Judas Priest frontman Rob Halford previously shared a brief but memorable encounter with Bob Dylan in a Classic Rock interview.
Various bands have taken their names from songs by other artists. From The Sisters of Mercy and Radiohead to Deep Purple and Motörhead, the practice of borrowing titles for band names is a tradition in the music world. Judas Priest itself, founded in Birmingham in 1969, derived its name from a Bob Dylan song, according to original bassist Brian ‘Bruno’ Stapenhill.
Meeting Bob Dylan
Years after adopting their name from Dylan’s ‘The Ballad Of Frankie Lee And Judas Priest,’ Halford had the chance to meet the singer-songwriter. He reflected on their encounter with the following words:
“I met Bob Dylan once, for about three minutes, when [Halford’s solo band] Fight were doing a show at the Sony Studios. One of the label people said: ‘Bob Dylan’s in the next room. Do you want to meet him?’ I’m like: [enthusiastically] ‘Yeah, who doesn’t want to meet Dylan?'”
Dylan’s Casual Reception
The frontman revealed the rest of their meeting, explaining:
“So this guy takes me round to this room. And there’s Bob, he’s got five or six chicks hanging out with him. This record guy goes: ‘Bob, here’s somebody I’d like to introduce you to, it’s Rob Halford, he’s from the British heavy metal band Judas Priest.’ And Bob goes: [spot-on Dylan impression] ‘Heeeeey, what’s goin’ on? What’s happenin’?’ And I go: ‘Hey Bob, it’s really nice to meet you.’ He goes: ‘Where ya from?’ and I say, ‘I’m from Birmingham.’ And he goes: ‘Birmingham? [pause]. How’s Ozzy doing?’ Then I was whisked off.”
Dylan has never officially recognized Judas Priest’s use of his song title, though it’s said he took ‘Judas Priest’ from an old euphemism actors used instead of saying ‘Jesus Christ!’ to avoid controversy. Dylan’s song ‘The Ballad of Frankie Lee and Judas Priest’ was included in his album ‘John Wesley Harding.’
This song tells a tragic story of two friends, with one suffering a dire end. The band’s name was officially registered by the band’s first manager, David Corke, before their debut album, ‘Rocka Rolla,’ was released.
