Venue The Crown Station Street Birmingham
Henry's Blues House was started by Jim Simpson in 1968 and took place on Tuesday nights and included American blues legends like Duster Bennett and Big Boy Crudup as well as Led Zeppelin. It started life as a Blues music venue, but progressively became host to hard rock and progressive acts during the early 1970s. Thin Lizzy, Status Quo, Stackridge, UFO, Judas Priest and Supertramp have played there over the years.
The Crown's claim to fame came about when a local band called Earth played, watched by Jim Simpson who offered to manage them. Earth then went on to change their name to Black Sabbath. They played their very first gig under that name at the Crown. This is how it came to be know as the Birthplace of Heavy Metal.
The club finished in early 1970s and the building has been empty since 2014 and was given Grade II listed status, protecting it from unauthorised alteration or demolition, in March 2024 on the advice of Historic England.
The Crown's claim to fame came about when a local band called Earth played, watched by Jim Simpson who offered to manage them. Earth then went on to change their name to Black Sabbath. They played their very first gig under that name at the Crown. This is how it came to be know as the Birthplace of Heavy Metal.
The club finished in early 1970s and the building has been empty since 2014 and was given Grade II listed status, protecting it from unauthorised alteration or demolition, in March 2024 on the advice of Historic England.