logo

British MPs fall in love with Black Sabbath, urges Queen Elizabeth to honour their “services to music”

The open letter comes on the heels of the band’s surprise Commonwealth Games performance.

Black Sabbath's Ozzy Osbourne

Image: Alex Pantling / Getty Images

When you purchase through affiliate links on Guitar.com, you may contribute to our site through commissions. Learn more.

The British Parliament have apparently fallen to the charms of Black Sabbath following their surprise performance at the closing ceremony of the 2022 Commonwealth Games, and are now requesting for the Queen to formally recognise the band’s “services to music”.

Last Friday, Khalid Mahmood, the MP for Birmingham Perry Barr, shared the letter to Queen Elizabeth II on his Twitter account asking for her Royal Highness to “bestow an honour” to the “pioneers of heavy metal music.”

The letter, which has been co-signed by six other MPs, notes that the Birmingham band “helped define the genre” and that his office has been “inundated with requests” to officially recognise the group’s contribution to music and to the city after their appearance at the closing ceremonies of the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.

“Please forgive the direct nature of this letter. We, the undersigned humble subjects, humbly 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,” it reads.

“For all their global fame, they have kept strong links with Birmingham, demonstrated by their barnstorming surprise performance at the closing ceremony of the Commonwealth Games.”

“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 musicians, who were made in Birmingham and have once again not just entertained Birmingham, the United Kingdom and the whole of the Commonwealth but perhaps the world.”

Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne made a surprise appearance at last week’s Commonwealth Games closing ceremony, joining guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Tommy Clufetos and bassist Adam Wakeman for a sizzling onstage reunion. The show also marked Osbourne’s first public performance since the 2019 American Music awards.

Related Artists

Related Tags

logo

The world’s leading authority and resource for all things guitar.

© 2024 Guitar.com is part of NME Networks.