We’ll talk about a few of the unexpected aspects of Judas Priest’s life in this piece. These ten simple facts will give us a better understanding of the artist’s way of life.
In 1969, Judas Priest was founded in Birmingham, England. The group struggled with mediocrely produced records, frequent changes of drummers, and a lack of significant commercial success or attention until 1980 when they adopted a more simplistic sound on the album British Steel, which helped propel them to rock superstar status despite a body of innovative and pioneering work in the late 1970s.
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Some Fascinating Facts About Judas Priest
- Birmingham, England-based heavy metal group Judas Priest was founded in 1969.
- The 1967 song “The Ballad of Frankie Lee and Judas Priest” by Bob Dylan served as the band’s name inspiration. It was Bruno Stapenhill who thought up the name. Also, the band would frequently practice at Bob Dylan’s Stone Cross home.
- Judas Priest transformed the look of heavy metal. Their image of S&M leather, spikes, and other rather controversial and provocative apparel became well-known throughout the 1980s glam metal era, and they were famous for it.
- Judas Priest struggled throughout the 1970s due to constant lineup changes, uncooperative producers, and a general lack of significant economic success. Yet, once they embraced a simpler and more approachable style in the 1980s, everything dramatically changed for them.
- Judas Priest currently has 33 singles, 10 video albums, 6 live albums, 17 studio albums, and 6 compilation albums to their credit. Around 40 million records by the band have been sold worldwide, including 12 million in the US.
- Their 1980 album “British Steel” is the album responsible for their significant success and public attention during the era. “Breaking the Law”, “United”, and “Living After Midnight” were the tracks, released as singles. The Observer also named “British Steel” as the record that defined heavy metal.
- The album “British Steel” derives its name from Judas Priest guitarist Glen Tipton who was once an apprentice at British Steel – a metal manufacturing company.
- In 1985, two adolescents shot themselves after listening to Judas Priest’s album “Stained Class”. They were unsuccessfully sued by the mother of the child who survived. He claimed that subliminal messages on the song “Better By You, Better Than Me” had caused those suicide attempts.
- Judas Priest’s tenth studio album, titled “Turbo”, released in 1986, signified the band’s first use of guitar synthesizers.
- Before becoming the main singer of Judas Priest, Halford was a lighting engineer for stage productions. He transferred his passion for theatrics and light effects to the band’s concerts, by using various smoke machines, spotlights, and numerous other visual effects. A trademark of the band is his stage entrance on a motorcycle.
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