Rob Halford from Judas Priest 

signed and handpainted Reebok Huigh Top sneaker from

Sothebys auction. . This Reebok Ex-O-Fit 500 high top sneaker was hand painted with all-over
decorations in shades of red, purple and yellow, with JP monogram at the heel and signed by
Rob Halford on the strap. This sneaker was purchased at Sotheby's auction in New York City
and was lot #554. It was donated by Halford for the Benefit of the T. J. Martell Foundation for
Leukemia, Cancer & Aids Research.

 
Robert John Arthur Halford (born August 25, 1951) is an English singer and songwriter.

He is best known as the lead vocalist for the legendary heavy metal band Judas Priest. Halford is
known for his multi-octave operatic range, high-pitched screams, leather-clad image and
showing up on stage on a motorcycle (usually a Harley-Davidson). His stud-leather style has
been widely adopted by heavy metal performers and fans around the world.

Because of his enormous influence on rock and metal music, Halford has been nicknamed the
'Metal God'.

 Life and career

Halford was born in Sutton Coldfield in Birmingham, England. Before joining Judas Priest, he
was in the bands Hiroshima, Abraxas, Thark, Lord Lucifer, and Athens Wood.

After a 20-year career with Judas Priest, that saw the band achieve international fame, Halford
left the band in 1992 to pursue a solo career. He first formed the band Fight and then
collaborated with Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor to explore new territories with his
industrial-influenced project called Two (often spelled 2wo) which was released on Reznor's
Nothing Records label. He later formed the band Halford and returned to his metal roots by
releasing the widely acclaimed album Resurrection (2000), produced by Roy Z. In July of 2003,
Halford reunited with Judas Priest who have since released a new full length album, Angel of
Retribution. The recent world tour that accompanied the release marked the band's 30th
anniversary.

Rob Halford has also performed as the vocalist for Black Sabbath at three shows. He filled in for
Ronnie James Dio for two shows on November 14 and November 15, 1992, following the end of
the Dehumanizer tour, when Dio refused to participate in the band as an opening act for original
vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. On August 26, 2004, Halford filled in for Osbourne for an Ozzfest
show in Camden, New Jersey, due to Osbourne being unable to perform because of bronchitis.

In 1998, Halford revealed he was homosexual in an interview on MTV. His sexuality was known
to the rest of the band and came as little surprise to fans. The response from the heavy metal
community has been widely accepting.

 Trivia
In the October 2006 issue of "Classic Rock" magazine he stated the only songs on his iPod are
his own work and Queen (of which he has their entire catalog).
Among his many tattoos is the Marvel Comics Punisher skull.
Halford did guest vocals on the Queens of the Stone Age song "Feel Good Hit of the Summer".
Often enters the stage riding a Harley-Davidson motorcycle. The stunt caused a memorable
accident during the Painkiller tour when Rob accidentally hit a drumriser occluded by the clouds
of dry ice. He broke his nose and fell off the motorcycle, and after regaining consciousness and
tumbling off-stage, came back on-stage with a plaster over his nose and performed the whole
concert. In the band's Behind the Music edition, Rob named the accident as one of the events that
caused the rift between him and the rest of the band that would eventually force them apart.
His trademark look is leather and studs. He's also known for his aviator sunglasses.
Was a guest vocalist for Ugly Kid Joe on their album America's Least Wanted on the track
Goddamn Devil.
Halford replaced Ozzy Osbourne as vocalist for Black Sabbath for one night, on August 25,
2004, at Ozzfest. Ozzy had been suffering from bronchitis at the time, and asked Halford to
replace him.
Halford also replaced Dio in a concert in November 1992, when Dio quit at the last minute
(rumors state that he wouldn't play the same show as Ozzy, but others say it was for his solo
career).

 Discography

 Judas Priest
Rocka Rolla (1974)
Sad Wings of Destiny (1976)
Sin After Sin (1977)
Stained Class (1978)
Killing Machine (1978) (released as Hell Bent for Leather in the USA 1979)
Unleashed in the East (1979)
British Steel (1980)
Point of Entry (1981)
Screaming for Vengeance (1982)
Defenders of the Faith (1984)
Turbo (1986)
Priest...Live! (1987) (1986)
Ram It Down (1988)
Painkiller (1990)
Metalogy (2004)
Angel of Retribution (2005)
Rising In the East (2006)
Live Vengeance '82 (2006)
The Essential Judas Priest (2006)
(Untitled) Nostradamas Concept Album (2006-2007)

