The rediscovery of the microphone and recording equipment used for Black Sabbath’s inaugural studio sessions, after over three decades in obscurity, has been announced.
This collection, including a mixing console section and two Revox tape machines, will be publicly exhibited to coincide with the band’s final, sold-out concert at Birmingham’s Villa Park in July.
The exhibition, located at Castle Bromwich Hall Gardens on the days surrounding the concert, will highlight Birmingham’s pivotal role in the birth of heavy metal, according to music industry veteran John Mostyn, the event’s organizer.
These artifacts are on loan from Johnny Haynes, owner and operator of Birmingham’s Zella Studios, where the recordings took place.
Zella Studios’ original location was a repurposed repair room at Ladbrooke Pianos on Bristol Street.
In 1968, the band then known as Earth—featuring Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Bill Ward—recorded their first music together within these walls.
“We had a highly successful demo session, arranged by Big Bear Music, and the resulting recordings were very well-received,” recounted Mr. Haynes, 83.
However, he added that after this initial session, the band moved to London, then a hub for top recording studios.
Unfortunately, the London recording experience proved disappointing, leading the quartet to return to Zella Studios, according to Mr. Haynes.
It was during this period that the band adopted the name Black Sabbath and subsequently secured their first record deal.
“The rest, as they say, is music history,” Mr. Haynes concluded.
Mr. Mostyn, a manager of notable bands such as The Beat and Fine Young Cannibals, has known the studio owner since the mid-1970s.
“I never visited that first studio, but it must have been an incredible place,” he commented.
“Not only because of the abundance of pianos, but because Johnny was recording Birmingham’s most exciting bands in the back room.”
Having run the studios for 30 years, Mr. Haynes reflected on his “remarkable good fortune to be in the right place at the right time.”
He recorded demos for numerous artists including The Move and Jeff Lynne, as well as The Locomotive featuring John Bonham on drums, among many others.
The business, which eventually moved to Walker Hall Studio, closed in 1995, at which point the equipment was put into storage.
Mr. Mostyn recently contacted the studio owner, inquiring about any surviving equipment from that era.
“He said yes, but it took him six months of searching,” he said.
“And he only actually found it about 10 days ago, so it’s been in storage for over 30 years.”
He urged fans to attend the exhibition, adding: “The next time this microphone is seen in public, it will likely be behind glass in a museum, so this is probably the only chance to see it up close.”
The exhibition will run on July 4th and 6th, before and after the Villa Park concert.
“And what’s truly exciting is that Johnny is coming along,” Mr. Mostyn added.
“This is a rare appearance for a very popular figure, so I expect many old musician friends and industry figures will seize this opportunity to see Mr. Johnny Haynes.”
He described Mr. Haynes as an “inspirational individual” who had the foresight to establish this recording studio in 1968.
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