-Judas Priest-

The British heavy metal band Judas Priest formed in Birmingham in 1971, when former schoolmates K.K. Downing (guitar) and Ian Hill (bass) recruited vocalist Alan Atkins and drummer John Ellis to form a hard rock band. Cycling through various drummers, the band seemed to be floundering; Atkins left the group and was replaced by Hill's brother-in-law, Rob Halford. By 1974 Judas Priest had added a second guitarist,Glenn Tipton, toured the U.K. and Northern Europe, and signed a contract with a small London label, Gull Records. Their debut album, Rocka Rolla, was released in the fall of 1974, but due to poor production it failed to win the group many fans. The underground success of their second album, 1976's Sad Wings of Destiny earned the group a deal with the American major label CBS/Columbia, who released their next album, Sin After Sin, in early 1977.

Despite strong record company backing, Judas Priest still fought to break into the mainstream-- by 1977 punk rock had taken hold in Britain, and metal bands were suddenly passe. Their first American tour found them opening for R.E.O. Speedwagon,but slowly their U.S. following began to grow. 1978's Stained Class set the stage for their 1979 breakthrough album, Hell Bent For Leather (released in the U.K. asKilling Machine) and several successful U.S. tours, including a 1979 tour with KISS. Late in '79 the band released the live album Unleashed in the East, quickly followed by British Steel in early 1980. British Steel entered the U.K. charts at No. 3 and got some airplay in the U.S. with 'Breakin' the Law.' The album eventually went gold, and Judas Priest were now leaders of a 'new wave of British heavy metal.'

1981's Point of Entry was followed by several U.S. and European tours, solidifying the band's growing worldwide fan base. Their 1982 album Screaming for Vengeanceentered U.S. charts at No. 17 and went platinum -- Judas Priest finally could claim to be one of the more popular metal bands in the world. After taking a year off to record, the group returned in 1984 with Defenders of the Faith, followed in 1986 by Turbo in March, a more mainstream pop-metal effort with electronic effects and synthesizers that turned off many old fans but sold over a million copies. By 1987 the band was losing their British following, despite maintaining their popularity in the U.S. and Europe. A double-live album released that year did reach No. 33 in the U.K., but failed to go gold. Their raw 1988 album Ram It Down, featuring a cover of 'Johnny B. Goode,' was dismissed by critics who believed that Judas Priest were basically has-beens.

As the band began work on their next album in 1990, recording was interrupted by an event which made the group a household name in the U.S. - a $6.2 million dollar lawsuit claiming that subliminal messages in the 1978 song 'Better By You Better Than Me' caused two teenagers to commit suicide. Though the teenagers had grown up in abusive homes and were high on drugs at the time of their deaths, their parents claimed that 'backwards masking' in the Judas Priest classic had forced their children to spontaneously form a suicide pact and shoot themselves. After several weeks of testimony in a Reno, NV courtroom, Judge Jerry Whitehead ruled in favor of the band, putting an end to the media spectacle which surrounded the case.

After the case was concluded the band finished up Painkiller in time for a fall 1990 release. Though they were better known than ever, metal was losing its popularity, and the album was not a smash hit. Several compilations of old material were released by the band's record company when the group began to fall apart around 1993. Vocalist Rob Halford left to form a new group, Fight; he was replaced with 'Ripper' Owens, who had previously fronted a Judas Priest tribute band. Meanwhile, guitarist Glenn Tipton released a solo album, Baptizm of Fire.

In 1997 the group mounted a comeback with a new album, Jugulator - their first album featuring Owens' vocals - and an accompanying world tour. The following year they released a live album, Judas Priest '98 Live Meltdown, recorded during their world tour. Demolition, Priest's latest album (and first on their new label, Atlantic) was released in 2001.