A group of MPs from have apparently called upon Her Majesty herself to honour Black Sabbath for their services to music.
The rock band were formed in the UK’s so-called ‘second city’ in 1968 and are often credited with pioneering and influencing the heavy metal genre.
The MPs have written to the Queen, asking for her ‘direct intervention’ so that the Midlands metal four-piece can receive the recognition they deserve.
Frontman Ozzy Osbourne and guitarist Tony Iommi made a surprise special guest appearance at the closing ceremony of the .
Labour MP for Birmingham Perry Barr Khalid Mahmood posted a statement on Twitter, in which he ‘humbly’ requested the honours.
‘I am humbly requesting Her Royal Highness Queen Elizabeth II to bestow and honour to Black Sabbath for their services to music.’
Other MPs to sign the letter include the Labour leader of Birmingham City Council, Ian Ward, and its deputy leader, Brigid Jones.
Mahmood has also started a petition calling for the band to be officially recognised for their services to music and to the city of Birmingham as well.
In a letter, Mahmood said: ‘For all their global fame, they have kept strong links with Birmingham, demonstrated by their barnstorming surprise performance at the closing ceremony of Commonwealth Games.’
He continued: ‘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 duo, joined on stage by a new drummer and bassist, played the band’s classic hit Paranoid – it’s the first time they have appeared on stage together since 2017.
Their performance came as a pleasant surprise considering Ozzy’s recent comments about his health issues.
‘It’s been breaking [wife] Sharon [Osbourne]’s heart to see me like this but I will get back on tour if it f***ing kills me,’ he said.
He was diagnosed with a mild form of Parkinson’s in 2013 and has also been struggling with spinal problems ever since a quad-biking accident in 2006.
Iommi, 74, is the only constant member of the band – Osbourne, 73, was initially sacked from the band in 1979 before re-joining in 1997 and then again in 2012.
Black Sabbath’s first three albums, Black Sabbath, Paranoid, and Master of Reality, are often credited with being flagship releases for the metal genre.
Osbourne was initially replaced as frontman by Ronnie James Dio in the 1970s, who produced three albums with the band between 1980 and 1992 before his death in 2010.
