Metal star Rob joins Dolly in hall of fame as Judas Priest inducted
One of the Black Country’s music legends Rob Halford took to the stage with Dolly Parton for an unlikely duet at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame ceremony.
The heavy metal singer from Walsall was reunited with Judas Priest bandmates guitarist K.K. Downing, who lives in Bridgnorth and runs KK’s Steel Mill in Wolverhampton, for the special occasion.
They performed hits including Breaking The Law and Living After Midnight. “They defined the sound we call heavy metal,” Alice Cooper said inducting the band who were presented with the Musical Excellence Award. Halford praised the heavy metal community for being “all inclusive”.
“Hello, I’m the gay guy in the group,” Halford, who broke ground when he came out in 1998, said to open his acceptance speech. He closed it by declaring: “We live for heavy metal, we live for music, and we live for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.”
Dolly Parton was the headliner on Saturday night leading an all-star jam of her fellow inductees on her country classic Jolene with Duran Duran’s Simon Le Bon and even Judas Priest singer Rob Halford joining her on vocals.
Duran Duran were also inducted at the Microsoft Theatre in Los Angeles and overcame an early technical hitch that left the band inaudible. to although a technical hitch meant the band was inaudible other than singer Simon Le Bon, whose vocals were essentially acapella.
It was a fun if inauspicious beginning to a mostly slick and often triumphant show.
“The wonderful spontaneous world of rock ‘n’ roll!” the 64-year-old Le Bon shouted as the band stopped for a do-over. They kicked back in at full volume, playing a set that included Hungry Like The Wolf and Ordinary World. Missing was original guitarist Andy Taylor, who is four years into a fight with advanced prostate cancer.
Other big names inducted on the night included Lionel Richie, Eurythmics and Eminem.
