From Black Sabbath to Napalm Death, Birmingham’s influence on heavy metal is undeniable. Now, it seems we’re about to get our very own museum dedicated to the Prince of Darkness himself, Ozzy Osbourne. His wife Sharon recently announced the news on the family’s podcast that she is working on a memorabilia museum to open in Birmingham.
Always a popular figure in Birmingham, it seems the Black Sabbath singer is more loved than ever by locals. After the opening of the Black Sabbath Bridge & Bench in 2019, last year’s Ozzy mural on The Custard Factory and – who could forget – the naming of Ozzy the Bull this year. Birmingham can’t get enough of the Prince of Darkness at the moment.
This Ozzy Osbourne fever will surely only continue with the launch of this museum (although don’t know when it will open yet). Some of the items included in the “memorabilia place” will be all his awards, stage clothes, and old posters from his pre-Black Sabbath band, Earth. Plus, it’s also going to have a café. Rock ‘n’ roll! (If you want to hear the full conversation, head around the 16-minute mark in the embedded video.)
Speaking on The Osbournes Podcast, Sharon said: “I’ve got so much memorabilia. We’re gonna do it totally interactive. Every video, every live show of your dad’s, everything there. It’s more of an educational thing for musicians and artists that want to see that you can come from nothing, and if you work hard enough this is what you can get.”
But it won’t just be about highlighting the work of her husband. Sharon also said the museum will help encourage Birmingham’s next great bands and musicians with School of Rock-type classes. “In there, we’re going to have every instrument you can think of. Music students can come in and we’re gonna do music classes because there’s no music at schools anymore. We’re gonna get friends, other musicians to come in.”
“It’s going to happen, hopefully in the next 18 months,” said Sharon. “I’ve had maybe six containers come over on a boat – all his discs, his awards, his stage clothes, posters, everything. And we’re doing an interactive thing where you can go into a room and ask Ozzy questions and he answers you, using AI. He’s been asked every question you could ever think of and it just triggers the response.”
Unlike other musical cities, Brum isn’t great at celebrating its musical connections. You won’t find many blue plaques dotted around the city. Places like Home of Metal are helping to rectify this and are also looking for a permanent metal museum in the city. It held a much-loved exhibition at Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery in 2019. But this Ozzy Osbourne museum is the first sign of anything close to permanent we might get.