Members of Black Sabbath are set to be given Freedom of the City and Benjamin Zephaniah posthumously awarded the City of Birmingham Medal.

A report is to go to city council on Tuesday 28 January recommending that each founding member of Black Sabbath become a Freeman of the City of Birmingham: Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Terence “Geezer” Butler and Bill Ward.

A separate report will go to the same meeting recommending the posthumous award of the City of Birmingham Medal to Benjamin Zephaniah. It recognises his ‘unique and distinguished contribution to the field of literature and for his charitable and community work’.

Benjamin Zephaniah was born in Handsworth and became a trail-blazing poet whose work was featured in the national curriculum. As well as his huge body of poetry he was a writer, musician and actor.

He published his first poetry collection, Pen Rhythm, in 1979. He started performing poetry at demonstrations and youth gatherings and his writing often responded direct to events. He was heavily influenced by Jamaican music and poetry and released a number of albums.

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