A special issue of Riffs: Experimental Writing on Popular Music features never-before-seen photos of Ozzy’s early days with Black Sabbath and has been published ahead of the one-year anniversary of his final performance with the band at the Back to the Beginning concert.
Dr Asya Draganova, Senior Lecturer in Popular Music Culture at Birmingham City University (BCU), co-edited the volume alongside Benjamin Torrens, a popular music researcher at BCU and musician.
The pair were invited to curate a special edition of Riffs to honour Ozzy Osbourne following the news of his death last year, which came just weeks after his final farewell to fans at Villa Park.
Dr Draganova, who is co-course leader for BCU’s BA (Hons) Music Business degree, said: “Ozzy and Sabbath’s Birmingham homecoming inspired me to reflect on their significance, especially as they have created the DNA of a genre and a global music culture.
“Developing this journal included building and consolidating a network of collaboration that captures the role that Ozzy and Sabbath have played within a wide range of areas, such as fandom, film, environmentalism, fashion, cultural perceptions, music heritage and, of course, Birmingham - what it has been, what it is now, and what it could become.”
The publication’s official launch at BCU’s STEAMhouse on Friday 3 July brought together journal contributors and music icons, including Jim Simpson, the original manager of Black Sabbath, Jez Collins, founder of Birmingham Music Archive and Mike Exeter, a Grammy-award winning music producer who worked with Black Sabbath and Tony Iommi.
Co-editor Benjamin added: “The idea to do something to commemorate Ozzy began nearly a year ago, as Asya and I sat in the pub, toasting a drink to his memory on the night he died.
“We had no idea then that we’d end up editing such an esteemed lineup of contributors.
“I’m very proud of the finished product, the pieces, and what we’ve been able to do, in our own small way, to explore and preserve the legacy of one of Birmingham’s most iconic musicians.”
Riffs is funded by BCU’s Birmingham Centre for Media and Cultural Research, which delivers cultural insights across nine research clusters, including Popular Music Studies.
