Glenn Hughes Is Still Embarrassed About That Black Sabbath Tour

Critical estimation continues to rise for Seventh Star, a varied 1986 Tony Iommi solo album that his label wrongheadedly insisted be released under the banner of Black Sabbath. There's no question, however, that the ensuing tour began on a very bad foot.

Frontman Glenn Hughes, then in depths of addiction, was already having performance issues when he reportedly got into a violent backstage altercation. Only a handful of concerts in, Iommi replaced him with the late Ray Gillen – and Hughes looks back now on that period with no small amount of regret.

"The worst and most embarrassing moments for me in my career," Glenn Hughes tells Soundclash, "was when I was with Tony Iommi on those five shows where I had a very bad fight with someone and I had some bones broken in my nose and it consequently stopped me from singing. That was embarrassing for me."

Hughes, who rose to broad fame over a three-album stint with Deep Purple in the mid-'70s, later worked with Iommi again, as well as Gary Moore, members of the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Joe Bonamassa, in Black Country Communion. (The latter group evolved into the short-lived California Breed.) But, more importantly, he got his life together. Hughes is currently working with a solo band that includes guitarist Doug Aldrich, of Whitesnake and Dio fame.

"I'm not frightened to dream," he adds. "I've worked with the greatest, and I'll probably work with some more. I just think that I don't try to think too much about what's coming down the pipeline for me. All I know is that tonight I'm going to have some dinner with my friends. Tomorrow is not here yet. I'm really being serious with that. I don't know what the hell is going to happen. I just need to get some sleep and the rest is history."

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