 Fight
War of Words (1993)
Mutations (1994)
A Small Deadly Space (1995)

 Two
Voyeurs (1997)

 Halford
Resurrection (2000)
Live Insurrection (2001)
Crucible (2002)
Fourging The Furnace (2003)
Untitled (Late 2006 / Early 2007)

 Guest appearances
Krokus – Headhunter (1983)
Hear 'n Aid (1986)
Ugly Kid Joe – America's Least Wanted (1992)
Skid Row – B-Side Ourselves (1992)
Queens of the Stone Age – Rated R (2000)
Furious IV– Is That You (2002)
Pantera - Light comes out of black (1992)

heavy metal musicians and bands. Their popularity and status as one of the definitive heavy
metal bands has earned them the nickname "Metal Gods".

 Musical style and influences

Judas Priest were one of the first bands to modernize the twin-lead-guitar sound, with the duo of
K.K. Downing and Glenn Tipton. They combined this sound with Rob Halford's high-pitched,
melancholic and angry screaming lead vocals to create their own unique style of heavy-rock.
They are cited often for their influence on heavy metal and the root sound of the guitar work in
speed metal and thrash metal.

Another noted feature of the band is the dual "rhythm guitar", which plays an essential role in
hard rock genres and especially in heavy metal.

Although Wishbone Ash had used similar "dual guitars" prior to Judas Priest, the band used their
dual rhythm style consistently as an integral part of their music. Since Judas Priest started
incorporating this new style of rhythm guitar on their first release, Rocka Rolla, it has become a
standard feature of heavy metal.

Many people, including influential musicians and members of prominent hard rock and heavy
metal bands, believe that among the foundations for what would define "pure" heavy metal were
three early Judas Priest albums: Sad Wings of Destiny (1976), Sin After Sin (1977), and Stained
Class (1978).
The band often played faster than most rock groups of the time and brought a more "metallic"
sound to the guitars. The songs varied from simple and straightforward tunes (e.g., "The Ripper",
"Starbreaker") to fairly structured material, changing from fast and loud to slower tempo and
softer tunes in one song (e.g., "Victim Of Changes", "Run Of The Mill", "Beyond The Realms
Of Death"). Some songs, such as 1978's "Exciter", were groundbreaking for their sheer ferocity
and speed; others, like "Dissident Aggressor", "Sinner" and "Tyrant", were heavy for their day,
and even today are considered classic metal tracks.

Their 1978 album Killing Machine (retitled Hell Bent for Leather and released in 1979 in the
USA) saw a slight change of direction towards shorter, poppier, more American-influenced
songs. The following release, British Steel , (April 14, 1980), took an even sharper turn in the
same direction and was perhaps the first heavy metal album to record radio-friendly songs with
pop hooks, in a concise format.

The band's next effort, Point of Entry (February 26, 1981), is harder to define — the sound was
very "raw" (i.e. minimal sound manipulation) and the songs were somewhat moody, and paced at
a slower than usual tempo. As guitarist Glenn Tipton later admitted, Point of Entry had the tough
task of living up to the standards set by its predecessor, and failed to do so. Subsequent albums
Screaming for Vengeance (July 17, 1982) — which contained the popular radio hit "You've Got
Another Thing Coming" — and Defenders of the Faith (January 4, 1984) once again set high
standards in intensity and production, and continued to influence the sonic shape of heavy metal.
Turbo (April 15, 1986) found the group introducing a "synth-guitar" sound to their metal
template.

Ram It Down (1988), which was originally to be part of a two album set with the Turbo
album[citation needed], garnered little commercial attention. The style was heavier than the
material found on Turbo but still contained the synth elements of the previous release.

For Painkiller (1990) Judas Priest returned to a more straightforward heavy metal style with
more technical and double-bass drumming from new member Scott Travis. This album
represents one of the heaviest and most intense in the band's discography, with Halford's
trademark high-pitched wail rising to an ear-splitting shriek on certain tracks, bordering on a
atonal death-metal-like scream. Indeed, there is a "death metal version" of the title track
available on the internet, by the Florida death metal band Death.

The Best of Judas Priest: Living After Midnight (1997) is a greatest hits album including hits
such as "Electric Eye", "Turbo Lover", "Living After Midnight", "The Green Manalishi" and
many other hits. It contains the hits from 1979 through 1990.

