00:00Well the pub behind me, The Crown, is recognised around the world as the venue where Black Sabbath first performed
00:06under that name.
00:08Now after years of uncertainty, fresh plans could finally secure the future of this historic Birmingham pub.
00:14For the man who helped launch the band's career, former manager Jim Simpson, this building's legacy is about far more
00:21than bricks and mortar.
00:23It's very important to me because it was a bit of milestone in our career.
00:26I'd been playing in a band called Locomotive, who had a hit record, and I decided to, I wasn't going
00:32on too well with the piano player, I decided to quit playing, it wasn't much fun anymore, and I went
00:36back to my roots in American blues.
00:37To start with, I decided I'd have been a blues club, but there weren't that many American bluesmen touring.
00:43We'd had to fill in with British bands, they were called progressive in those days, bands like Status Quo, Judas
00:49Priest, Jethro Tull, and we always, I always insist on putting on a local band.
00:54I always believed, and still believe more than ever, that Birmingham is the UK home of rock and roll.
00:59One of the bands that came there was called Earth, they're really good indeed, so I put one again two
01:05or three times, and after a while they said, will I manage them?
01:08I said, yep.
01:10My name changed to Black Sabbath.
01:11I lost them on September the 15th, 1970, when I had a number one album with them, a number seven
01:19album, and a number two single, and after that I went straight back to my roots of the blues, but
01:24the crown was where it all started.
01:28Well, the current owners, Tokyo Inn, has started developing early concepts for the crown, neighbouring Shastbury House and the adjoining
01:36car park.
01:37Early designs show how the wider site could be transformed without demolishing the Grade II listed building, while creating space
01:45for a new hotel.
01:46Consultants have also been asked to ensure that any future plans reflect the crown's unique place in Birmingham's cultural history,
01:55including its links to Black Sabbath and the city's wider music scene.
02:00For years, campaigners have argued that Station Street deserves recognition, not just for its historic buildings, but also for its
02:09cultural importance.
02:10Since the crown closed in 2016, there have been growing fears over its future.
02:16These latest proposals offer the clearest indication yet that the building's musical legacy could be protected as part of a
02:25wider regeneration of the area.
02:28If I take a step back, I think it's a very important city to have a proper rock and roll
02:32museum, with proper artefacts, not items that people send in after a Facebook plea to say.
02:40And then do your ticket stops, but proper real material, and there's a lot of it around.
02:45Whether it's there or not, I don't know.
02:47Well, no planning application has been submitted yet, but supporters say these are the strongest signs in years that the
02:54crown's future is set to continue.
