Rob Halford is called one of the most famous vocalists of our time. He managed to make a significant contribution to the development of heavy music. This earned him the nickname "God of Metal".
Rob is known as the mastermind and frontman of the heavy metal band Judas Priest. Despite his age, he continues to be active in touring and creative activities. In addition, Halford is developing a solo career.
Journalists are also interested in the musician because he belongs to sexual minorities. This became known in the late 1990s. Fans were not upset when they learned about the unconventional sexual orientation of the idol. They knew about it when Rob went on stage in tight leather outfits, demonstrating not very decent gestures with a microphone on stage.
Childhood and youth Rob Halford
Robert John Arthur Halford (full celebrity name) was born on August 25, 1951 in England. The parents of the future idol of millions were not connected with creativity. The head of the family worked as a steelmaker, and his mother was an ordinary housewife. Later, the woman got a job in a kindergarten. Rob grew up in a large family.
He enjoyed going to school. According to the star, he could not be called a boy who did not do well in his studies. But if he did not like the subject, then he simply did not teach it. Rob loved the humanities. In particular, he gladly attended the lessons of history, English and music.
Interest in music arose in a young man when he was a teenager. Then he sang in the school choir and did not suspect that an ordinary hobby would soon grow into the love of his life. At the age of 15, Rob first became part of a local rock band.
Thakk (the band that Rob joined) was known to a small circle of people. The frontman of the team was a school teacher. The musicians did not perform their own compositions, but only covered the popular tracks of the existing bands. Then Rob did not yet dream of a professional career as a musician. After graduating from high school, he did not know what to do next and what profession to choose.
Soon, a newspaper fell into the hands of the guy, in which an announcement was posted that the Bolshoi Theater in Wolverhampton needed an employee. There, Rob worked as an apprentice lighting engineer, and even played a few small roles on the big stage. It was after working in the theater that he had a desire to choose a creative profession.
The creative path of Rob Halford
Rob felt an interest in music, but in his youth he could not decide for a long time what he wanted to do. The only thing the guy wanted for sure was to perform on stage.
“After leaving the theater, I was completely at a loss. I didn't know for sure whether I would pursue music or develop my acting talent. After torment, I created a band called Lord Lucifer. A little later, they learned about my brainchild as Hiroshima. That's when I fell in love with rock music. Love for this genre doubled after I became part of Judas Priest,” said Rob Halford.
In the early 1970s, the band members Judas Priest We were looking for a new vocalist and drummer. The guys were looking for a replacement for Alan Atkins. During this period of time, bassist Ian Hill was in a serious relationship with a charming girl named Sue Halford. She suggested her brother Robert for the role of vocalist.
Halford's audition soon took place in a small apartment. The musicians were pleasantly surprised by his vocal abilities, and therefore they approved him for the role of the main frontman. Then the singer recommended John Hinch as a drummer. The presented musician was listed in Rob Hiroshima's band. After the formation of the team, there were grueling rehearsals.
The mid-1970s was remembered by the band's fans for the presentation of their debut single. We are talking about the composition Rocka Rolla. Some time later, the musicians released their self-titled debut LP.
Soon the band's discography was enriched with records
- Sad Wings of Destiny;
- stained class;
- Kill Machine.
In the early 1980s, the musicians released another record. The collection was called British Steel. The compositions that were included in the album were short in time. The musicians made a bet that they would be played on the radio. The next LP Point of Entry increased the band's popularity by several times. He was appreciated not only by "fans", but also by music critics.
Successful albums
The disc Screaming for Vengeance, which was presented in 1982, gained significant success in America. In particular, residents of the United States noted the song You've Got Another Thing Comin'. Only a few years are left before the release of the most popular collection of the band's discography.
In the mid-1980s, Defenders of the Faith was released. From a commercial point of view, the album has become a real "top". The compositions included in the LP took a leading position in the prestigious charts. The release of the album was accompanied by a massive tour.
Turbo was released a few years later. The tracks that were included in the album were fully consistent with the new technology for creating heavy metal music. So, guitar synthesizers were used in the recordings of songs.
In the late 1980s, the musicians presented the album Ramit Down. A few years later - the ultra-fast LP Painkiller, on which the Judas Priest group demonstrated the perfect technique of performing compositions combined with high speed.
Departure of the artist from the group
Together with the band, Halford recorded 15 worthy albums. The musician said that he was not going to stop there. Almost every longplay had a track, which later gained the title of an immortal hit.
