ROB HALFORD 'Would Love' To See JUDAS PRIEST Inducted Into ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME While He Is Still Alive

JUDAS PRIEST singer Rob Halford says that he "would love" to see his band get inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame while he is still alive.

PRIEST was previously on the ballot for Rock Hall induction in 2020, but failed to receive enough votes to make that year's class.

Having been eligible for induction since 1999, PRIEST was also on the ballot for the 2018 class of the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, but was ultimately left out of the inductee list.

On February 2, it was announced that JUDAS PRIEST is among the nominees for the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame's class of 2022. Inductees will be announced in May. The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame 2022 induction ceremony will take place this fall. The date, venue, and on-sale information will be announced later.

Asked in a new interview with the Boston Globe if he welcomes that "sort of quote-unquote respectability, being canonized, as it were," Halford said: "Those are two great words, 'respect' and 'canonization.' I'll take both of those, because that's what it is.

"For the Rock Hall, you have to put about 25 years of your life into music, which we've done twice," the 70-year-old vocalist continued. "For us, it's as much about heavy metal music having its rightful representation as it is for anything else.

"The Hall is a beautiful place, because if you really love music and you pull down all the barriers about, 'Oh, I hate this band and I hate that band, I hate this music and I hate that music.' If you could throw it out the window, music is music is music. So what you're left with is looking at all these incredibly talented, powerful musicians, either bands or individual artists that have really poured their heart and soul out into their art, into their craft and shared it with probably billions of people by now.

"We're keeping our fingers crossed that we do get in," Rob added. "Personally, I'd love it. I think there's nothing wrong in celebrating each other's achievements. Because we all do the same thing. It doesn't matter whether we're in a country and western band or a soul band or a rapper, we all do the same thing. There's a connectivity in the craft that we make. We'll wait and see. I think it's gonna happen eventually. When I'm alive, please, would be nice."

Once again, the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame has named the individual bandmembers that will enter should their group get inducted.

For JUDAS PRIEST, they picked current members Halford, Ian Hill (bass),Glenn Tipton (guitar) and Scott Travis (drums),along with former members K.K. Downing (guitar),Les Binks (drums) and late drummer Dave Holland.

Back in October 2020, Halford said that the heavy metal genre "hasn't been respected enough" by the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. Asked in an interview with Word In Your Ear if he was "bothered" by the fact that PRIEST hasn't been inducted into the Rock Hall yet, Halford said: "Well, let's put it this way. You have all of these institutions here in America — you've got the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame for music; you've got the Basketball Hall Of Fame; you've got the Baseball Hall Of Fame; Football — you've got all of these places where, I think essentially, it's just a really nice, cool recognition of what you've done, the work that you've done and the things that you've achieved, the place that you've been put at, and so on and so forth.

"So, am I bothered if we ever get in? Not really. But I think we do deserve to be in there. Because I look at the list of people that are in there, and I feel that we have a place. And it would not only be for JUDAS PRIEST — it would be for British music, particularly British heavy metal music, and that's a beautiful achievement. [BLACK] SABBATH are in there, which is great. But I've always said that as far as what the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame represents, the genre of heavy metal music hasn't really been looked after enough and respected enough.

"So, I'd like to feel that eventually we will get in."

Even though artists are eligible for the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame 25 years after the release of their first album or single, iconic hard rock and metal bands like PRIEST, IRON MAIDEN and MOTÖRHEAD have yet to be recognized by the institution, which inducted GUNS N' ROSES in that group's first year of eligibility.

The Rock Hall didn't induct BLACK SABBATH until 2006, and METALLICA followed three years later.

Rock Hall rules state that artists become eligible a quarter century after their first records were released, but the Hall also claims that other "criteria include the influence and significance of the artists' contributions to the development and perpetuation of rock 'n' roll," which is, of course, open to interpretation.

Eligible for induction since 1999, KISS didn't get its first nomination until 2009, and was finally inducted in 2014.

DEEP PURPLE was eligible for the Rock Hall since 1993 but didn't get inducted until 2016.

After the 2020 Rock Hall inductees were announced in January of that year, JUDAS PRIEST guitarist Richie Faulkner said that it made no sense that DEPECHE MODE, Whitney Houston, NINE INCH NAILS and Biggie Smalls were going into the Rock Hall before PRIEST. "Hence why the Rock Hall holds no credibility for me and never has," he tweeted.

Last month, Hill and Halford told Billboard that they would be happy to stand alongside Downing at a hypothetical Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction later this year. "It's not a problem to us, no," Hill said. "Ken was an integral part of this band for a very, very long time. He deserves to be there along with the rest of us." Halford predicted that, "It won't be as awkward as Ace [Frehley] and Peter [Criss with KISS's Rock Hall induction]. I don't think it'll be awkward at all. I think you have to let all of that go because it's the night that matters. It's the moment that matters — but, again, the proverbial saying, we'll cross that bridge when we get to it."

Downing previously told Rockin' Metal Revival that there is a very good chance that he would perform with his former bandmates again if PRIEST gets the nod. "Oh, I think absolutely," he said. "I mean, why wouldn't you, really? It's a special thing. We're all of an age now. These opportunities only come once in a lifetime. And it seemingly takes a lifetime to get into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. I've always said, there's no such thing as a young legend, right? [Laughs] So, while we're still here, it would be great to receive that accolade and put on a great performance and put that one to bed."

A month before the start of PRIEST's tour in support of its latest album, "Firepower", Tipton bowed out due to the worsening of his Parkinson's disease, first diagnosed eight years ago (after being stricken by the degenerative condition at least half a decade earlier). His spot in the band is being filled by "Firepower" album producer Andy Sneap.