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Al Atkins | |
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Born | West Bromwich, West Midlands, England | 14 October 1947
Genres | Heavy metal, blues rock, hard rock |
Occupation(s) | Vocalist |
Years active | 1964–present |
Alan John Atkins (born 14 October 1947) [1] is an English heavy metal vocalist, best known for being the original lead vocalist and founder of Judas Priest.
Atkins formed what would become Judas Priest in 1969. With a wife and young daughter to support, Atkins was forced to drop out of Judas Priest "to get a 9-to-5 job" in May 1973. [2] Atkins' position as lead vocalist was succeeded by Rob Halford, who has remained the bands singer since. With Atkins out of the group, no founding members of the band remained (original members Brian "Bruno" Stapenhill, and John Partridge had left the band in 1970, and John Perry committed suicide in 1969).
As of 2012, Atkins fronts the band Atkins/May Project, which also features guitarist Paul May. [2] A press release dated 21 May 2011 stated that Atkins would be contributing session vocals for the heavy metal opera project, Lyraka. [3] In 2013, Atkins recorded a solo album of his favorite songs written between his days in Judas Priest and his Holy Rage days.
Lyraka
Judas Priest are an English heavy metal band formed in Birmingham in 1969. They have sold over 50 million albums and are frequently ranked as one of the greatest metal bands of all time. Despite an innovative and pioneering body of work in the latter half of the 1970s, the band struggled with indifferent record production and a lack of major commercial success until 1980, when the album British Steel brought them notable mainstream attention.
Robert John Arthur Halford is an English heavy metal singer. He is best known as the lead vocalist of Judas Priest, which was formed in 1969 and has received accolades such as the 2010 Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance. He has been noted for his powerful and wide ranging operatic vocal style and trademark leather-and-studs image, both of which have become iconic in heavy metal. He has also been involved with several side projects, including Fight, Two, and Halford.
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