ROB HALFORD
Rob Halford (born 25 August 1951) is an English singer and songwriter, who is best known as the lead vocalist for the Grammy Award-winning heavy metal band Judas Priest and famed for his powerful wide ranging voice. AllMusic says of Halford: “There have been few vocalists in the history of heavy metal whose singing style has been as influential and instantly recognizable”, possessing a voice which is “able to effortlessly alternate between a throaty growl and an ear-splitting falsetto”. Halford was voted number 33 in the greatest voices in rock by Planet Rock listeners in 2009. In addition to his work with Judas Priest, he has been involved with several side projects, including Fight, 2wo and Halford. In 1998, he came out as gay in an interview with MTV news making him the first openly gay singer in mainstream heavy metal music. (More from Wikipedia)
Judas Priest sounds like another band name with Satanic tinges, but actually, the phrase is sometimes used as a euphemism for the oath “Jesus Christ”. The popular English heavy metal band formed in 1969 and is still going strong. They are generally regarded as being one of the best in the business, with MTV ranking Judas Priest second on their list of “best metal bands”. Wikipedia says of the band: “Their influence, while mainly Rob Halford’s operatic vocal style (widely considered as one of the most unique vocalists in the genre) and the twin guitar sound of K.K. Downing and Glenn Tipton, has been adopted by many bands.”
Rob Halford is the first hard rock musician to come out as a gay man that I can recall, during an interview on MTV News in 1998.
(October 2014)
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