When the musicians toured the world in support of the Painkiller record, at one of the performances Rob rode onto the stage on a powerful Harley-Davidson iron horse. The man was dressed in daring leather things. There was an accident on stage. The fact is that the singer, due to a cloud of thick dry ice, did not see the lift of the drum kit and crashed into it. For a few minutes he lost consciousness. After the concert, the rocker was hospitalized.
After this incident, for some time, Rob disappeared from the sight of the fans. Many talked about the fact that he left the team. In the early 1990s, the musician said that he had created his own brainchild. Halford's band was named Fight. In addition, he created an organization that helped young musicians get on their feet.
Journalists spread rumors that the musician left the Judas Priest band due to HIV infection. The rocker did not comment on the rumors, firmly holding the intrigue. This only increased genuine interest in Rob.
Solo career Rob Halford
After the musician failed to sign the new Fight team on CBS, with whom a contract was signed with the Judas Priest group, he officially announced that he was leaving the Judas Priest group, in which he received fame and recognition. Thus, there were no rumors about HIV infection.
The Fight project became the first independent team. In addition to Rob, the team included:
- Scott Travis;
- Jay Jay;
- Brian Tails;
- Russ Parrish.
The band's discography includes two full-length LPs. We are talking about the records War of Words and A Small Deadly Space. The first compilation is a rough metal record, while the compositions of the second album had a grunge "tinge". After the release of the first LP, the musicians also presented the Mutations EP.
Fans underestimated the efforts of their idol. Both records were very coldly received by the public, which hurt Rob's feelings very much. In addition, the musician did not take into account changes in musical trends. His work did not correspond to the motives of grunge and alternative rock. Rob announced the dissolution of the group.
"God of metal" did not remain without work. Halford and guitarist John Lowry formed a new project called 2wo. The group was produced by Trent Reznor. The works that were released under this name were recorded by the musicians on the label Nothing Records.
Halford did not find a place for himself. He dreamed of returning to his metal roots, and what was coming out at that time hurt the vocalist's ear very much. He managed to fully realize this after the creation of the Halford group. The new project included Bobby Jarzombek, Patrick Lachman, Mike Klasiak and Ray Rindo.
New tracks and contracts
Soon, the presentation of the composition Silent Screams took place on the official website of the musician. After that, Sanctuary offered the artist to sign a contract on very favorable terms. In the early 2000s, the musicians of the new band presented the album Resurrection. The LP was produced by Roy Z. Music critics and fans received the LP very warmly. And they noted that this is Halford's best work in his entire creative career.
An extensive tour followed the presentation of the record. As part of the tour, the musicians visited more than 100 cities. The band's debut world tour was released on the live album Live Insurrection.
After a large-scale tour, the musicians took up solo work. However, this did not stop them from preparing the band's second studio album, Crucible, which was released in 2002.
As with the release of the first album, Crucible was received very warmly by the fans. In support of the record, the musicians went on tour. The LP was released on Metal-Is / Sanctuary Records.
The band soon left Sanctuary Records. The fact is that the label was practically not engaged in the "promotion" of the second studio album. Rob planned to record a third album at his own expense. Fans were looking forward to the release of the LP. However, in 2003, Rob announced his return to the Judas Priest group.
Return to Judas Priest
For a long time, Rob spoke about the fact that he was not going to return to the Judas Priest team. But in 2003, one of the band's musicians said that he hoped for the return of the vocalist to the band.
In 2003, Rob announced that he was returning to the team. Soon the guys presented the LP Angel of Retribution, and then the video collection Rising in the East. The disc recorded performances of musicians in Tokyo.
Five years later, Rob and the band members presented a conceptual LP. We are talking about the collection Nostradamus (2008). In the same period of time, musician Halford Metal Mike confirmed the rumors about the release of a new album by Rob Halford's solo band.
Details of the personal life of musician Rob Halford
In the late 1990s, in one of his interviews, Rob spoke about his sexual orientation. As it turned out, the musician is gay. Halford admitted to reporters that he was very worried that fans would turn away from him after this news. As it turned out, there was nothing to worry about. The love of the "fans" was so great that the reputation of the rocker did not deteriorate.
In 2020, another juicy news became known. Judas Priest frontman Rob Halford spoke in his memoir about sexual relations with military personnel from Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base.
Rob never talked about the names of lovers. Therefore, there is no data on whether his heart is occupied or free.
Rob Halford at present
Rob continues to develop his creative career. The rocker performs both with the Judas Priest group and solo. In 2020, the book of his memoirs "Confession" was published. Fans are waiting for interesting stories about Rob and his colleagues on stage.
