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Iommi

Black Sabbath and Heaven and Hell guitarist Tony Iommi received a star on Birmingham's Walk of Fame on Sunday 23rd November 2008.

Credited with being the godfather of metal and creating the unique metal riff, Iommi is the founding member of Black Sabbath and continues to perform and record with some of the original line-up under the name Heaven and Hell.

He introduced the sound of heavy metal to the world more than 40 years ago after an industrial accident that severed the tips of his fingers and altered the way he played. Heavy metal was born.

Iommi receives his star

Born in Aston, he still lives close to the city and was thrilled to be honoured by the people of Birmingham with a star that will be placed near to the ICC.

"A great honour"

"I'm dreading it," laughs Iommi as we speak before he is presented with his star on stage in Birmingham's Centenary Square. "Normally it's alright, but it's because it's here I guess, home town.Ìý It's really good though, it's such a great honour."

Tony Iommi

Iommi is a Grammy Award winner, has countless platinum and gold discs, and has been inducted onto New York's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. So how does being honoured with a star on Birmingham's Walk of Stars fare against his other achievements?

"Oh it's up there because it's the home town. It's marvellous. We were saying earlier we've had quite a few of these sort of things in America, it's so great to be in your home town, that's when it really means something to us - certainly to me because I'm from here - I never left here and I still live in the Midlands so this is my home. It means everything.

"I'm more nervous now about doing this than any of the stuff we've done with Hall of Fame and those sort of things because it's home town. This means that much to me."

Tony Iommi's star

The Old Boy

Iommi was born in Aston and has always stayed close to his roots, now living 'down the road' in Lapworth, Warwickshire. One of his favourite guitars in his collection is a Jaydee custom built guitar, made in Birmingham.

"I've got a lot of Jaydee ones, he's a great guitar maker. I still use that and funny enough in the studio at the moment I'm using it. I'veÌýgot my Gibsons, because Gibson did a signature Iommi model with my pick ups and crosses and everything, but I still do use the Jaydee, he's a really great guitar maker."

"He actually did come to work for me many many years ago and I said to him 'can you knock me another guitar up?' and he made this guitar that I use now virtually in a couple of days and it wasn't dry properly or anything, so I've had that a long time, since the 70s."

Guitar hero

'The Old Boy' has a signature look that Sabbath fans recognise with peeling, bubbled paintwork and a well-worn look:

Sabbath fans grab autographs

"Oh it's terrible," laughs Iommi "well it looks great actually - it's hardly got any paint on it now (laughs). It's a cracking guitar.Ìý I last used it two days ago in the studio and I used it on tour. I have the Gibsons but I use the Jaydee because we do swap over, but no, I love it.Ìý He'sÌý actually done me another one now, he's tried to copy that, it's not quite the same, the other one just has that character about it. It's so old now and the sound is embedded in there, it's like an old violin. The new one is too nice and too shiny, I've got to rough it up a bit," grins Iommi.

Despite owning countless guitars, Iommi has a deep attachment to his Birmingham made Jaydee:

"Oh yeah I do get attached, I mean that one in particular. My very first old SG is in New York in the Hard Rock there in a case. In fact a lot of them have gone to the Hard Rock now. I retired it. It was stuck at home in a studio and I never used it. It's better to have it in a case where people can see it, in fact I went to see it the last time I was in New York to have a look."

Iommi still has his Birmingham accent and insists that the Midlands is home and somewhere he wouldn't want to leave:

Fans rock out

"This is why I live here, all my friends are here. I moved out to California for a few years and I hated it because none of my friends areÌýthere. All my friends are here and most of them live not far from where I live so it's great, we see each other all the time when I'm home - in fact they're coming tonight! Because it's in Birmingham and my friends - that's what means everything to me."

Sabbath support

Those friends included Sabbath bandmates Geezer Butler, Heaven and Hell frontman Ronnie James Dio and Vinny Appice, to the delight of ecstatic Sabbath fans.

In brutal, driving rain, Iommi took to the stage in front of scores of fans undeterred by the weather, and accepted his star which was presented by the Lord Mayor of Birmingham.

Inflatable 'air' guitars

"Thanks ever so much for coming and being in this awful weather," said Iommi "I just want to say I'm really proud to be a Brummie and proud to say I'm from Birmingham. Thanks very much for this it'll go in a good place, thank you very much."

Iommi has released over 30 albums with Black Sabbath, two solo albums, has sold over 80 million copies and is the recipient of 20 platinum and 14 gold albums. Black Sabbath were inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame in November 2005, and in March 2006 into New York’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Currently recording a studio album with Heaven and Hell, Iommi hopes to be back in Birmingham as part of his European tour in March/April 2009.