An unexpected connection between two of Birmingham’s most renowned bands has been discovered by fans.
Music enthusiasts are only now realising that the two groups share more than just their city of origin.
Some have humorously admitted to having been “living under a rock” after only recently recognising the link between the Ozzy Osbourne-fronted Black Sabbath and another band.
Birmingham’s music scene is home to some of the most acclaimed bands in history, including Judas Priest, Duran Duran, and Electric Light Orchestra.
The Jeff Lynne-led band, known for hits like Mr. Blue Sky and Evil Woman, were scheduled to perform their farewell show at Hyde Park earlier this year, but it was cancelled due to health reasons.
On the same day as Lynne’s first hometown show, Black Sabbath played their goodbye show at Villa Park in Aston. This marked the final appearance of Ozzy Osbourne, who sadly passed away just 17 days later.
The coincidence of the two shows taking place on the same day and in the same city is intriguing, but there’s another link between Electric Light Orchestra and Black Sabbath.
A post on the r/ELO Reddit page saw one fan reveal: “How did I not know Sharon Osborne was the daughter of ELO’s manager and went on tours with them? I must have been living under a rock.”
Don Arden, Sharon Osbourne’s father, managed Electric Light Orchestra for a time. Arden also managed Ozzy Osbourne until he was sacked by Black Sabbath in 1979.
The links between these two bands extend even further, as ELO drummer Bev Bevan temporarily joined Black Sabbath during their 1980 tour.
One enthusiast revealed: “Bev Bevan was briefly a remember of Black Sabbath for a tour in the 80s. There’s actually a lot of overlap between Sabbath and ELO.
“Bevan seems to have been friends with the members of Sabbath for a long time. He was apparently hanging out with them backstage at Sabbath’s last concert a few weeks ago.”
Bevan also commended Sharon Osbourne’s efforts with the band, as she had sought to break them into the American market without delay.
One comment states: “Read Bevan’s book Sharon’s mission was to establish ELO in the states and she did at a very young age. Not to dismiss Don and David’s work on Jet but certainly Sharon was the closest to ELO.
“When she had to manage Journey she felt so disappointed. A friend told me yesterday she wrote an autobiography years ago I might check it out too.”
Sharon can even be spotted in footage from an ELO concert, with one supporter noting: “If you have the complete Wembley 78 video, you can see Sharon Osborne hanging out at the beginning when they’re filing into the stadium and immediately after the gig is over.”