Judas Priest also released two albums with Tim 'Ripper' Owens following Rob Halford's
departure. 'Jugulator (1997)' was given mixed reviews, although it contains the epic 'Cathedral
Spires' which became one of Ripper's more popular songs. 'Demolition' (2001) was generally
considered another disappointment, although it was another back to basics album, holding some
memorable tracks.
Judas Priest's latest release, Angel of Retribution (2005) which was Rob Halford's first Judas
Priest album since 1990, contributed to the current revival of classic heavy metal. It contains
songs in the band's classic style, such as "Judas Rising" and "Hellrider", as well as mid-tempo
songs with clear and prominent drums and less prominent guitars ("Worth Fighting For",
"Wheels Of Fire"), a ballad, and an over 12 minute epic — something the band had not done
since its concerts in the early 1970s.

Priest are currently writing a "Nostradamus Concept Album" to be released sometime in late
2006 or early 2007.

 Influence on the genre

Judas Priest have influenced many Heavy metal musicians in three musical generations, in
sound, technique, and image. Many bands including Iron Maiden, Anthrax, Accept, Metallica,
Death, Megadeth, the Melvins, Manowar, Mercyful Fate, Venom, Slayer, Dokken, Helloween,
Stratovarius, Iced Earth, Poison, Napalm Death, Primal Fear, Dream Theater and Pantera cite
Judas Priest as an influence.

 History
 Judas Priest, c. 1977. (l to r) Hill, Downing, Halford & TiptonK.K. (Kenneth) Downing and Ian
Hill knew each other almost since birth, as they lived nearby, attended the same nursery and
school in West Bromwich, UK. Their friendship drew closer in their early teens as they shared
similar musical interests (Jimi Hendrix, Cream, the Yardbirds) and both started to learn to play
an instrument.

In 1968 a fairly well known local ensemble named Judas Priest (after Bob Dylan's song "The
Ballad of Frankie Lee and Judas Priest" from the John Wesley Harding album) broke up and the
band's singer, Alan Atkins, approached Downing and Hill who accepted him as their singer and
adopted his former band's name.

With Downing in control, the band moved swiftly from their original bluesy tunes towards heavy
rock and then what later would be defined as heavy metal. This trio, with various drummers,
continued extensive touring of Birmingham and the surrounding areas, sometimes supporting
Budgie, Thin Lizzy and Trapeze, until 1974. Financial difficulties and problems with their
management, Tony Iommi's company, IMA, lead to Alan Atkins' and drummer Alan Moore's
departures.

At the time, Ian Hill was dating a girl from nearby town Walsall who suggested her brother,
Robert Halford, as singer. Halford (who previously worked as a stage manager at a local cinema)
was admitted to the band, and brought with him drummer John Hinch from his previous band,
Hiroshima. This line-up toured heavily in the UK, often supporting Budgie, and even headlining
some shows in Norway and Germany.

Before the band entered the studio to record their first album, the record company suggested
another musician should join them. Reluctant to add an organ or trumpet player, Downing settled
on another guitarist called Glenn Tipton, from the Stafford-based Flying Hat Band. According to
Judas Priest band members, there were some technical problems during recording, but the record
company refused to address them, and their debut album Rocka Rolla suffered "horrible" sound
quality. Management problems also prevailed; according to the band, producer Rodger Bain,
(who was an established professional, having produced numerous albums for famous groups
such as Black Sabbath) had too big a say in the production of the album.[citation needed] He left
out stage classics "Tyrant", "Genocide", and "The Ripper", and cut another, "Caviar And Meths",
from a 10-minute song to a 2-minute instrumental.

Judas Priest personnel (1973) Rob Halford - vocals

K.K. Downing - guitar
Ian Hill - bass guitar
John Hinch - drums
 
(1974) Rob Halford - vocals
K.K. Downing - guitar
Glenn Tipton - guitar
Ian Hill - bass guitar
John Hinch - drums
 
(1975-1976) Rob Halford - vocals
K.K. Downing - guitar
Glenn Tipton - guitar
Ian Hill - bass guitar
Alan Moore - drums
 
(1977) Rob Halford - vocals
K.K. Downing - guitar
Glenn Tipton - guitar
Ian Hill - bass guitar
 
(1977-1979) Rob Halford - vocals
K.K. Downing - guitar
Glenn Tipton - guitar
Ian Hill - bass guitar
Les Binks - drums
 
(1979-1989) Rob Halford - vocals
K.K. Downing - guitar
Glenn Tipton - guitar
Ian Hill - bass guitar
Dave Holland - drums
 
