Born On This Day- August 25th... Rob Halford

I have received comments on this little spot on the Internet from readers noting my egalitarian music collection. Even I have been amused by my music choices as I re-alphabetized a stack of CDs.

The D section includes: D’Angelo, Dan Fogelberg, Damian Rice, Dave Matthews, David Bowie, David Gray, Dean Martin, Depeche Mode, Dexy’s Midnight Runners, Diana Ross, Dionne Warwick, Dolly Parton, Donna Summer, Doobie Brothers, Doors, Doris Day, Duke Ellington, Dwight Yokum, & Dusty Springfield. My music is heavy on Pop, R&B & Rock, but there are sufficient sprinklings of Dance, Hip-Hop, Classical, Opera, Bluegrass, Blues, Jazz, Latin, Gospel, Alternative & World Beat. Genres that are under-represented include: Polka, New Age, Choral, Christian, Arena Rock & absolutely zero Metal bands.

I was abashed & astonished while researching this post to find that there are actually gay Metal-Heads. Apparently it is not all about GaGa with the gays.

Robert John Arthur Halford, the British sexy, butch lead singer of the seminal Metal Band- Judas Priest has spoken about how he believes his decision to come out publicly as gay helped destroy the myth that metal fans & bands could not accept homosexuality.

Rob Halford: "There are areas of music that are more compassionate, more tolerant, more open, more accepting and more aware. What I think I have done is destroy the myth that heavy metal bands don’t have that capacity. The vast majority of fans did receive me well after he came out. "Those that didn't were the ones that have difficulty accepting people's sexual orientation in general. I think I made some people confront issues they were not ready to deal with."

Halford also said that, although he believed progress had been made in the metal community, there was still a way to go. Halford: "Heavy Metal now is a completely different world compared to Heavy Metal in 1980. The gay & lesbian world is very different now to what it was in 1980. We have all grown to some extent. There is still a long way to go. There are still a lot of issues that need to be addressed, but I think slowly but surely our lives are getting better."

Hiding in plain sight for 2 decades, the closeted Halford modeled his look on the gay leather scene, a drag then adopted by many other metal bands. Heavy Metal concerts & videos don’t appear to me to be much different than look & ambiance of a Saturday night at The Eagle, my neighborhood leather bar.
Halford was lead singer with Judas Priest from 1974-1992, electrifying fans & critics with his 4 octave voice & operatic style. In his personal life, he struggled with alcohol, drugs, & bad relationships. Halford hit bottom when after a terrible row, he caught a taxi, & his boyfriend then shot himself & died in front of him.

Halford cleaned up his life. He played with Pansy Division at gay pride parties in the late 1990s. He came out on MTV in 1998. In 2003, he reunited with Judas Priest. In 2008 the band released a reunion album- Nostradamus, & played on the Masters of Metal Tour. Halford has homes in Phoenix, San Diego, Amsterdam, & his native Walsall, England, also Boy George's hometown. Halford claims that after coming out, the support of the metal community has been "tremendous." Halford has stated that he is a huge Lady GaGa fan. I remain unimpressed by the metal genre, but I am intrigued & a more than a little turned on by him. He turns 60 years old today.

If I owned a Judas Priest CD it would be sitting next to Judy Garland in my collection. This Joan Baez cover is quite moving: