On August 25th, 1951, Rob Halford was born. We all know the now 66-year-old metal god would go on to front Judas Priest, but here are 20 things you might not know about him:
1. Rob was influenced by the likes of Little Richard, Aretha Franklin and Robert Plant.
2. Before joining Priest, Rob was the vocalist for bands named Athens Wood, Abraxas, Thark and Hiroshima.
3. One of Rob’s pre-Priest jobs was as a manager of a movie theater.
4. Among the instruments Rob can play are guitar, bass, harmonica, keyboards and drums.
5. Halford wound up meeting co-founding Priest member Ian Hill because he was dating Rob’s sister.
6. In 1978, Priest released their fifth album, Killing Machine, which was known here as Hell Bent for Leather. After it’s release, Rob changed his style from gothic robes to leather and studs.
7. After the release of 1990’s Painkiller, Rob shaved his head because he said his receding hairline was getting annoying to keep up with.
8. During a 1991 show in Toronto, Rob rode onstage on a Harley-Davidson and crashed into a drum riser, falling off the bike and breaking his nose. Once he regained consciousness, he finished the show.
9. During his time out of Priest between 1991 and 2003, Rob formed the bands Fight and Halford, and the Trent Reznor-produced industrial-influenced project 2wo.
10. In 1986, Rob OD-ed on painkillers following a long period of drug and alcohol abuse. Since then, he has been clean and sober.
11. In 1998, Rob revealed he's gay. He said hiding his sexuality caused him lots of depression and after coming out, he’d “freed himself.”
12. Halford has filled in for Black Sabbath singers a few times. Twice in 1992 when then Sabbath singer Ronnie James Dio didn’t want to open a show for Ozzy Osbourne and once in 2004 when Ozzy had bronchitis.
13. Rob plays a sex shop clerk in the 2002 film Spun, which stars Mickey Rourke.
14. Halford appeared as a priest in a commercial for Virgin Mobile. His line in the ad was “Let us pray.”
15. Rob voiced himself in an episode of The Simpsons. On it, he sang a version of “Breaking the Law.”
16. It took to the age of 38 before Rob got a driver’s license.
17. Rob owns a number of classic cars including an Aston Martin and a Corvette.
18. Rob one day hopes to do a death metal album.
19. Halford lives in Phoenix but owns homes in San Diego, Amsterdam and England.
20. Along with his singing career, Rob also has a record company and a fashion line.
Happy birthday Rob! Don't go breaking the law tonight!
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