(1990-1992) Rob Halford - vocals
K.K. Downing - guitar
Glenn Tipton - guitar
Ian Hill - bass guitar
Scott Travis - drums
 
(1992-1996) K.K. Downing - guitar
Glenn Tipton - guitar
Ian Hill - bass guitar
Scott Travis - drums
 
(1996-2003) Tim 'Ripper' Owens - vocals
K.K. Downing - guitar
Glenn Tipton - guitar
Ian Hill - bass guitar
Scott Travis - drums
 
(2004-present) Rob Halford - vocals
K.K. Downing - guitar
Glenn Tipton - guitar
Ian Hill - bass guitar
Scott Travis - drums
 
With their next album, the band gained some more experience and confidence, fully participating
in the production, as well as choosing the producers. The result was Sad Wings of Destiny
(1976). This album featured mostly old material, including the aforementioned stage favorites
and an epic "Victim Of Changes" - a song combining "Whiskey Woman", a stage classic since
the era of the first Judas Priest (Al Atkins' band) and "Red Light Lady" brought by Halford from
his previous group, Hiroshima.

Three subsequent albums, Sin After Sin (1977), Stained Class, and Killing Machine (aka Hell
Bent For Leather) (both 1978) further explored the possibilities of the heavy metal genre,
employing such talented drummers as session player extraordinaire Simon Phillips and Les
(James Leslie) Binks. Killing Machine marked a new turn in the creative direction Judas Priest
was taking: the songs were shorter and had commercial appeal, yet were performed with a lot of
metal punch. This emphasis on simple, albeit relentless and powerful beats that needed to be
performed live with equal power led to Les Binks, a jazzy type of drummer, leaving, and Dave
Holland (ex-Trapeze) becoming their new drummer.

With this line-up, Judas Priest recorded twelve studio and two concert albums to different
degrees of critical and financial success. Overall, the band has sold in excess of 35 million
albums globally.

 Subliminal message trial

In 1990, the band was involved in a civil action that alleged they were responsible for the suicide
attempts in 1985 of two Reno, Nevada, USA boys, James Vance and Ray Belknap. (Belknap
died instantly by shooting himself in the face with a sawed-off shotgun; Vance also shot himself
but survived, severely disfiguring his face in the attempt. He died approximately three years later
due to the effect of his painkillers.) The boys' parents and their legal team alleged that a
subliminal message of "do it" had been included in the song "Better By You, Better Than Me"
(from the Stained Class album), and that the command triggered the suicide attempt. The suit
was eventually dismissed on its merits, as the band had pointed out that if you were to play any
song backwards and tell someone there was a message, it'll sound as though there actually is. The
ambiguity of the alleged message was also taken into question. Rob Halford pointed out that "do
it" had no direct message, commenting "Well...do what? Mow the lawn? Have a cup of tea?"

In a television interview, Judas Priest members commented that if they wanted to insert
subliminal commands in their music, killing their fans would be counterproductive, and they
would prefer to insert the command "Buy more of our records". The trial was covered in the
1991 documentary Dream Deceivers: The Story Behind James Vance Vs. Judas Priest.

Comedian Bill Hicks used a similar notion in one of his stand-up routines, asking "What
musician wants his audience dead?" He further performed an apocryphal sketch in a British
accent mimicking Judas Priest being " sick of [their immense wealth, power, and fame]" and
coming up with the subliminal message as a solution to their problems.

Comedian Denis Leary also commented on the trial on his album No Cure for Cancer, saying
that heavy metal bands should put more subliminal messages in their records: "Kill the band, kill
your parents, then kill yourself".

 Hard times
After the end of their highly acclaimed and successful Painkiller tour in 1991, Halford left Judas
Priest due to several years of internal tensions in the band. Rumors started to circulate as early as
September of 1991, although Halford collaborated with the band in the release of a compilation
album entitled Metal Works: '73-'93 to commemorate their 20th anniversary. He also appeared in
a video by the same title, documenting their history. His departure from the band was officially
announced later that year.

Tim "Ripper" Owens, who had previously sung in a Judas Priest tribute band British Steel, was
hired in 1996 as Judas Priest's new singer. This line up released two albums, Jugulator and
Demolition.

Owens' story of turning from fan to frontman was the inspiration for the film Rock Star, although
Owens did not actually participate in the production of the movie. Because the film's content
bore only a tangential resemblance to Owens's actual history with the band, Judas Priest later
moved to disassociate themselves from the film. The film (starring Mark Wahlberg) was a
critical and commercial flop.

