Rob Halford has urged JUDAS PRIEST fans to keep voting for the band to be finally inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.
PRIEST is trailing Eminem, DURAN DURAN, Pat Benatar, Dolly Parton and EURYTHMICS in the fan vote for this year’s Rock Hall induction class.
Now through April 29, fans can vote every day through the Hall Of Fame‘s web site. The top five artists, as selected by the public, will comprise a “fans’ ballot” that will be tallied along with the other ballots to select the 2022 inductees.
PRIEST was previously on the ballot for Rock Hall induction in 2020, but failed to receive enough votes to make that year’s class.
Having been eligible for induction since 1999, PRIEST was also on the ballot for the 2018 class of the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, but was ultimately left out of the inductee list.
On February 2, it was announced that JUDAS PRIEST is among the nominees for the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame‘s class of 2022. Inductees will be announced in May. The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame 2022 induction ceremony will take place this fall. The date, venue, and on-sale information will be announced later.
In a new interview with Remy Maxwell of Audacy Check In, Halford stated about PRIEST‘s latest nomination: “Like I said on the first nomination, and I’ll say it on this one, for us it’s all about getting some more metal into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. It’s a great establishment as far as what it should be and do, which is to represent all of these figures in music. It’s always a place that’s full of emotion and passion ’cause that’s what music generates. So, we urge our fans to keep voting, ’cause you have to get top five, for whatever reason. We did that the last two times, I think, which gives you a little bit of a cherry on the cake, if that’s the right expression; it helps you get through the door a little bit more. But it’s important. And the thing is let’s have fun with this. There’s a lot of stuff going on in the world right now. This is cool; this is fun. Let’s get some more metal in there and celebrate the success together.”
Once again, the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame has named the individual bandmembers that will enter should their group get inducted.
For JUDAS PRIEST, they picked current members Halford, Ian Hill (bass), Glenn Tipton (guitar) and Scott Travis (drums), along with former members K.K. Downing (guitar), Les Binks (drums) and late drummer Dave Holland.
Back in October 2020, Halford said that the heavy metal genre “hasn’t been respected enough” by the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. Asked in an interview with Word In Your Ear if he was “bothered” by the fact that PRIEST hasn’t been inducted into the Rock Hall yet, Halford said: “Well, let’s put it this way. You have all of these institutions here in America — you’ve got the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame for music; you’ve got the Basketball Hall Of Fame; you’ve got the Baseball Hall Of Fame; Football — you’ve got all of these places where, I think essentially, it’s just a really nice, cool recognition of what you’ve done, the work that you’ve done and the things that you’ve achieved, the place that you’ve been put at, and so on and so forth.
“So, am I bothered if we ever get in? Not really. But I think we do deserve to be in there. Because I look at the list of people that are in there, and I feel that we have a place. And it would not only be for JUDAS PRIEST — it would be for British music, particularly British heavy metal music, and that’s a beautiful achievement. [BLACK] SABBATH are in there, which is great. But I’ve always said that as far as what the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame represents, the genre of heavy metal music hasn’t really been looked after enough and respected enough.
“So, I’d like to feel that eventually we will get in.”
Even though artists are eligible for the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame 25 years after the release of their first album or single, iconic hard rock and metal bands like PRIEST, IRON MAIDEN and MOTÖRHEAD have yet to be recognized by the institution, which inducted GUNS N’ ROSES in that group’s first year of eligibility.
The Rock Hall didn’t induct BLACK SABBATH until 2006, and METALLICA followed three years later.
Rock Hall rules state that artists become eligible a quarter century after their first records were released, but the Hall also claims that other “criteria include the influence and significance of the artists’ contributions to the development and perpetuation of rock ‘n’ roll,” which is, of course, open to interpretation.
Eligible for induction since 1999, KISS didn’t get its first nomination until 2009, and was finally inducted in 2014.
DEEP PURPLE was eligible for the Rock Hall since 1993 but didn’t get inducted until 2016.
After the 2020 Rock Hall inductees were announced in January of that year, JUDAS PRIEST guitarist Richie Faulkner said that it made no sense that DEPECHE MODE, Whitney Houston, NINE INCH NAILS and Biggie Smalls were going into the Rock Hall before PRIEST. “Hence why the Rock Hall holds no credibility for me and never has,” he tweeted.
Two weeks ago, Halford and JUDAS PRIEST bassist Ian Hill told Billboard that they would be happy to stand alongside founding guitarist K.K. Downing at a hypothetical Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction later this year. “It’s not a problem to us, no,” Hill said. “Ken was an integral part of this band for a very, very long time. He deserves to be there along with the rest of us.” Halford predicted that, “It won’t be as awkward as Ace [Frehley] and Peter [Criss with KISS‘s Rock Hall induction]. I don’t think it’ll be awkward at all. I think you have to let all of that go because it’s the night that matters. It’s the moment that matters — but, again, the proverbial saying, we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.”
Downing previously told Rockin’ Metal Revival that there is a very good chance that he would perform with his former bandmates again if PRIEST gets the nod. “Oh, I think absolutely,” he said. “I mean, why wouldn’t you, really? It’s a special thing. We’re all of an age now. These opportunities only come once in a lifetime. And it seemingly takes a lifetime to get into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. I’ve always said, there’s no such thing as a young legend, right? [Laughs] So, while we’re still here, it would be great to receive that accolade and put on a great performance and put that one to bed.”
Downing left PRIEST in 2011 amid claims of band conflict, shoddy management and declining quality of performance.
In 2019, Downing said that he reached out to JUDAS PRIEST about taking part in the band’s 50th-anniversary tour but that their response was that they were not interested in including him in the celebrations.
In 2018, Downing revealed that he sent two resignation letters to his bandmates when he decided to quit JUDAS PRIEST. The first was described as “a graceful exit note, implying a smooth retirement from music,” while the second was “angrier, laying out all of his frustrations with specific parties.”
Downing later said that he believed the second letter was “a key reason” he wasn’t invited to rejoin PRIEST after Glenn Tipton‘s decision to retire from touring.
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