Ozzy Osbourne International Airport? Rocker's Hometown Government 'Intrigued' by the Idea

8:30 PM PST 12/29/2012 by Aaron Couch

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Jim Simpson, who discovered Black Sabbath, is campaigning for Birmingham, England to recognize the legendary musician.

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British recording industry veteran Jim Simpson, who discovered Osbourne’s pioneering heavy metal band Black Sabbath, is mounting a campaign to rename the rocker’s hometown airport in England after him, the Birmingham Mail reports.

Efforts in the city of Birmingham to organize a Black Sabbath Day recently stalled, and Simpson sees the airport renaming as an even better option to embrace the town’s musical heritage.

“How does The Ozzy Osbourne International Airport resonate?” Simpson said. “The message that would carry is instantly international, confident, powerful, unforgettable and says, ‘Hey World, we are proud of our own. Ozzy might not always have been a paragon of virtue, but he is a genuine flesh and blood Brummie.”

So will the airport renaming scheme take off?

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Birmingham city councilman Philip Parkin told the Mail he was intrigued by the idea and said the city ought to be celebrating its talented natives.

“It’s an interesting idea and I’ve got an open mind, but I think something like that would need to be consulted on fairly widely because it’s a significant part of our infrastructure.”

If Birmingham does so, it wouldn't be the only city to rock a musician-named airport. In 2002, Liverpool renamed its airport in honor of John Lennon. Other airports named for musicians include Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport and the Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Airport in Salzburg, Austria.

With a population of more than 1 million, Birmingham is the second most populous city in Great Britain. In 1969, it served as the birthplace of Black Sabbath, Osbourne's massively successful collaboration with guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Geezer Butler and drummer Bill Ward.

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