TV cameras were panning across the Black Sabbath Bench on Westside this week as the band’s original members were all voted City Freemen.
Central TV’s news report began with footage from what has become a major tourist attraction on Broad Street as the official ratification of the honour took place.
Birmingham City Council unanimously approved the Freedom of the City for lead singer Ozzy Osbourne, guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Geezer Butler and drummer Bill Ward at an extraordinary meeting on Tuesday.
The awards for the heavy metal pioneers from Aston were the culmination of a campaign which Westside BID chairman Brian Hughes started this autumn, as we reported last week.
Council deputy leader Cllr Sharon Thompson explained that Black Sabbath’s music had inspired millions across the globe, resulting in global sales of more than 75 million albums.
She said: “With a worldwide army of fans, the founder members of Black Sabbath invented heavy metal and put our city on the map. The band has achieved so much, and it began here in Birmingham. We are proud of those achievements.
“In deep appreciation and recognition of their unique and distinguished contribution to the field of music and their service to the city, the city council confers upon the members of Black Sabbath the Freedom of the City.”
She said the honour was a gesture of the local authority’s “gratitude, respect and enduring pride” for Black Sabbath, and added: “You are not only legends of music, but also proud sons of Birmingham. To Tony, Ozzy, Geezer and Bill, can I thank you for being ambassadors of our city, for your groundbreaking contribution to music, and for staying true to your roots.”
In the build-up to the vote, both Sharon Osbourne, Ozzy’s wife, and Jim Simpson, Black Sabbath’s first manager, were interviewed by BBC News in the Midlands about the pending awards.
Mr Simpson, who now runs Big Bear Music from offices in Quayside Tower on Broad Street, said Black Sabbath were the “most famous heavy metal band ever” and had “virtually invented the style”.
The council has now been tasked with consulting with members of Black Sabbath over the next 12 months to arrange a date for the Freedom of the City to be formally awarded.
