JUDAS PRIEST

The band Freight was formed by schoolmates Kenneth "K.K." Downing and Ian Hill in 1969. They quickly found drummer John Ellis and decided that they needed a vocalist. In 1970, a band called Judas Priest had broken up, and Al Atkins was out of a job. He was quickly hired by Ian and K.K., who then renamed their band to Judas Priest since the name was available. In late 1970, Al joined K.K. and Ian's band and brought the name with him, but the two were completely different entities. The two guitarists were not in the band at the same time. A 2-sings demo was recorded in July 1971 (with "Mind Conception" and "Holy Is the Man") and the band opened for acts like Budgie and Slade. That same year, drummer Alan "Skip" Moore came in for a brief while and was then replaced by Chris "Congo" Campbell. Al Atkins left in early 1973. Campbell thought the band had little future and left too. The band nearly broke up, before Ian Hill's girlfriend Sue suggested her brother Rob for a vocalist. He arrived in May 1973, bringing his Hiroshima bandmate, drummer John Hinch with him.

In April 1974, Glenn Tipton of the Flying Hat Band came in as the second guitarist, and an album, Rocka Rolla, was recorded for Gull Records. Gull wanted the band to add a horn section, but mercifully they refused, honing their guitar-driven attack instead. In the fall of 1975, Hinch was fired for incompetence, and "Skip" Moore returned. The band recorded the legendary Sad Wings of Destiny album and were signed by CBS records. Moore left and session drummer Simon Phillips appeared on the Sin After Sin album. A US tour opening for REO Speedwagon was booked and drummer Les Binks was found in June 1977. This line-up would record two studio albums and a legendary live release, Priest in the East. Then, Les Binks left - he disappeared for many years after an appearance in Tytan in 1981, possibly killed in a bizarre gardening accident, before surfacing in the Fainting Goats with former Iron Maiden guitarist Dennis Stratton in 1999.

Dave Holland was brought in and six studio albums and a live album were recorded with this line-up before Holland left in 1989, sick of the rock and roll lifestyle. Scott Travis of Racer X was found as a replacement and the album Painkiller was recorded, being released in 1990. As the band was preparing to record Painkiller, a lawsuit was filed in 1990 against them by the parents of two young men that had ostensibly attempted suicide (one succeeded, one failed and was left disfigured, dying sometime later of health complications) after allegedly listening to Stained Class backwards during a night of excessive alcohol and drug use. The parents alleged that hidden messages in the recordings had encouraged the teenagers to kill themselves. The lawsuit ran from July to August 1990 before ultimately being thrown out.

In July of 1991, Halford announced his departure (via fax!) effective the end of the tour. August 17th, 1991 was his last gig with Priest. He went on to form more modern-minded bands in Fight and Two, before returning to more familiar climes with the eponymous Halford project. Judas Priest stagnated for several years before finding vocalist Tim Ripper Owens of Winters Bane, who also played in a Priest tribute band. He was hired in 1996 and two studio albums and two live albums were recorded by this line-up. Constant rumours of a Halford reunion over the six-year tenure of Owens heated up around 2002 and ended up being confirmed in July 2003.

Judas Priest announced on December 7th, 2010 that their Epitaph World Tour would be the band's farewell tour. It should run up until 2012. K.K. Downing retired from the band as of April 20th, 2011. Following K.K. Downing's departure in 2011, guitarist Richie Faulkner was announced as his replacement. Despite earlier claims that the Epitaph tour would be their final world tour, the band clarified that they were not retiring from recording or performing entirely. The Epitaph World Tour concluded in 2012 and was later released as a live DVD and album.

In 2014, Judas Priest released Redeemer of Souls, their seventeenth studio album and the first to feature Richie Faulkner on guitar. The album was met with strong reviews from fans and critics alike and proved that the band still possessed the power and intensity that had defined their legendary career. The supporting world tour saw the band continue to perform to massive audiences around the globe. The following years brought numerous honors and celebrations of the band's legacy. In 2017, Judas Priest released the live album Battle Cry and embarked on additional touring activity. In 2018, they returned with the critically acclaimed Firepower album, produced by Tom Allom, Andy Sneap, and Mike Exeter. Firepower became one of the highest-charting albums of the band's career and was praised as one of their strongest releases in decades. During the Firepower touring cycle, guitarist Glenn Tipton revealed that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease and would step back from full-time touring duties. Producer and guitarist Andy Sneap stepped in as a live replacement while Tipton continued to make occasional guest appearances onstage with the band.

On September 26th, 2021, during a performance at the Louder Than Life festival in Kentucky, Richie Faulkner suffered a serious aortic aneurysm and complete aortic dissection while performing onstage. He was rushed into emergency surgery shortly afterward and survived the ordeal, later returning to performing after recovery. In 2022, Judas Priest celebrated over five decades of heavy metal dominance while continuing to tour worldwide. That same year, the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, receiving the Musical Excellence Award. Former members K.K. Downing and Les Binks reunited with the band for a special performance during the induction ceremony, marking a historic moment in Judas Priest history and celebrating their enduring influence on heavy metal music worldwide.