U.S. Regional and Local Music Scenes
Local Birmingham, UK Music Scene
Birmingham's most famous band has been Black Sabbath. It's a place with a rich musical history and many exciting
place to play such as O2 Academy Birmingham, The Rainbow Complex, Hare & Hounds and Sunflower Lounge. One of the
most notable festivals is the Fusion Festival in August. The University of Birmingham has a well respected music
department that helps give the city the image of developing talent. It's a place to get a quick music degree while
learning a lot about the city's culture. Birmingham is the second most populated city in the UK.
Well known artists from Birmingham include UB40, Pato Banton, Iron Maiden vocalist Blaze Bayley and Daniel Boone,
who had a worldwide pop hit in the 70s called "Beautiful Sunday." Over the past several decades there have been several songs written about Birmingham
including "Birmingham Blues" by ELO, "Streets of Sorrow/Birmingham Six" by The Pogues, "Panic" by The Smiths,
"Bodies" by Sex Pistols and "Hondsworth Revolution" by Steel Pulse. During the mid 70s through the mid 90s he city
was a center for well known reggae acts, such as UB40, Pato Banton and Steel Pulse.
UB40 helped popularize reggae their cover of the song "Red Red Wine," which became the first reggae song to hit
number one in the United States. The band was formed in Birmingham in 1978 and consided of Al Campbell, Robin
Campbell, Duncan Campbell, Jimmmy Brown and others. By 1984 the band was enjoying worldwide success on the
strength of several European hits. By 1988 the band had several hits in the United States. UB40 went on to have
more big global hits in the 90s.
Black Sabbath was clearly the zenith of Birmingham's output in terms of original music that had a heavy influence
on rock throughout the world. The band was led by singer Ozzie Osbourne, along with Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and
Bill Ward. The band had been formed in 1968. Osbourne left the band in 1979 and was replaced by Ronnie James Dio.
The band's material in the 1970s is often cited by rock historians as seminal music for heavy metal. Their songs
"Paranoid" and "Iron Man" have stood the test of time as monumental achievements in rock history.
Some of the top local artists listed on ReverbNation for Birmingham include Jaz Dhami, Scott Matthews,
Blaze Bayley, Jamie Connolly and Vault of Eagles. The city has a diverse mix of bands. Rock bands include
Doomtrain, Dark Horizons and The Dale Von Minaker Band. R&B artists include Brendan J., Monique and Jaki Graham.
Other indie acts that concentrate on their own sound include The Empty Can, Tony Quin, Adam Wheeler, Milestone Road,
Last Under the Sun and Maria Barham.
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