Video: BLACK SABBATH Guitarist TONY IOMMI Receives Honorary Degree

November 20, 2013

Tony Iommi, the lead guitarist of iconic rock band BLACK SABBATH was among the outstanding individuals who received honorary degrees from Coventry University yesterday (Tuesday, November 19).

A video report on the graduation ceremony can be seen below.

Iommi, who co-founded BLACK SABBATH in Birmingham in 1968, and Her Royal Highness Princess Rym Ali will be honoured by the University during its graduation ceremonies in Coventry Cathedral.

Celebrated Coventrian and artist George Shaw — whose haunting depictions of the city's Tile Hill landscape have won him acclaim and a Turner Prize nomination — was also recognized by the institution.

The honorary graduands received their commendations in the same week that around 7,000 students are awarded their degrees from the University.

Iommi was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Arts in recognition of his contribution to the world of popular music, in particular his role as one of the founding fathers of heavy metal music and his status as one of the industry's most influential figures.

Iommi, who headed straight from the graduation ceremony to join BLACK SABBATH in Helsinki for the start of their latest European tour, said: "It's a great honor to receive the doctorate, which comes towards the end of a challenging but amazingly successful year for me."

Professor Madeleine Atkins, vice-chancellor of Coventry University, said: "It's a pleasure to be welcoming these exemplary individuals to our graduation ceremonies to receive their awards alongside our graduating students. Each of them has excelled in their field in such a way as to be worthy of recognition, and I hope our own students will be inspired by the drive and commitment they have shown throughout their careers."

iommihonorarydegree2_638

Find more on Black sabbath
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • reddit
  • email

Comments Disclaimer And Information

BLABBERMOUTH.NET uses the Facebook Comments plugin to let people comment on content on the site using their Facebook account. The comments reside on Facebook servers and are not stored on BLABBERMOUTH.NET. To comment on a BLABBERMOUTH.NET story or review, you must be logged in to an active personal account on Facebook. Once you're logged in, you will be able to comment. User comments or postings do not reflect the viewpoint of BLABBERMOUTH.NET and BLABBERMOUTH.NET does not endorse, or guarantee the accuracy of, any user comment. To report spam or any abusive, obscene, defamatory, racist, homophobic or threatening comments, or anything that may violate any applicable laws, use the "Report to Facebook" and "Mark as spam" links that appear next to the comments themselves. To do so, click the downward arrow on the top-right corner of the Facebook comment (the arrow is invisible until you roll over it) and select the appropriate action. You can also send an e-mail to blabbermouthinbox(@)gmail.com with pertinent details. BLABBERMOUTH.NET reserves the right to "hide" comments that may be considered offensive, illegal or inappropriate and to "ban" users that violate the site's Terms Of Service. Hidden comments will still appear to the user and to the user's Facebook friends. If a new comment is published from a "banned" user or contains a blacklisted word, this comment will automatically have limited visibility (the "banned" user's comments will only be visible to the user and the user's Facebook friends).