Tim “Ripper” Owens Shreds Judas Priest Over Not Including Him in Rock Hall Induction
When Judas Priest finally got the nod to enter the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last year, only the current lineup of Rob Halford, Scott Travis, Ian Hill, and Glenn Tipton got in, along with former members Les Binks, Dave Holland, and K.K. Downing. One name that’s inexplicably missing — especially given his supposed friendship with the rest of the band — was ex-vocalist Tim “Ripper” Owens.
You may or may not recall, but Owens was a member of the band from 1996 to 2003. During that time, he recorded two albums (1997’s Jugulator and 2001’s Demoliton) and was featured in two of the band’s live albums: 1998’s 98′ Live Meltdown and 2003’s Live In London. He was picked for his vocal chops after videos of his Judas Priest covers made their way to the band, who was actively looking for a replacement for Rob Halford following his departure from the band. For all intents and purposes, he helped save metal and Priest as a whole.
And it’s with all that preamble to say that his absence in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame under the Judas Priest banner seems to have finally pissed him off. During a recent interview with “Chris Akin Presents,” Owens was on to chat about his involvement in KK’s Priest and shared his feelings on the matter and called out his former bandmates, if at least a bit indirectly.
“I was a little shocked that I didn’t even get a call, more than anything. Listen, that happens. There’s no rules. Everybody keeps saying, ‘there’s got to be this rule or that rule.’ I’m like… I don’t know. One guy was in prison, and another guy was in the band two years. One who sexually molests a guy in a wheelchair gets in, then I guess anybody can.
“Listen, I get it, and that’s alright, but not getting a call is what shocked me. You know, just ‘hey, we’re going in but you’re not going to go in too but thanks for all of it.’ Or not even a mention on stage. You could have at least been inducted into the Hall of Fame and said ‘hey we also wanna…’ I mean, listen, to be honest, Richie should have went in too. He’s been in the band 11 or 12 years at that point, or whatever it was. Richie was able to be there at least.
“It is what it is. It shows the character of some people and how they roll. I think that puts the management in not a great light for not even saying anything. Actually, no member even called. Nobody called.”
As someone who fondly remembers Ripper’s time with Judas Priest, it is a bit galling to think the dude wasn’t even mentioned by the band during their acceptance speeches. Without him, the band kinda goes nowhere after Halford leaves. Oh and listen to “Cathedral Spires” and tell me that motherfucker didn’t put out absolutely killer tracks with Priest.
