JUDAS PRIEST‘s Rob Halford says that he is excited to be nominated for the second time for the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction.
Having been eligible for induction since 1999, JUDAS PRIEST was on the ballot for last year’s class of the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, but ultimately didn’t clinch the nomination.
Earlier today, it was announced that JUDAS PRIEST is among the nominees for the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame‘s class of 2020. The top vote-getters will be announced in January and inducted May 2, 2020 at a ceremony at Cleveland’s Public Hall.
“It’s just another thrill, again, to be nominated,” Halford tells Billboard, “and so quickly because I know sometimes the nominations can get stretched out for quite a long period of time. So to get another one so quickly is wonderful and another great moment for the PRIEST and for our fans.
“There’s always a tinge of controversy about the Hall,” Halford adds, “but the fact that PRIEST is here again speaks volumes about the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame respecting heavy metal music, especially British heavy metal music.”
To be eligible for this year’s ballot, each nominee’s first single or album had to be released in 1994 or earlier.
A voter pool of more than 1,000 artists, historians, journalists and members of the music industry will select the new class. Fans will also have a chance to take part in the process by voting at RockHall.com or an interactive kiosk at the museum in Cleveland.
Halford, Les Binks, K.K. Downing, Ian Hill, Dave Holland, Glenn Tipton and Scott Travis are on the ballot for JUDAS PRIEST.
Downing, who left the band acrimoniously eight years ago, told BlastEcho in a 2016 interview that he “would be fine” with performing with his former bandmates at the Rock Hall induction ceremony if they were to ever receive the honor. Halford was also open to the idea of reuniting with Downing on the night, telling Billboard in 2017: “Everything’s on the table for anyone that’s been associated with PRIEST in and out of the band.”