Heavy metal fans rejoice as rundown bar known as birthplace of rock genre is saved from developers
That’s so metal.
A British pub known as the “birthplace of heavy metal” — where Ozzy Osbourne’s Black Sabbath first wailed on their guitars in public — has been designated an important historic building after 15,000 people signed a petition calling for the building and surrounds to be saved from redevelopment.
Birmingham, England’s scruffy second city, may not get much attention from outside the country, but the brawling industrial burg changed rock music forever in the 1970s when the likes of Led Zeppelin, Judas Priest and Ozzy & Co. crashed their way on the scene.
At the heart of that seismic shift was The Crown, a pub that to the naked eye might look like so many others, but in its heyday was ground zero for a local phenomenon that would quickly go global.
The time-worn watering hole welcomed the likes of The Who, Status Quo, Duran Duran, Thin Lizzy, Marc Bolan, Supertramp and more early on in their careers, but it’s most often referred to as the venue where Ozzy’s Black Sabbath — going by the much tamer name “Earth” back then — played their first gig, on a stage that’s still there.
Die-hard fans and music history lovers have been fretting over the building’s future for nearly ten years now, but a recent announcement of a “Grade II Listed” designation — subjecting the city center structure to special protections — appears to have assured its legacy.
The building was granted the status by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on the advice of Historic England, SWNS first reported.
“The Crown is a one-of-a-kind building with history written in its walls,” said Louise Brennan, Historic England regional director for the Midlands.
“It’s a Birmingham cultural landmark…heavy metal is a gift Birmingham gave to the world and The Crown is an integral part of that story,” she said.
“Cities all over the UK are protecting their musical heritage, Birmingham shouldn’t be left behind,” said Black Sabbath co-founder and guitarist Tony Iommi.
“The Crown has huge significance to us and many other successful acts. It was one of very few venues that supported the emerging rock scene with a blues club and was home to our first ever gig,” he said.
The welcome news comes as plans by a local arts organization to restore and revive the pub as a live music venue had fallen apart, leaving the building vulnerable to competing plans from a developer who wanted to turn the site into housing, The Guardian reported.
The pub dates back to to the late 1800s.
In 1962, Ian Campbell — father of Ali, Duncan and Robin Campbell of UB40 — recorded the first live folk album in the U.K. at The Crown.
By the late 1960s, when Birmingham was just dipping its toes in the soon to be global metal phenomenon, The Crown’s upper floor venue was one of a very few in the city with a live music license, ensuring its place in rock history.
“The Crown holds a special place internationally for the music industry,” said Jez Collins, music historian and founder of the Birmingham Music Archive.
“It is the venue that Black Sabbath, then called Earth, first played the songs that would appear on their classic first two albums. In fact, the stage Ozzy, Tony, Geezer and Bill first stood on is still there,” he said.
He cheered the addition of the building to Historic England’s listings, but urged further action.
“We need to ensure The Crown reopens, we need to bring it back to life as a cultural venue, a music venue and a place people will want to visit,” he said.
“This brilliant news is just the beginning in the renaissance of The Crown.”