: I.R.S. * Format: CD, CS, LP — 31 — — — — — — — 18 — 71 — — — — — 22 — 23 — 115 — — • 1990 — Tyr * Released: 20 August 1990 * Label: I.R.S. * Format: CD, CS, LP — 24 — 24 — — — — — 12 — 77 — — — — — 24 — 24 — — — — • 1992 — Dehumanizer * Released: 22 June 1992 * Label: I.R.S. * Format: CD, CS, LP — 28 — 7 — — — 31 — 14 — 63 — — — — — 12 — 13 — 44 — — • 1994 — Cross Purposes * Released: 26 January 1994 * Label: I.R.S. * Format: CD, CS, LP — 41 — 23 — — — — — 32 — 85 — — — — — 9 — 41 — 122 — — • 1995 — Forbidden * Released: 5 June 1995 * Label: I.R.S. * Format: CD, CS — 71 — 40 — — — — — 35 — 86 — — — — — 19 — 48 — — — — • "—" denotes albums that did not chart.

• Year — Album details — Peak chart positions — Certifications • UK — FIN — FRA — GER — NLD — NZ — SWE — US • 1982 — Live Evil * Released: December 1982 * Label: Vertigo, Warner Bros. * Format: CD, LP — 13 — — — — — 37 — 34 — 34 — 15 — 37 — — • 1995 — Cross Purposes Live * Released: 1995 * Label: I.R.S. * Format: CD — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — • 1998 — Reunion *Released: 20 October 1998 *Label: Epic * Format: CD — 41 — 29 — 65 — 40 — — — — — 11 — 11 — *US: Platinum *CAN: Platinum • "—" denotes albums that did not chart.

• 1996 — The Sabbath Stones — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — • 2007 — Black Sabbath: The Dio Years — 151 — — — — — — — 35 — — — 32 — 54 — — • 2008 — The Rules of Hell — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — • 2024 — Anno Domini 1989–1995 — — — 18 — 183 — 9 — — — — — — — 43 — — • "—" denotes albums that did not chart.

• 1980 — "Heaven and Hell" — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — Heaven and Hell — — — — • "Neon Knights" — 22 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — "Children of the Sea" (live) — — • "Die Young" — 41 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — "Heaven and Hell" (live) — — • 1981 — "Children of the Sea" — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — • "The Mob Rules" — 46 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — Mob Rules — "Die Young" (live) — — • 1982 — "Turn Up the Night" — 37 — — — — — — — — — — — — — 24 — "Lonely Is the Word" — — • "Voodoo" — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — 46 — — — — • 1983 — "Trashed" — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — Born Again — — — — • 1986 — "No Stranger to Love" — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — Seventh Star — — — — • 1987 — "The Shining" — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — The Eternal Idol — — — — • 1989 — "Headless Cross" — 62 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — Headless Cross — "Cloak and Dagger" — — • "Devil and Daughter" — 81 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — • 1990 — "Feels Good to Me" — 79 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — Tyr — "Paranoid" (live) — — • |1992 — "TV Crimes" — 33 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — |Dehumanizer — "Letters from Earth" / "Time Machine" — — • |1994 — "The Hand That Rocks the Cradle" — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — |Cross Purposes — — — — • 1998 — "Psycho Man" — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — 3 — Reunion — — — — • 1999 — "Selling My Soul" — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — 17 — — — — • "—" denotes albums that did not chart.

• Year — Album details — Peak chart positions — Certifications • SWE — FIN — AUT — BEL — SWI — NLD • 1980 — Black and Blue * Released: 1980 * Label: PolyGram * Format: VHS, LaserDisc — — — — — — — — — — — — • 1991 — The Black Sabbath Story, Vol. 1 * Released: 1991 * Label: Sanctuary * Format: VHS, LaserDisc, DVD — 1 — — — — — — — — — — — *US: Platinum *CAN: Gold *AUS: Gold • 1992 — The Black Sabbath Story, Vol. 2 * Released: 1992 * Label: Sanctuary * Format: VHS, LaserDisc, DVD — 5 — — — — — — — — — — — *US: Gold • 1995 — Cross Purposes Live * Released: 1995 * Label: Picture * Format: VHS — — — — — — — — — — — — • 1999 — The Last Supper * Released: 1999 * Label: Sony * Format: VHS, DVD — 11 — — — — — — — — — — — *UK: Gold • "—" denotes albums that did not chart.

Geoff Nicholls is recorded as musician, pianist, guitarist and keyboardist.