The Central English industrial city of Birmingham never had Liverpool’s pop-aura or Manchester. You stayed hard but warm. Well -known bands like Duran Duran or The Charlatans come from the city. But they never made a big thing from their biography as a humie, as the locals are called here.
That should now also change officially.
For the next Tuesday (January 28th), the local city council has an application to give the four founding members of Black Sabbath, singer Ozzy Osbourne, guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Geezer butler and drummer Bill Ward each, to give the honorary title of a “City Freeman” .
“HomeTown Honors”
An honorary expression for deserving citizens. Conductor Sir Simon Rattle and the world’s reconnaissant Lisa Clayton can also be found in the list of the “Homeetown Honors”.
“I feel honored and at the same time I am shocked that I was ever considered for this special award,” Ozzy Osbourne is quoted in British media.
The deputy chairman of the city council, Sharon Thompson, praises the heavy metal connection of the metal processing city. Judas Priest or Naplam Death also had their origins here.
“Birmingham has a fantastic music culture, and Black Sabbath are an important part of this story. A pioneer band that still influences the musicians today. They have become a synonym for the city and were real ambassadors during their phenomenal career. The awarding of these honors is the perfect way to thank you for everything you have done for the city, ”says a preliminary Laudatio.
When the band, founded in the Aston district in 1968, was added to the American Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006, Spach drummer Lars Ulrich of Metallica Salbung Words: “Black Sabbath is and will always be a synonym for heavy metal!”
Ozzy proudly plays the home map
Even if Ozzy Osborne has long since moved his focus to the USA, he likes to play the home map. In the summer of 2024 he was seen with ex-band colleague Butler in a commercial for the new jerseys of the Premier League club Aston Villa.
“I am a proud grumbling from Aston, through and through. I am still amazed that nobody outside of Birmingham understands a word from me, but that always made me laugh. (…) I only regret that my mother and father are not here to see what has become of me. Birmingham Forever! “
So far, an artistic design and a bridge have been built in honor of Black Sabbath.
In the same council meeting, the honor of the musician, Dub Poeten and actor Benjamin Zephaniah, who died in 2023. Zephaniah became widely known in Great Britain in his role of Jeremiah Jesus in the popular TV series “Peaky Blinders”. He once rejected the state order of the British Empire (OBE) and explained: “I get angry when I hear the word ’empire’. It reminds me of slavery and thousands of years of brutality. It reminds me of how my guardians were raped and my forefathers were treated brutally. “