On July 6, 2007, OZZY OSBOURNE became the very first inductee on the Birmingham Walk of Stars, the British city's tribute to its most celebrated sons and daughters. The honor was no accident: born John Michael Osbourne in Aston, Birmingham, the singer had risen from the city's industrial sprawl to front BLACK SABBATH, the band that effectively invented heavy metal in 1970. Presented by the Lord Mayor of Birmingham on Broad Street, the star was unveiled the same night Ozzy played a triumphant homecoming concert at the National Indoor Arena. By 2007 the Prince of Darkness had long since become a global icon through his solo career and the SABBATH legacy. Fittingly, the city that birthed metal chose its most famous metal son to launch its walk of fame, cementing Birmingham's place as the genre's spiritual home.