Judas Priest are a pioneering British Heavy Metal band and were forerunners of the ?New Wave of British Heavy Metal? movement, laying the groundwork for the speed and thrash metal of the ?80s and ?90s with numerous classic LPs.The band was formed in Birmingham, England in 1969 by guitarist John Perry (who died shortly after and was replaced by Earnest Chataway), bassist Bruno Stapenhill, drummer John Partridge, and singer Alan Atkins. In 1970, guitarist Kenneth K. K. Downing and bassist Ian Hill (2) joined, replacing Chataway and Stapenhill. Later, in 1972, Rob Halford and drummer John Hinch joined to replace Atkins and Partridge, respectively. A second guitarist, Glenn Tipton, was also added to the line-up in 1974 as compensation for their record company?s (Gull Records) suggestion to add a horn section to the first album, Rocka Rolla.The band featuring Halford, Downing, Tipton and Hill would go on to record 14 albums from 1974 through to 1990. Priest went through a considerable amount of drummers between their formation and 1980 when Trapeze drummer Dave Holland joined and stayed until 1988?s Ram It Down. In early 1990 Racer X drummer Scott Travis joined the band and recording begun on their Painkiller album. In mid 1990 they were taken to court over the attempted suicide of two young boys in Reno, allegedly driven by subliminal messages on their Stained Class album. The case was eventually thrown out of court and in September 1990, Painkiller was released.Halford left the group in 1993 to pursue a solo career but the band was determined to find a suitable replacement vocalist. Tim "Ripper" Owens, an Ohioan tribute band singer was chosen after a lengthy auditioning process and the band recorded 4 albums (2 studio, 2 live) with Owens.In 2003, the Judas Priest?s 1990 line-up was restored when Rob Halford returned to the group after rekindling the relationship during work on Judas Priest?s 4-CD career retrospective ?Metalogy.? In 2004 the band played Ozzfest and released a CD of new studio material entitled Angel of Retribution and an accompanying live DVD in 2005, enjoying a successful world tour that year. This was followed by the 2CD concept album Nostradamus in 2008 and the release of their 5th live album in 2009.
Judas Priest are pioneers of the Heavy Metal genre, and arguably created the "Metal" look. Priest were forerunners of the new wave of british heavy metal movement, laying the groundwork for the speed and thrash metal of the '80s and '90s.
K. K. Downing and bassist Ian Hill had known each other since early childhood, as they lived near one another and attended the same nursery and school in West Bromwich. They became close friends in their early teens, when they shared similar musical interests (Jimi Hendrix, The Who, Cream, The Yardbirds) and learned to play instruments. The band was founded in 1969 in Birmingham, England, after a local ensemble named Judas Priest (after Bob Dylan's song "The Ballad of Frankie Lee and Judas Priest" from the John Wesley Harding album) split up. The band's singer, Al Atkins, approached Downing and Hill, who were playing as a power trio with drummer John Ellis, and asked if he could become their singer. With Atkins now in the band, Downing suggested they change their name to Judas Priest as he had been a fan of the original band.
Later, in 1972, Rob Halford and drummer John Hinch joined to replace Atkins and Partridge, respectively. A second guitarist, Glenn Tipton, was also added to the line-up in 1974 as compensation for their record company's (Gull Records) suggestion to add a horn section to the first album, Rocka Rolla.
Downing and Tipton's harmonised guitar lines were not particularly common at the time, but became a trademark for the group and would inspire other bands such as Metallica, Iron Maiden and Megadeth to do the same. It is now a standard feature of many heavy metal bands and appears in many of metal's sub-genres.
The band featuring Halford, Downing, Tipton and Hill would go on to record 14 albums from 1974 through to 1990. Their second album, Sad Wings of Destiny (released in 1976), is considered one of the most influential metal albums along with Black Sabbath's self-titled début.
Priest went through a considerable amount of drummers between their formation and 1980 when Dave Holland joined and stayed until 1988's Ram It Down, and this is arguably the inspiration for Spinal Tap's misfortune with drummers. Racer X drummer Scott Travis joined the band to record 1990's Painkiller album and has been with the band ever since.
1980 saw Priest release perhaps their most famous album, British Steel, which featured a more focused and sleek approach to metal than previous efforts. This, coupled with catchy, fist-pumping riffs and memorable vocal melodies ensured the band a string of consecutive platinum selling albums. Fans were slightly disillusioned with 1986's Turbo, which featured electronic drums and synthesised guitars, but the band were still selling out arenas worldwide.
Halford left the group in 1993, going in a new direction with his new, short-lived metal band, Fight and, later, 2wo. He began a successful solo career with his own self-titled band in 1999.
With Halford gone, the future looked bleak for the band, but after numerous searches for a suitable replacement, they found something special in tribute band front man Tim "Ripper" Owens. This story forms the basic plot of the movie "Rock Star," which was originally to be completely about Judas Priest and the Ripper, titled "Metal God," but the script was altered after the failure to reach an agreement with the band. Judas Priest recorded 4 albums with Owens (2 studio, 2 live records) which were greeted with mixed reactions from fans.
In 2003, the Judas Priest's 1990 line-up was restored when Rob Halford returned to the group after rekindling the relationship during work on Judas Priest's 4-CD career retrospective "Metalogy." In 2004 the band played Ozzfest and released a CD of new studio material entitled Angel of Retribution and an accompanying live DVD in 2005, enjoying a successful world tour that year.
After an emotional reunion, extensive tour and new studio album, the band released a follow-up album in June 2008, entitled Nostradamus. Unusually for Priest, this album was a double CD and was their first conceptual album; based upon the life and predictions of Nostradamus, which instilled a mixed reaction among fans.
Current Members/Birth Dates:
[music]Rob Halford[/music] - Vocals (1973-1991, 2003-) ([music]Two[/music], [music]Fight[/music] (USA), [music]Hear 'n Aid[/music], [music]Lord Lucifer[/music], [music]Halford[/music],[music]Hiroshima[/music], [music]Thark[/music], [music]Athens Wood[/music], [music]Bullring Brummies[/music]) (Born 25th August 1951 Birmingham, England)
[music]Glenn Tipton[/music] - Guitar (1974-) ([music]The Flying Hat Band[/music]) (Born 25th October 1947 Birmingham, England)
[music]K.K. Downing[/music] - Guitar (1970-) ([music]The Freight[/music]) (Born 27th October 1951 Birmingham, England)
[music]Ian Hill[/music] - Bass (1970-) ([music]The Freight[/music]) (Born 20th January 1951 Birmingham, England)
[music]Scott Travis[/music] - Drums (1989-) ([music]Racer X[/music], [music]Fight[/music] (USA), [music]Hawk[/music], [music]The Scream[/music]) (Born (6th September 1961 Norfolk, United States of America)
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From Wikipedia:Judas Priest are an English heavy metal band from Birmingham, formed in 1968. Judas Priest's core line-up consists of vocalist Rob Halford, guitarists Glenn Tipton, K.K. Downing, and bassist Ian Hill. The band has gone through several drummers over the years, though Scott Travis has held the position since 1989. They have been cited as an influence on many heavy metal musicians and bands. Their popularity and status as one of the definitive heavy metal bands has earned them the nickname "Metal Gods" from their song of the same name. They have sold over 35 million albums worldwide.