Geoff Nicholls(1948-2017)

A look at Black Sabbath's photo shoots and live concerts would easily lead one to believe that the band consists of only four members. But make no mistake, they do in fact have a 5th member: their behind-the-stage keyboard player Geoff Nicholls. Before joining Black Sabbath in 1979, Nicholls played for Quartz, a band whose 1977 album was produced by Tony Iommi. Nicholls has played on every Black Sabbath album since 1980's "Heaven And Hell". He has made very significant writing contributions to Black Sabbath, most predominantly on the album "Seventh Star". He is the only member other than Tony Iommi to have played with every other past and present member of Black Sabbath, playing keyboards with every single reunion or other line-up change over the years. Whether he's credited on the albums as an equal member or an "additional musician", this invisible 5th member of Black Sabbath has seen it all. His interviews are constantly quoted throughout Gary Sharpe-Young's "Never Say Die!", an incredibly revealing book about Black Sabbath's turbulent 1979-1997 history.