We have never had the pleasure of meeting Tony Iommi although most of us know more about him than we do about other people that we know. We regret that the current rules prevent us from supporting people for awards but notwithstanding we would like to recommend this great Briton for an award under the British honours system which will reflect all the things he is and has achieved. Far from being a creaking gate, Tony Iommi is nonetheless fighting Lymphoma and won´t last for ever. He is long overdue an award and we ask you to be influenced by this truly international petition.

Whilst we know one day Tony Iommi will receive a British honour for his charitable work and services to music, we´re going to try to help the British Honours Committee see how much he deserves it and how many people would like to see it happen. Each start of the new year sees tens of thousands of us anxiously scanning the papers to see if an award has been made to the man who it is claimed founded Heavy Metal. Does he deserve an award? We think so and below list the reasons why we do.

1970 – 2015 - founding member of musical group Black Sabbath, recorded 19 studio albums and 6 live albums most of them succeeded platinum disks, played concerts all over the world;
2000 – 2005 - recorded 3 solo albums as Tony Iommi;
1985 – contributed to charity concert Live AID;
1989 – contributed to charity concert Rock AID Armenia;
1992 – contributed to The Freddy Mercury Tribute Concert for AIDS;
2005 – participated at Rock The Cure Gibson Guitar action to benefit the fund for Breast Cancer Research;
2005 – participated at the benefit guitar auction Reach out to Asia;
2009 – contributed to raising funds for the new renal unit at Birmingham Children’s Hospital;
1990 – 2011 – raises funds to help Armenian victims of earthquake;
2011 – 2012 – records a charity single named Who Cares – Out Of My Mind, and the entire album Who Cares – Out Of My Mind, raising funds to build a musical school for children in Armenia;
2012 – performance at Birmingham 02 Academy to raise funds to Help For Heroes Charity, that offers support for wounded members of the Armed Forces;
2012 – contribution to Ronnie James Dio Cancer Charity;
2013 – contribution to Nordoff-Robbins Charity.

Tony Iommi has a great impact on millions of people worldwide, he inspired generations of musicians and guitarists across the world. He invented a new genre of music named heavy metal, that developed in the 1970s in the Midlands of the UK and in the USA. His band Black Sabbath brought everywhere the name of British metal and put Birmingham on the world map of music. During his career he sold over one hundred million discs serving to the British music industry as well.

Tony Iommi ranked the best guitar player of his genre according to Guitar World magazine, and enters regularly to the list of the best guitar players of all times. Impossible to list musicians and musical bands from 1970s to our days influenced by his band Black Sabbath.

Tony Iommi inspired a lot of people with his courage and great determination twice: when he lost the tips of his fingers in a cruel accident early in his career, and fighting Lymphoma cancer and managing to record a new album and play 84 concerts all over the world during exhausting chemo- and radiotherapy in 2011-2014, and still is touring today with Black Sabbath. Iommi was born in Aston, Birmingham. He never left his country for USA or others, where taxation is less and as he always says, he is very proud of his Brummie heritage.

Awards:
2000, 2014 – two Grammy Awards;
2003 – Ivor Novello Award;
2005 – Induction to The UK Music Hall of Fame;
2006 – Induction to The USA Rock and Roll Hall of Fame;
2008 – A Star at Birmingham Walk of Fame;
2006 and 2010 - two Classic Rock Awards;
2009 – Armenian government’s highest award "Order of Honour" as a recognition for Mr. Iommi’s charity work.
2010 and 2013 – three Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards;
2012 – Kerrang Awards;
2013, 2014 – Revolver Riff Lord Awards;
2013 – three Classic Rock Awards: Album of the Year, Event of the Year and nominated Living Legend;
2013 – Coventry University’s Honorary Doctorate of Arts.

To: Honours and Appointments Secretariat,Cabinet Office, Ground Floor, Admiralty Arch, London SW1A 2WH;