Freedom of the City is a prestigious honour bestowed by a local council, celebrating the exceptional service of individuals or groups to their community. This cherished tradition stands as a testament to our enduring values and shared pride in place and local identity.
Next Tuesday, January 28, a report requesting that each founding member of Black Sabbath – Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Terence “Geezer” Butler and Bill Ward – be made a Freeman of the City of Birmingham will be presented to the city council, 14 years after Cllr Matt Bennett (Con, Edgbaston) first called for the band to be recognised with the honour.
Having formed in 1968 in Aston, the band has sold more than 75 million records globally. As pioneers of Heavy Metal, Black Sabbath was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006, received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019, and was honoured with a Lifetime Ivor Novello Songwriting Award in 2015.
The band also has a star on the Broad Street Walk of Stars, as well as having individual stars in their own right, and a bench dedicated to them.
Cllr Matt Bennett said:
It's great to hear that Black Sabbath is being recognised and awarded the Freedom of the City at last - 14 years after I first called for them to be made Freemen. All of the members of this legendary rock band are proud Brummies, and it's right that the City shows that we are proud of both the band and to be part of their remarkable story. Sabbath isn't just a massive rock band, they were innovators - really launching Heavy Metal into the mainstream and layering guitar effects in a way previously unseen. The legacy of those changes means there is a piece of Birmingham in every distorted power chord heard around the world
