Origins (1969–1974)

Judas Priest were formed in 1969 in Birmingham, England, by lead vocalist Al Atkins and bassist Brian "Bruno" Stapenhill, with John Perry on guitars and John "Fezza" Partridge on drums. Perry took his own life at age 18, and amongst the replacements the band auditioned was future Judas Priest guitarist Kenneth "K.K." Downing; at the time, they turned him down in favour of 17-year-old multi-instrumentalist Ernest Chataway, who had played with Birmingham band Black Sabbath when they were still called Earth. Stapenhill came up with the name Judas Priest from Bob Dylan's song "The Ballad of Frankie Lee and Judas Priest" on the album John Wesley Harding. Partridge was replaced in 1970 by drummer Fred Woolley, who later re-joined Chataway and Stapenhill in the band Bullion. No member of that early line-up lasted long enough to play on the band's recordings, though several songs co-written by Atkins appeared on their first two albums.

Legacy and influence

Judas Priest have influenced a great deal of metal music since the late 1970s. The band's popularity and status as one of the exemplary and influential heavy metal bands has earned them the nickname "Metal Gods" from their song of the same name. They were ranked by MTV as the second "Greatest Metal Band" of all time (after Black Sabbath), and VH1 named them the 78th greatest artist of all time in 2010.

The band have sold over 50 million albums, including eleven top 30 albums in the United Kingdom. In the United States, the band had eleven consecutive albums to be certified gold, platinum or higher by the RIAA, starting with 1977's Sin After Sin.

Several metal bands have named themselves after classic era Judas Priest songs and albums, including Sinner, Exciter, Running Wild, Steeler and Tyrant.

Judas Priest's music has been cited as both influential and inspirational to many bands, including Accept, Annihilator, Anthrax, Cannibal Corpse, Dark Angel, Death, Death Angel, Def Leppard, Destruction, Dokken, Dream Theater, Exodus, Fates Warning, Flotsam and Jetsam, Heathen, Helloween, Iced Earth, Iron Maiden, Kreator, Megadeth, Mercyful Fate, Metal Church, Metallica, Mötley Crüe, Nuclear Assault, Obituary, Onslaught, Overkill, Pantera, Possessed, Queensrÿche, Sacrifice, Savatage, Saxon, Sepultura, Skid Row, Slayer, Sodom, Testament, Twisted Sister, Venom, Voivod, and W.A.S.P.