 Reunion
After almost twelve years apart, Judas Priest and original lead vocalist Rob Halford announced
their reunion in July 2003. They immediately embarked on a live concert tour in 2004, and co-
headlined the 2004 Ozzfest, being named as the "premier act" by almost all U.S. media coverage
of the event. Both tours were extremely successful. A new studio album, Angel of Retribution,
was released on 1 March 2005 (U.S.) on Sony Music/Epic Records to critical and commercial
success. A global tour in support of the album is currently underway. Judas Priest and "Ripper"
Owens parted amicably. Owens joined as lead singer of American heavy metal band Iced Earth
to record the album The Glorious Burden, which was released in 2004 by SPV Records.

 Induction
Judas Priest, KISS, Queen, and Def Leppard were the inaugural inductees into the "VH1 Rock
Honors." The ceremony took place May 25, 2006 in Las Vegas, Nevada, and first aired on May
31, 2006. Their presentation was preceded by the band Godsmack performing a medley of
"Electric Eye"/"Victim Of Changes"/"Hell Bent For Leather", and Priest themselves played
"Breaking The Law," "The Green Manalishi (With The Two-Pronged Crown)" and "You've Got
Another Thing Comin'," before which Halford rode a Harley onstage. On April 6, 2006, the
Associated Press announced the event by saying "the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame looks to be
getting some competition."

 New album
In a June 2006 interview with MTV.com, frontman Rob Halford said about the group's
upcoming concept album about the legendary 16th-century French prophet Nostradamus,
"Nostradamus is all about metal, isn't he? He was an alchemist as well as a seer — a person of
extraordinary talent. He had an amazing life that was full of trial and tribulation and joy and
sorrow. He's a very human character and a world-famous individual. You can take his name and
translate it into any language and everybody knows about him, and that's important because
we're dealing with a worldwide audience."

In addition to digging new lyrical ground for the band, the album will contain musical elements
that might surprise their fans. "It's going to have a lot of depth," the singer explained. "There'll be
a lot of symphonic elements. We might orchestrate it, without it being overblown. There may be
a massive choir at parts and keyboards will be featured more prominently, whereas they've
always been in the background before."

 Discography
For more information, see the article about Judas Priest discography.

 Miscellaneous
Judas Priest, along with Rick Derringer, opened for Led Zeppelin at Zeppelin's last concert in the
United States on July 24, 1977.
The video documentary Heavy Metal Parking Lot was created by Jeff Krulik and John Heyn in
1986. It documents the heavy metal fans waiting on May 31, 1986 for a Judas Priest concert
(with special guests Dokken) at the Capital Centre (later renamed US Airways Arena),
Maryland.
In 1998, Halford revealed his homosexuality in an interview on MTV. His sexuality was known
to the rest of the band and came as little surprise to fans.
On August 15, 2002 PETA sent the band's management a request to stop wearing leather
onstage, as the production of leatherwear involves cruelty to animals. It was even reported that
they asked the band to change the name of their Hell Bent for Leather album to Hell Bent for
Pleather. Judas Priest responded that they wear artificial leather, but PETA still protested that
this could encourage listeners to wear real leather.
In 2003, former drummer Dave Holland was accused of sexually abusing and attempting to rape
a 17-year-old boy who was studying drums with Holland at the time. On January 23, 2004,
Holland was found guilty of those charges and others, and on February 13, Holland was
sentenced to eight years in British prison for those crimes.
On February 3, 2006, a new concert taped in Budokan, Japan, called "Rising in the East",
debuted on VH1 Classic, showcasing a shaven-headed, bearded Halford and 3 decades of metal
standards.
The PC and Xbox 360 video game, Prey and the PlayStation 2 console games Guitar Hero and
RoadKill include "You've Got Another Thing Comin" on their soundtrack, as does Grand Theft
Auto: Vice City, which features the song on rock station V-Rock. In the prequel, Grand Theft
Auto: Vice City Stories, V-Rock features the song "Electric Eye". RoadKill also includes
"Headin' Out to the Highway," back-to-back with the aforementioned song on its classic rock
pseudo-radio station.
The PlayStation 2 video game, Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec features "Turbo Lover" as a song on the
game's soundtrack. Its sequel Gran Turismo 4 features "Freewheel Burning".
"Beavis and Butt-head" often sing "Breaking the Law" song when they are doing various legal or
illegal acts.