706255 fans
Leather-clad rockers, Judas Priest's original line-up in 1969 was only K.K. Downing and Ian Hill until, two years later, they completed the group with John Ellis and Ian Atkins who named the band after a Bob Dylan song. A shake-up of members in 1973 preceded the signing of the band by Decca before the release of debut album 'Rocka Rolla' in 1974 which failed to make any waves. Their second 'Sad Wings of Destiny' in 1976, on the other hand, put them very much on the metal map, before the band hit the top 30 on the Album Chart with 1977's 'Sin After Sin' and the morbid 'Stained Glass' in 1978. Entering the next decade the band enjoyed a particularly successful period with 'British Steel' featuring top 20 singles 'Living After Midnight' and 'Breaking the Law', then top 20 album hits 'Point of Entry', 'Screaming for Vengeance and 'Defenders of the Faith'. However, the suicide of two of their fans in 1985 led to the band being sued by the fans' parents over accusations of subliminal satanic messages. The case was finally concluded in 1990 against the parents but success had begun to elude the band, as they released a string of albums that would appeal mainly onyl to diehard fans. Front man Rob Halford left the group in 1991 and former tribute band singer Tim 'Ripper' Owens took his place in 1996 until, after an ever-growing demand for a reunion, Halford returned to the fold and the band released the album 'Angel of Retribution' in 2005. This went on to become a top 20 hit in the US and led to the hugely successful 'Retribution' global tour. 2008 came with the release of 'Nostradamus', a concept album based around the life of the 16th century French writer. They set out on a tour of the UK with Megadeth and Testament in 2009, later travelling across Europe and over to North America where they celebrated the 30th anniversary of 'British Steel' by performing the album in its entirety. After their 'Epitaph World Tour' of 2010 the band announced that they were taking a short break. However, after just a year the band revealed that they were back in the studio writing new material. Founding member K.K. Downing announced his retirement leaving Ian Hill as the only surviving original member. The new material became their 17th studio album 'Redeemer of Souls' which they released in 2014. Although it didn't sell a huge number of copies, it managed to reach number six on the Billboard 200 giving the band their first ever top ten album in the US. Shortly before the release of their 18th studio album 'Firepower' in 2018, Glenn Tipton revealed that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease and that he would be hanging up hat for now for the sake of his health. With talks of whether the band could go on without him, Tipton made an appearance on stage in New Jersey joining his bandmates to perform three songs.Artist biography compiled by BDS/West 10. All rights reserved
