The Birmingham Music Museum

15/10/2026

Few Birmingham venues have had as many names or lives as this one. Opening in 1967 as the Top Rank Ballroom, it later became the Hummingbird, Birmingham Academy, Carling Academy Birmingham, O2 Academy Birmingham, Birmingham Ballroom/The Ballroom, and finally Forum Birmingham.
Across nearly six decades, generations of Birmingham music fans passed through its doors before the venue finally closed in 2025. Different names, different eras, but the same building and a huge part of Birmingham's live music history. Big names to play the venue are Wizzard and The Verve.

08/10/2026

The legendary Breedon Bar, formerly known as the Breedon Cross Hotel, stood at 1652 Pershore Road, on the corner of Lifford Lane in Cotteridge, Birmingham. From the 1960s through to the early 1990s, it became one of Birmingham’s best-loved live music venues, attracting music fans from across the Midlands. Its stage welcomed some incredible acts, including Billy Bragg, Oysterband and Eric Bell, the original guitarist and founding member of Thin Lizzy, also played at the Breedon Bar with his Eric Bell Band, adding another legendary name to the venue’s musical history. With its large upstairs ballroom, lively bars and unforgettable atmosphere, the Breedon Bar was much more than your average local pub – it was a place where music lovers gathered, friendships were made and countless memorable nights unfolded.
Sadly, the Breedon Bar closed in 1994, before a devastating fire struck the building in 1995. After years of standing empty, it was eventually demolished in 2003 and the site was redeveloped for housing. Although the building has disappeared from the Cotteridge landscape, its legacy lives on through old photographs, local history groups and the memories of those lucky enough to experience it. For many, the Breedon Bar remains a much-missed part of Birmingham’s musical heritage and a reminder of an era when local pubs could host some truly legendary musicians. Did you ever see a band or enjoy a pint at the Breedon Bar? Share your memories!

05/10/2026

The first incarnation of Zella Studios was based at the rear of an old repair room of Ladbrooke Pianos on Bristol Street. It was here in 1968 that four musicians—lead vocalist Ozzy Osbourne, guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Geezer Butler, and drummer Bill Ward—from the band then named Earth, came to record their first music together.
During this historic time, the band changed their name to Black Sabbath and went on to sign their first record deal. The rest is rock - or heavy metal - history!

02/10/2026

Born in Birmingham in 1877, Olly Oakley (originally Joseph Sharpe) was one of Britain’s pioneering banjo players and among the earliest musicians to make commercially released sound recordings. Beginning his musical career in Birmingham, he became a celebrated performer whose music was recorded on early Edison wax cylinders and gramophone discs, reaching audiences across Britain and beyond. His stage name is believed to have been inspired by an Aston Villa footballer, providing another fascinating connection to his home city. One of his best-known compositions, Rugby Parade, was inspired by his train journeys from Birmingham to Rugby, where he travelled to teach a student the banjo.
Despite his considerable success, Oakley’s later years were overshadowed by illness, which affected his ability to perform. He died in 1945, leaving behind an extraordinary collection of recordings and compositions. As an early recording artist, he helped popularise the banjo and bring music into people’s homes at a time when recorded sound was still revolutionary. His story is an important but often overlooked chapter in Birmingham’s musical heritage, connecting the city’s Victorian entertainment scene, Aston Villa, the Midlands railway network and the birth of the commercial recording industry.
Historical context: Olly Oakley performed within the minstrel tradition, which included racist stereotypes and attitudes that were wrong then and remain unacceptable today. We don’t seek to excuse or overlook this part of his story. However, the role of early commercial sound recording is an important part of Birmingham’s music history, alongside acknowledging the difficult and discriminatory aspects of the entertainment culture in which Oakley worked during the period.

30/09/2026

https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/selly-oak-riddle-the-practice-30706801?int_source=amp_continue_reading&int_medium=amp&int_campaign=continue_reading_button -readmore-target - very mysterious- a UB40 connection?

The Practice at 818 Bristol Road may look like a shop from the outside - but locals say they have never seen it open in 30 years

23/09/2026

Vote for your favourite Birmingham UK number 1 single! Click the link below to cast your vote!

18/09/2026

thebirminghammusicmuseum The Rum Runner was an absolute powerhouse of Birmingham's nightlife and a primary catalyst for the UK's New Romantic movement.
Most iconically, it served as the birthplace of who became the new resident band.
Though the historic venue was demolished in 1987 to make way for the Hyatt Hotel and Regency Wharf development, its monumental cultural legacy is permanently honored today by an official Birmingham Civic Society blue plaque.

17/09/2026

The Adam & Eve was one of Digbeth's most vibrant, long-standing, and fiercely characterful public houses. In its musical prime, the pub was a beloved destination for night owls and gig-goers, boasting a long, narrow main room and a large dance floor that regularly hosted grassroots punk, rock, and indie talent—including notable local icons like Steve Gibbons and The Twang.