Rob Halford Gives His Real Thoughts on Judas Priest's 'Musical Excellence' Entry into Rock Hall

Rob Halford Gives His Real Thoughts on Judas Priest’s ‘Musical Excellence’ Entry into Rock Hall

2022-08-06

Judas Priest – Story by Cat Badra, photo Travis Shin

What does Judas Priest frontman Rob Halford thing about the band getting the “Musical Excellence Award” at this year’s Rock Hall induction?

Judas Priest will be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame this fall, but not the way traditional performers make it in. Instead of getting voted in, the legendary metal band is getting inducted via the “Musical Excellence Award.” So, what does frontman Rob Halford think of it?

First of all, let’s figure out what the “Musical Excellence Award” really means. On the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame website, it states, “The Award for Musical Excellence shall be given to artists, musicians, songwriters and producers whose originality and influence creating music have had a dramatic impact on music.”

Speaking with the Arizona Republic about getting the “Musical Excellence Award,” Halford stated, “Why haven’t they given us the the same title as all of our friends. Black Sabbath, for example. There’s a different tag, isn’t there?”

He added, “Yeah, I was pissed. I was a bit pissed. At the end of the day, does it matter? Some days, I go, ‘No, it doesn’t matter. We’re in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Be grateful. Shut the hell up.’ And then there are other days where I’m like, ‘…Why did they give us the Musical Excellence Award?'”

He continued, “It sounds very, you know, grandiose. ‘The Musical Excellence Award, reserved for blah, blah, blah.’ And I’m like, ‘Yeah, but I want to be with that bunch of musicians over there that have got the performance or whatever it is that they’ve got.’ I don’t know why they gave us the Musical Excellence Award. I have no clue.”

Later in the interview, Halford concluded, “It’s like, ‘Great. Everybody else got that and we got shafted with this.’ [Laughs] Judas Priest are still the Rodney Dangerfield of heavy metal. They can’t get no respect.”

In other news, Judas Priest will continue to celebrate their 50th anniversary this fall with a U.S. tour with support from Queensrÿche. Find tour dates here.

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Cat Badra

Meet the expert - Cat Badra is a music writer for Audio Ink Radio and a range of other music, sports and lifestyle publications. She's a graduate of Michigan State University with a master's degree in theater and speech. Contact her at cat@audioinkradio.com.