Black Sabbath's original manager finally mortgage-free from jazz club debt he took out 20 years ago
One of the UK’s best known music impresarios has finally repaid a mortgage he took out more than 20 years ago to save his business following a jazz club’s collapse.
Jim Simpson, aged 85, is the original manager of Black Sabbath and still runs the annual Birmingham Jazz and Blues Festival via Big Bear Music, his record and bookings company.
He said Big Bear Music was owed more than £50,000 when the Ronnie Scott’s franchise club on Birmingham’s Broad Street went under in 2001.
Big Bear Music had been retained by the local Ronnie Scott’s for nearly 10 years from its opening in October 1991 to handle its bookings of bands and musicians, and to take care of its marketing.
The independent record company, founded by Mr Simpson in 1968, is based in offices at Quayside Tower on Broad Street.
