Before you read this part, understand that I do not consider Jeff Fenholt to be a member of Black Sabbath.  Read all of this, and you'll understand why it's listed here at all.

Jeff's part in the history of Black Sabbath is in dispute. The Black Sabbath camp has said that Fenholt merely "tried out" for the part. Jeff says that he was in the band for about 7 months, worked on the Seventh Star album, and is uncredited for co-writing some of the stuff on the album, including No Stranger to Love. If you'd like to read Jeff's side of things, click here. I have requested that the Fenholt camp release a picture of him with the band so that we can have some proof, but as of yet, I have not received a response to this specific request. The general consensus is that Fenholt wasn't really part of the band, but is making this up to "push his cause". If I get an answer or a resolution from either side on this, I will update this section with that info. However, I'm not holding my breath, I don't suggest you do, either. :)

However, other info about this time is more secure. Tony Iommi was briefly engaged to be married to Lita Ford during this time, and because of this (I would assume) when Iommi started working on a solo project (what became The Seventh Star) he used Eric Singer and Gordon Copley from Lita's band. When Lita went to go back out on the road in the fall of 1985, Gordon left the band to go with her, while Eric stayed. Gordon does appear on the final version of Seventh Star on the track No Stranger To Love, though.

There is a bootleg floating around with Seventh Star music on it, but with different lyrics sung by Jeff Fenholt.  I've heard it, and it is definitely Seventh Star music in an early form, but with different lyrics. I've never been able to formally get any kind of official confirmation from anyone as to the sources of this recording (I don't think I ever will).  However, I believe it's a recording of Fenholt's audition to work with Tony when Tony was working on his solo album back in 1985 (the album eventually became Seventh Star).  I've also been told that the Fenholt audition tape shows the reason Jeff wasn't hired, which was his inability to come up with lyrics on the fly.  If you'd heard it, you'd know what I mean by that.

This part of the band's history is also kind of weird insofar as Sabbath didn't officially exist as "Black Sabbath".  During this time, the album being worked on was officially going to be a Tony Iommi solo album.  From this point of view, it could be construed that even if Fenholt had gotten the gig (which he didn't), was not officially part of Black Sabbath, since this time is generally regarded as Iommi solo project time, and that Sabbath proper wasn't reborn until SIGNIFICANTLY later on in the project when record company pressure forced Iommi to call this a Black Sabbath album, and not a Tony Iommi solo album.

Just for a second, assume that Fenholt was working with Iommi (which everyone I have spoken to or emailed about this issue says he wasn't), but assume he was for a second.  Black Sabbath didn't exist during this time period, and even if Fenholt was involved (which he wasn't), it wasn't Black Sabbath, so his claim of being a former Black Sabbath vocalist is doubly inaccurate.

Please note that I do not consider Jeff Fenholt a member of Black Sabbath!!  I've gotten several messages asking why I even bother to put him here. The main reason is that when I didn't have him here, and I got a lot more messages asking about him. I figure I'll put the sum of my Fenholt knowledge here so people don't have to ask me all the time.