BLACK SABBATH's TONY IOMMI Among Recipients Of This Year's 'Lord Mayor Awards' In Birmingham

Legendary BLACK SABBATH guitarist Tony Iommi and Birmingham City Football Club chairman Tom Wagner are among the recipients of this year's Lord Mayor's Awards, celebrating exceptional contributions to Birmingham.

The awards were presented by the Lord Mayor of Birmingham, Zafar Iqbal MBE at the Council's annual general meeting this afternoon (Tuesday, May 19).

Handsworth-born Tony Iommi has been honored for his outstanding achievements as a world-renowned musician, writer and producer.

As a founding member of BLACK SABBATH, Tony is widely recognized as a creator of heavy metal music and the award recognizes the genre's continued impact on the cultural landscape of Birmingham, enriching millions of people's lives and enhancing Birmingham's national and international reputation.

Lord Mayor of Birmingham, Zafar Iqbal MBE, said: "The Lord Mayor's Awards recognize the very best of Birmingham, individuals and organizations who have shown exceptional service to Birmingham and its people.

"From global icons like Tony Iommi and Tom Wagner to those working tirelessly in our communities, each award winner has played a vital role in shaping the Birmingham we all love, strengthening our communities, and enhancing its reputation on the national and international stage.

"It is wonderful to celebrate their achievements and thank them for the impact they continue to have on our great city."

Tony Iommi is synonymous with heavy rock, and his innovative, detuned, dark riffs are considered to be the blueprint for hundreds of bands that followed. Born on February 19, 1948, in Birmingham, England, left-handed Tony picked up the guitar after being inspired by the likes of HANK MARVIN & THE SHADOWS as a teenager. Iommi's musical career was nearly derailed prematurely as he suffered a horrible accident at a sheet metal factory, when a machine sliced off the tips of the fingers on his right hand. Figuring that his guitar playing days were behind him, a friend turned him onto guitarist Django Reinhardt (who lost use of two fingers in a gypsy caravan campfire accident),inspiring Tony to give the six-string another go, with soft plastic tips attached to the ends of his fingers. By 1967, he had played with several blues-based rock bands one of which evolved into POLKA TULK (later titled EARTH and then BLACK SABBATH),with bassist Terry "Geezer" Butler, drummer Bill Ward and singer John "Ozzy" Osbourne.

BLACK SABBATH created the blueprint for heavy metal with such incredibly influential, all-time classic releases as their 1970 self-titled debut and "Paranoid", 1971's "Master Of Reality", 1972's "Vol. 4" and 1973's "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath". These albums lifted BLACK SABBATH to one of the world's top hard rock bands in the process. Iommi's guitar playing propelled such metal standards as "Black Sabbath", "N.I.B.", "Paranoid", "Iron Man", "War Pigs", "Into The Void" and "Children Of The Grave", which boast some of the most recognizable guitar riffs in rock history .

BLACK SABBATH had multiple lineup changes following Osbourne's departure in 1979, with Iommi being the band's primary composer and the only constant member throughout its history. All while keeping BLACK SABBATH touring and releasing albums, Tony released the well-received solo albums "Iommi" and "Fused" and formed the successful band HEAVEN & HELL with Ronnie James Dio, Geezer Butler and Vinny Appice. HEAVEN & HELL released "The Devil You Know" (2009) to rave reviews and world tours.

In 2011, Iommi published his autobiography titled "Iron Man: My Journey Through Heaven And Hell With Black Sabbath", which went on to make the New York Times bestseller list.

BLACK SABBATH's final studio album and nineteenth overall, "13" (2013),featured all of the original members except Ward. Despite undergoing both chemo and radio therapy treatment for follicular (non-Hodgkin) Lymphoma, Iommi remained his ever-determined self, and writing for the new SABBATH album continued at his home studio with Ozzy and Geezer in the U.K. for an extended period. Tony had recovered sufficiently to play a hometown gig in Birmingham , along with headline appearances at Download festival and Lollapalooza, the mighty SABBATH were back. "13" became a staggering success and reached No. 1 in the U.S., amazingly the first SABBATH album to do so. It also got to the top in most countries around the world, in the U.K. setting a record for being a 40-year span between No. 1s , the longest ever.

BLACK SABBATH has been ranked by MTV as the "Greatest Metal Band" of all time, and placed second in VH1's "100 Greatest Artists Of Hard Rock" list. Rolling Stone magazine ranked them No. 85 on their "100 Greatest Artists Of All Time" while Iommi was ranked No. 25 in Rolling Stone magazine's "100 Greatest Guitarists Of All Time". BLACK SABBATH have sold over 70 million records worldwide. BLACK SABBATH were inducted into the UK Music Hall Of Fame in 2005 and the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2006. They have also won three Grammy Awards, two for "Best Metal Performance" for "Iron Man" and "God Is Dead?" Iommi also received a Grammy nomination for his work with CANDLEMASS.

Iommi, Osbourne, Butler and Ward reunited at last July's "Back To The Beginning" event which marked the original BLACK SABBATH lineup's first performance since 2005 and the quartet's final live appearance.

Photo courtesy of Gibson