A group of British politicians are calling for the members of BLACK SABBATH to be honored for their services to music, Birmingham Mail reports.
A cross-bench selection of MPs (members of Parliament) have joined forces with the leader of Birmingham City Council, Ian Ward, and the deputy leader, Councillor Brigid Jones and have written to the Queen asking for her “direct intervention.”
Khalid Mahmood, Labour MP for Birmingham Perry Barr, tweeted a copy of the letter sent to the Queen, adding: “I am humbly requesting Queen Elizabeth II @RoyalFamily to bestow and honour to @BlackSabbath for their services to music.”
The letter was also signed by Gary Sambrook, Preet Gill, Andrew Mitchell, Jess Phillips, Liam Byrne and Shabana Mahmood. Ian Ward, leader of Birmingham City Council and Brigid Jones, deputy leader of Birmingham City Council also signed it.
The letter says: “We, the undersigned humble subjects, ask you to bestow an honour on the BLACK SABBATH rock group, who were formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. Following the closing ceremony of the Commonwealth Games, which took place in my Perry Barr constituency, I have been inundated with requests that Black Sabbath be recognised for its services to music and to Birmingham.
“For their global fame, they have kept strong links with Birmingham, demonstrated by their barnstorming surprise performance at the closing ceremony of the Commonwealth Games, which was closed by his Royal Highness Prince Edward The Earl of Wessex.
“I appreciate this request is not within the normal procedures of seeking Royal honours, however, we feel that this extraordinary occasion deserves extraordinary recognition of this extraordinary group of musicians. The band’s services to music seem to have been overlooked by the usual process.
“We therefore seek direct intervention and support from Your Majesty, to recognise the great contribution made by these fine and ground-breaking musician, who were made in Birmingham and who have once again not just entertained Birmingham, the United Kingdom and the whole of the Commonwealth but perhaps the world.”
The request comes less than a week after SABBATH guitarist Tony Iommi and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne made a surprise appearance together at the Commonwealth Games closing ceremony in Birmingham, which is their original hometown.
Reeder, the visionary behind Metal Addicts, has transformed his lifelong passion for metal into a thriving online community for metal aficionados. As a fervent devotee of black metal, Reeder is captivated by its dark, atmospheric, and often unorthodox soundscapes.