BLACK SABBATH guitarist Tony Iommi received the Gibson Les Paul Award at the 2015 Q Awards, which took place Monday night (October 19) in London, England.

Iommi, who hass played a Gibson guitar for the duration of his career, was honored for his outstanding contribution to music, pop culture and as part of the 100th-anniversary celebrations of the birth of Les Paul guitars.

In a statement, Tony said: “I’m very honored to receive the Les Paul Award. So many thanks to Q magazine and Gibson. I have a long history with the guitar maker.”

Q magazine editor Matt Mason added: “Tony is one of those rare guitar players in that he truly defines a genre and a sound.

“His influence is huge but, equally, there is a real finesse in his playing that often gets overlooked. It harks back to his early love of Django Reinhardt — the legendary gypsy-jazz guitarist — who was a formative influence on Tony.

“As with all great musicians, Tony hears the world in a totally unique way, and that is what the Gibson Les Paul celebrates.”

(via Blabbermouth)