Black Sabbath, Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin win at Classic Rock Awards
Reformed heavy metal pioneers Black Sabbath took home three gongs at the Classic Rock Roll of Honour awards. The band, fronted by Ozzy Osbourne, 64, won the Album of the Year, Event of the Year and were given the Living Legend prize. The reunited band reached Number One in the UK Official Album Chart this year with ’13’, their first album since 1995.
Accepting the awards at the Camden Roundhouse, Osborne said: “I didn’t even expect to live this long – when I was 21 I thought I would be dead by 40. That was alright until I was 39.”
He added: “I never thought 43 years ago I’d be standing here. We’re in shock – this year has been an incredible event for us.”
The band’s guitarist Tony Iommi and bassist Geezer Butler joined Osbourne at the event. Iommi, who is being treated for cancer, said: “The treatment is going alright, I had one 10 days ago.”
“It’s fantastic to get the awards,” he continued. “When we started out we never thought about it, you just wanted to play. Even this time now, we never thought for a minute it would get to number one, we just wanted to make an album.”
Band of the Year went to the The Rolling Stones. Mick Jagger, by video link, said: “We had a fantastic summer here in the UK. Glastonbury was one of the most exciting gigs we’ve ever done, and Hyde Park was a wonderful summer’s evening.”
Led Zeppelin won Film of the Year, for the Celebration Day concert reel.
Guitarist Jimmy Page, who was the only member of the band to attend the awards, said: “It was a wonderful concert there at the O2, and that energy transferred to the video and the DVD.”
Manic Street Preachers’ James Dean Bradfield took home the Musicians’ Union Maestro Award. He told NME: “I know my dad will be really proud, he was a proper union man. I’ve been lucky enough never to have had any cause to use them.”
He added: “David Cameron and his tribe have managed a PR coup against union culture in general over the last six months or so, so it’s good to say fuck you to them. It’s probably harder to be a musician now than any time ever before, in terms of everybody expecting everything for free, all the digital playboys out there trying to screw everybody, so it’s really good that we’ve got the Musicians’ Union.”
Former Dr Feelgood guitarist Wilko Johnson, who was told he had terminal cancer earlier this year, took the title of Innovator of the Year. “I got diagnosed with cancer in January of this year,” he said. “They told me I had ten months to live. Here we are, ten months later. I did gigs and festivals all summer. Doing Fuji Rock and knowing it could be the last, it’s quite a kick.”
The Outstanding Contribution award was taken by Mott the Hoople, while Fleetwood Mac won Reissue of the Year for Rumours 35th Anniversary Edition.
The Darkness bagged the Showmen award, while the VIP gong went to Shep Gordon. Rory Gallagher took the Tommy Vance Inspiration Award.
Source: NME
