Fresh Air, Hard Rock and Heavy Metal, Part 1, August 29, 2007

We're beginning a series on hard rock and heavy metal. We start with Judas Priest lead singer Rob Halford. The band, originally from Birmingham, England, was most popular in the 1970s and '80s, and pioneered the heavy metal sound. Their name comes from the title of the Bob Dylan song "The Ballad of Frankie Lee and Judas Priest". Halford left the band in 1991, citing internal tension. In 1998 he came out of the closet during an interview on MTV. Halford, whose nickname is the Metal God, returned to Judas Priest in 2003. The band's most popular songs include "Breaking the Law", "Hell Bent for Leather", and "Livin' After Midnight". (Original Airdate: 6/21/2005)

Then, founding guitarist and vocalist James Hetfield of the metal band Metallica. Hetfield also co-writes many of the songs for the group, which has been around since the 1980s. The film Metallica: Some Kind of Monster captured the band in a time of crisis, when their bass player quit and the group hired a "therapist and performance-enhancement coach" to help them sort things out. Also during the filming, Hetfield stormed out and entered rehab. (Original Airdate: 11/9/2004) [Broadcast Date: August 29, 2007]