Rob Halford recently spoke about some bands which he believes deserve Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction. The 2022 class of inductees were revealed earlier this week and it was noted once again, neither Judas Priest nor Rage Against the Machine could be found on the list of artists designated for induction under Rock Hall’s “Performer” category – which instead included Pat Benatar, Duran Duran, Eminem, Eurythmics, Dolly Parton, Lionel Richie, and Carly Simon.
However, Judas Priest did end up winning the “Musical Excellence” award, and the band’s current members Rob Halford, bassist Ian Hill, guitarist Glenn Tipton, and drummer Scott Travis, as well as the two former drummers Les Binks and Scott Travis and former guitarist K.K. Downing will all be inducted under the aforementioned category later this year.
Rob Halford names the bands he wants to get inducted
Halford, who is highly influential figure within the scene and someone who’s well acquainted with Rock Hall’s underrepresentation of metal bands during a new interview with Rolling Stone, was asked to name a few other iconic heavy metal outfits that he thinks should be inducted.
He replied:
“[Iron Maiden] would be my first shout-out. Motörhead deserve to be in, even posthumously. Are Scorpions in? Well, Scorpions … and I don’t want to get into the differences between metal and hard rock. As far as I feel, it’s who deserves. And I’d have to have a think on others.”
Halford is seemingly elated with the outcome and many fans have since quoted the fact that Judas Priest is going to be inducted under the “Musical Excellence” and not the “Performer” category (commonly accepted as Rock Hall’s “main” category) as another example of Rock Hall’s continued reluctance to recognize heavy metal artists.
When asked to comment on the long tradition of rock-critic establishment’s struggles to sideline heavy metal movements, sub-genres, and artists, Halford replied:
“I’ve said forever that metal has always been perceived by the academia of rock & roll … we’re the underdogs. We’re the black sheep of the rock & roll family. That certainly doesn’t appear to be the case now. I think with Priest being put in the Hall and you see the extraordinary list of people that have been inducted, hundreds of people, yes, we matter. We’re important. We have something to say. It’s a reference to the millions and millions and millions of metal fans around the world that adore this kind of music.”
