Pub That Hosted Black Sabbath’s 1st Gig Set To Be Restored

A British pub that introduced the world to Black Sabbath is being restored and reopened after sitting dormant for the past eight years.The Crown, which was originally built in 1881, has played host to a number of classic rock acts over the years, including Led Zeppelin, UB40 and Status Quo. Ozzy Osbourne and the other members of Black Sabbath played their very first gig there in 1968.”Sabbath had their first gig there, but it was also where the first-ever live folk album was recorded,” says the Birmingham Music Archive’s Jez Collins. “From the early ’70s to the ’80s, it was arguably one of the most important venues historically — not just in the U.K., but globally. It became the birthplace of metal.”After the venue was purchased by a Japanese development company in 2014, it remained closed, a graffiti-covered shell of its former self. A projected reopening date has not yet been announced.