According to Tim ‘Ripper’ Owens, Rob Halford had issues with him replacing him in Judas Priest.
“Well, listen, I was confident. They were confident with my voice,” the singer told The Vinyl Guide podcast about his prep for replacing Halford. “I knew some fans wouldn’t like me, but I also knew that I could sing really good, and I could sing really good live.”
He continued, “One advantage I felt I had as a singer was I could sing what I recorded in the studio; whatever I recorded, I’m gonna be able to sing that live. And I felt when fans came to the show, they would be happy that they have someone who’s coming in the Judas Priest that could still keep the voice going.”
“So if someone didn’t like me, there’s nothing I could do. K.K. [Downing, then-Priest guitarist] used to always say, ‘The proof is in the pudding. Come to the show and see.’ And I think a lot of people used to come to the shows and they just couldn’t wait to hate me,” Owens revealed.
The rocker went on to say, “They hated me showing up and wanted me to fail. And so many of ’em, I’d win ’em over when I started singing because they could tell that I loved it; I loved what I was singing, and I wanted to do the songs justice. So I always felt confident.”
When asked if he had any contact with Halford back then, Owens said, “No, just in the press. They always tried to get us to say mean things and bad things. And every now and then, one of us would say something. Now, this was pre-Internet. So, I couldn’t imagine doing that nowadays, how screwed up it would be.”
“But, no, because there was a respect. I don’t think Rob liked me much, probably at the time, because someone’s going to his band, his songs and singing this, but we always had this respect. And when we met each other, we always had great talks,” the vocalist further shared.
He added, “And I think it made a lot of people mad that we liked each other. I think it made a lot of people mad, and I think it still does. But whenever I’ve seen him, I love talking to him, and he knows what’s going on with me, and he’s, like, ‘Oh, I see that you’re playing in Russia,’ whatever.”
Halford left Judas Priest in 1992. In 1996, the band returned with Owens replacing him. After two albums, Halford rejoined in 2003. Owens also recorded two live albums, and a DVD with the band. He co-wrote one song, ‘What’s My Name?’, a bonus track on ‘Demolition.’
