When she attended Back to the Beginning in Birmingham as a fan, the star-studded farewell concert organized to celebrate Black Sabbath, Becky Baldwin thought it would be the last time she would ever see any of the performers in person and felt a need to bear witness to their greatness in her own backyard. After all, Sabbath was one of many bands on that legendary bill that inspired her to pick up a bass guitar and pursue music in the first place. Though it was the last time Ozzy Osbourne would perform alongside his original bandmates before his passing, Becky was wrong about her assumption: it would definitely not be the last time she’d ever see any of them. Though she had no idea at the time, a few months later, she would be face-to-face with riffmaster Tony Iommi in a studio in England, listening to demos of his new solo album, and being asked to lay down a bass line to complement the track. Iommi had been drawn towards her playing due to her similarities with Geezer Butler and her proximity to the recording studio, and the rest is history, as she completed work on his latest solo album, From the Dark released on October 23rd.
While some may say that’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, being sought out by a metal legend to play with one of the bands you loved and looked up to as a young musician, that’s not exactly the case in Becky’s experience as it had actually happened once before. A few years prior, King Diamond and guitarist Hank Shermann were trying to find a replacement for Joey Vera for upcoming Mercyful Fate tour dates and came across Becky’s social media channels. They sought her out at Bloodstock that same year by having the festival staff post her name on the displays around the grounds. When she was finally found, she was ushered backstage to speak with King, and after the shock wore off, ultimately ended up joining the band for their 2022 tour dates before becoming a permanent member of the group in 2024. She is set to perform on the first new Mercyful Fate album since 1999, tentatively set for release next year.
I had a chance to speak with Becky about all of these things and more, including:
- the backstory to her selection to play on the new Tony Iommi solo record, the pressure of meeting him and being put on the spot to play along to one of his demos, her personal contributions to the album, the opportunity coming only a couple of months after attending Back to the Beginning, and the difficulty of keeping her participation secret for a year.
- playing Black Sabbath songs in Birmingham in tribute on the anniversary of Ozzy’s death, the story of her joining Mercyful Fate at Bloodstock after a festival-wide search, meeting King Diamond backstage, ultimately joining the band for tour dates in 2022, and her experience with Dave Grohl came backstage at a North American show.
- an update on the new Mercyful Fate album slated for release in 2027, a new Fury song out with a symphony orchestra today to commemorate 10 years of Lost in Space, the influence of Metallica’s S&M and Garage, Inc. on her musical taste, and how Cliff Burton was and is an inspiration for her to this day.
- reflections on her rapid ascent within the metal world, gratefulness for the opportunities she’s been afforded so far, and humility when considering what’s next for her.
You can view the entire interview HERE:
Though fortuitous would be an understated way to describe the opportunities she’s had in her career thus far, Becky’s old-school playing style and chops she developed in her main outfit Fury, who have a stellar catalog of their own, alongside a humble attitude have gone a long way towards making her the go-to bassist for these legends of the metal game. Where the next chance will come from is anyone’s guess, including Becky’s, but if history thus far has been any indicator, the sky may not even be the limit at this point.
Tony Iommi's latest solo album From the Dark, featuring Becky Baldwin on bass, was released on October 23rd through BMG Records. You can order your copy from the website below:
Fury released a live version of title track from Lost in Space with a symphony orchestra today to coincide with the album's tenth anniversary, linked here:
For all things Becky Baldwin, be sure to stay tuned to her website and social media channels.
