How an Unexpected Email Landed Becky Baldwin Her Dream Gig Playing Bass for Tony Iommi

For most bassists, getting the call to play alongside Black Sabbath guitar legend Tony Iommi would rank somewhere between fantasy and impossibility. For Becky Baldwin, it became reality after a single email snowballed into one of the biggest opportunities of her career.

What began as an invitation to record a couple of songs soon turned into playing bass guitar across Tony Iommi's new solo album – despite Becky Baldwin spending the first studio session convinced she'd blown it.

"When I got to the studio they played me one of the songs – I think it was World Alone," says Becky Baldwin. "They asked what I thought, and I loved it immediately. Great riff, great melody, and the vocals sounded fantastic. Then they rewound the track and said: 'Okay... now play along.' That was terrifying. They were expecting me to perform in front of someone I admire enormously, with absolutely no preparation time."

They told her they could do as many takes as needed, but they wanted to capture her first instincts. Becky Baldwin asked whether they wanted her simply to double the riffs played by Tony Iommi or whether they wanted something different.

"Tony Iommi just said, 'Play whatever you think you'd naturally record if we weren't here.' So I thought, 'Right... what would Geezer Butler do?' I've studied the bass style of Geezer Butler for years, and I know Tony Iommi loves that approach, so I started there. Working songs out instantly isn't my strongest skill – I like to analyse things carefully, go back over sections, make notes and really learn them properly, so having all of that taken away, combined with the pressure of the situation, made me feel like I was falling apart."

The whole time she was convinced she wasn't playing well, but they kept calling her back. Before she knew it, Becky Baldwin was playing bass on the entire album, and that first performance ended up being the take they used for World Alone.

Producer Mike Exeter had seen videos of Becky Baldwin online and followed her touring work. He recognized that her playing was heavily influenced by classic metal bassists, especially Geezer Butler, and thought she would fit the project. They were also looking for a local bass player who could easily reach the studio. The album had been in development for a while, but the Back to the Beginning show took up a lot of time for Tony Iommi, slightly adjusting the schedule. By the time she arrived, most of the record was done, featuring vocals by Jørn Lande and drums by Karl Brazil.

The initial contact came via an email from the manager representing Tony Iommi. Sitting on her sofa, Becky Baldwin initially questioned the authenticity of the message. After checking the sender and website details, she provided her phone number and received a call from the manager of Tony Iommi, who casually invited her to the studio. As a fan of Black Sabbath for over 20 years, she accepted immediately and arranged a studio visit two weeks later.

After leaving the studio following her first session, Becky Baldwin pulled her car over to process the experience and recorded a brief video on her phone. She apologized to the team for feeling underprepared, explaining her usual preference for studying songs thoroughly in advance. The production team understood her position, as they had withheld demo materials prior to the session to prevent unreleased audio leaks. For subsequent sessions, they sent demo tracks in advance, making the process much smoother.

Regarding the overall bass sound on the album, Becky Baldwin notes the clear stylistic influence of Geezer Butler, adapted within a modern mix context compared to 1970s releases. For tracking, she selected instruments from Rickenbacker:

"For the later sessions I took two Rickenbacker basses – one set up for E-flat standard and another set up for D standard – which covered everything we needed. In the end I recorded the whole album using those two Rickenbacker instruments. They offered a classic 1970s character while representing my established personal sound."

Her career trajectory reflects persistent effort. Growing up in Wiltshire with limited local music venues, Becky Baldwin utilized online platforms by sharing classic metal bass covers while simultaneously performing at small venues across the UK and Europe. Joining Mercyful Fate marked a major professional milestone that further validated her capabilities on larger stages.

Looking ahead, Becky Baldwin is scheduled to perform at upcoming festivals with her band Fury and with Delilah Bon, contribute to a new studio album with Fury, and prepare for touring activities with Mercyful Fate.