Rob Halford , vocalist for Judas Priest and member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, spoke about which bands he would like to see inducted into the institution. His band was inducted in 2022.
Full Metal Jackie podcast [ via Loudwire ], the Metal God said:
“ [Iron] Maiden …and Motörhead. There’s a long list, but these are the ones that should be included immediately.”
Halford also spoke about Ozzy Osbourne , who will be introduced again .
“Ozzy, we love him, don’t we? He deserves his solo moment, because if you look at his trajectory, his solo career, it needs to be recognized. It’s overdue. So I’m very, very happy that Ozzy is having this great moment for him in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame,” said Halford.
Iron Maiden and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
To give you an idea, Iron Maiden has been eligible for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame since 2005, the year their debut album celebrated its 25th anniversary. However, the institution has never recognized the group due to its history of conflicts with heavy metal and its subgenres.
Iron Maiden was nominated twice, in 2011 and 2023. The first nominees included Foo Fighters, The Go-Go's, Jay-Z, Carole King, Todd Rundgren, and Tina Turner. The most recent nominees included Kate Bush, Sheryl Crow, Missy Elliott, George Michael, Willie Nelson, The Spinners, and Rage Against the Machine.
Given this, the band has never shown interest in joining the institution. Both Steve Harris and Bruce Dickinson , the band's founding bassist and vocalist, respectively, share this opinion.
Harris said, “I’m not exactly against it or anything, you know? If people are recognized there, that’s fine. But I’ve never been bothered by it. We’ve never made music to be in any hall of fame.”
He also says that the selection process is questionable, since it's a group of judges who decides who gets in or not. Fans can vote, but the weight of their vote is low compared to that of the jury.
Bruce, on the other hand, has a stronger opinion on the matter. He says he doesn't want to be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame "because we're not dead yet."
It's worth remembering that during an interview with The Jerusalem Post in 2018, he shared a similar opinion.
“Actually, I’m very happy that we’re not there, I would never want to be there. If we are inducted, I will refuse. Rock and roll doesn’t belong in a mausoleum in Cleveland, in the United States. It’s a living, breathing thing. If you put it in a museum, it’s dead,” Dickinson commented.
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