JUDAS PRIEST will be inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame this year. PRIEST will receive the Musical Excellence Award at the event, which will honor Eminem, Dolly Parton, DURAN DURAN, Lionel Richie, Pat Benatar, EURYTHMICS and Carly Simon in the Performers category.
According to the Hall Of Fame, the JUDAS PRIEST members that will get inducted include current members Rob Halford (vocals),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.
In a new interview with Rolling Stone, Halford was asked if the Rock Hall made “the right calls” in terms of which members of PRIEST will get inducted. He responded: “Absolutely, yes. Absolutely. In terms of ticking the boxes of how long you’ve got to be in, and this, that and the other, yes. Whoever has been attached and related to JUDAS PRIEST has had a role to play. I think the significance of the way they’ve chosen these particular musicians is correct.”
As for whether he is open to performing with Downing and Binks at the ceremony, Halford said: “Absolutely. As I said before, you’ve got to push aside anything that gets in the way. You’ve got to remove the emotional clutter and just reference this great celebration. Otherwise, if you don’t do that, and you leave the building, a couple of years later you’ll go, ‘What the hell? Why didn’t we do that?’ It’s a few hours, but those few hours last forever.
“We’ve seen it time and time again with the Rock Hall. ‘She’s coming, he’s not coming, why isn’t he coming? He said this, and he said that,'” he continued. “All this drama. The music matters. It’s all about the music. It’s all about the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction.”
Earlier this week, Halford said that Tipton — who’s battling Parkinson’s disease but was on the road playing during the encores of PRIEST‘s latest North American tour — will likely be in attendance at the ceremony.
The 2022 Rock Hall induction ceremony will be held on November 5 at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. It will air at a later date on HBO and stream on HBO Max. There will also be a radio simulcast on SiriusXM‘s Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Radio channel 310.
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 Tipton‘s decision to retire from touring.
In February, Hill and Halford told Billboard that they would be happy to stand alongside Downing at a 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.”
In 2019, Halford was asked by Fox Sports 910‘s “Freak Nation” if fans could expect to see any of the former PRIEST members joining the band on stage during a Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction. He responded: “With something like the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, there’s a tinge of ‘what if’ [and] ‘whatever.’ It’s an open book.
“I know what you’re alluding to, and as I’ve had to [say] in the past, it’s just a case of ‘wait and see,'” he continued. “But it’s a celebration, and it’s 50 years of PRIEST, and, man, it’s gonna be great. Should we get in, it’s gonna be amazing.”
After host Kenny Sargent brought up the original KISS lineup’s controversial 2014 Rock Hall induction which was at least partly overshadowed by the musicians’ decision not to perform, Halford said: “[PRIEST is] not the first band that this has happened to, and on the day, some things turn out the way a lot of people want ’em.
“I was thinking about this the other day,” Halford added. “And this thing came into my head: ‘Jim, the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, or of the one.’ Spock [in] ‘Star Trek’. When he goes in the radiation room. Isn’t that great? … That’s a t-shirt, or an inspirational card.”
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.”