Slash says Tony Iommi is Pride of Birmingham and deserves a medal

Guns 'N’ Roses guitar hero nominates Black Sabbath legend for prestigious Pride of Birmingham award. Slash says that Brummie Tony is an inspiration not just in Brum but worldwide. And he praised the 66-year-old rocker’s determination to battle on after treatment for cancer.

“Tony is one of those guys who inspires everyone,” said Slash, 49, who was born Saul Hudson in Stoke-on-Trent but now lives in LA, “I was brought up on Black Sabbath and he is one of the best rock and roll guitarists out there. As a fellow player I can really appreciate all the nuances of his technique – he is one hell of a guitar player. This is the man who invented heavy metal in Birmingham and created Sabbath, a brand nobody can touch. Everyone you meet in rock circles will tell you that they were inspired by Black Sabbath and the band’s influence is immeasurable. Besides which, Tony is a great guy and we’ve met on a number of occasions. There’s just no stopping him. He comes down with lymphoma and what does he do? Reform Sabbath and do a world tour. He really is the Pride of Birmingham and he deserves a f******g medal.”

Our Tony has just finished his latest course of treatment, and concluded a marathon world tour with his Black Sabbath bandmates Ozzy Osbourne, Geezer Butler and Tommy Clufetos.

He is one of the guest presenters at the Pride of Birmingham Awards, organised by the Birmingham Mail in association with Virgin Trains at the city’s historic Town Hall on September 26.
The Pride of Birmingham awards celebrate the courage, caring and compassion of remarkable people who make a difference.

Tickets for Pride of Birmingham, priced £20, are available from the Town Hall box office on 0121 345 0600 and online at www.thsh.co.uk.

Each ticket includes a donation to the £1 million campaign to set up Europe’s first Rare Diseases Centre at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, teaming medics and researchers from the QE, Children’s Hospital and Birmingham University.

Paul Cole for Birmingham Mail, 1 August 2014