Rob Halford Pics

Rob

Halford

25 August 1951

69

Athletic

Brown - Dark

Bald

Walsall, England

Virgo

White

Christian

Judas Priest

Male

British

Soundtrack, Actor/Actress, Composer

1

Robert John Arthur Halford (born August 25, 1951) is an English singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist for the heavy metal band Judas Priest. Halford has a four-and-a-half octave vocal range (D2-B5). He is one of the most respected singers of heavy metal and rock music with a quasi-operatic vocal style and high-pitched screams. He has been nicknamed "Metal God" as a tribute to his influence on metal. He currently lives in Phoenix, Arizona, US, though he also maintains residences in San Diego, California and Amsterdam, Netherlands, as well as a home in his native Walsall, United Kingdom. Halford was born and raised in Walsall, a town to the northwest of Birmingham, in England`s West Midlands. He sang for numerous bands including Athens Wood, Lord Lucifer, Abraxas, Thark and Hiroshima. In 1973, founding Judas Priest member Ian Hill was dating a woman from nearby town Walsall who suggested that her brother, Robert Halford, be considered as a singer for the band. Halford, a former cinema manager, joined the band, bringing with him drummer John Hinch from his previous band, Hiroshima. In August 1974, the band debuted with the single "Rocka Rolla", before releasing an album of the same name a month later. The next albums were Sad Wings of Destiny (1976), which included a variety of old material; 1977`s Sin After Sin; and 1978`s Stained Class and Killing Machine (released in America as Hell Bent for Leather). Judas Priest, c. 1977. (left to right) Hill, Downing, Halford & TiptonIn 1980, the band released British Steel. The songs were shorter and had more mainstream radio hooks, but retained the heavy metal feel. They released Point of Entry in 1981, featuring the song "Heading Out to the Highway". The 1982 album Screaming for Vengeance had a song, "You`ve Got Another Thing Comin`," which garnered strong US radio airplay, and the popular follow-up Defenders of the Faith. Turbo was released in 1986, during the glam metal era. In 1988, Ram it Down was released, showcasing re-recorded material that was scrapped from the Turbo years. In 1990, the Painkiller album dropped the 1980s-style synthesisers for almost all of the songs. Judas Priest recorded twelve studio and two concert albums which garnered different degrees of critical and financial success. Overall, the band has sold in excess of 30 million records globally. After seeing their popularity gradually waning over the years, Judas Priest figured they needed to start from a new beginning. In August of 1990, Judas Priest released Painkiller which would prove to be their biggest success in eight years.[citation needed] Along with a change in musical style, the band`s look changed as well. Rob Halford emerged with all-new tattoos, including a bent Judas Priest cross on his right arm and ring around his other, as well as a few on his shoulders. He also began shaving his head for the first time, claiming that his receding hairline was getting annoying to keep up with. During the tour for Painkiller, Halford rode onstage on a large Harley-Davidson motorcycle, dressed in motorcycle leathers, as part of the show. He collided with a drum riser and fell off the motorcycle, breaking his nose. After regaining consciousness, Halford returned and performed the whole concert. In the band`s Behind the Music episode, Halford 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. However, during an interview with Bernard Perusse of The Gazette (August 1, 2007), he is quoted as saying "And it absolutely did not [lead me to leaving the band]. It was just an accident." After a 20-year career with Judas Priest, Halford announced to the band on July 4, 1991 that he was leaving the band, and he also sued their label, Sony, for restrictive practices. Halford would leave the band in May 1992. Fight and 2wo He first formed the band Fight with Judas Priest drummer Scott Travis, bassist Jay Jay and guitarists Brian Tilse and Russ Parish recording two albums between 1993 and 1995: "War of Words" (1993) and, after Parish`s departure and his replacement by Mark Chausee, "A Small Deadly Space" (1995). While the first one was a straightforward tough and solid metal record, the second record had a grungier sound, making it less appealing for fans who had developed a taste for his debut album. In between both albums, Fight released an EP, "Mutations", featuring "War of Words" studio versions, live cuts and alternate mixes. Immediately before this, Halford had recorded a track called "Light Comes Out of Black" for the 1992 movie Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The song featured music provided by Pantera, although their contribution is uncredited. After Fight, he collaborated with guitarist John Lowery in an industrial-influenced project called 2wo which was produced by Trent Reznor and released on his Nothing Record

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rob_Halford

Robert John Arthur Halford

1

www.robhalford.com/index.php

Robert John Arthur "Rob" Halford (born 25 August 1951) is an English singer-songwriter, who is best known as the lead vocalist for the Grammy Award-winning heavy metal band Judas Priest. He is nicknamed "Metal God" as a tribute to his influence on metal, and after the Judas Priest song of the same name from 1980's British Steel. He is considered one of the most consistently powerful singers in rock, having possessed a near five-octave range during his prime, and currently possessing a near four-octave range and is particularly known for his high-pitched, operatic, soaring vocals. In addition to his work with Judas Priest, he has been involved with several side projects, including Fight, 2wo and Halford.

60

Singer