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Biography
Alan John "Al" Atkins (born 11 October 1947 in West Bromwich, Birmingham, England) is a hard rock vocalist, perhaps best known for his association with Judas Priest. He began his musical career in 1964, singing in a succession of blues-rock outfits before forming a band in September 1969, named Judas Priest (named after the Bob Dylan song The Ballad of Frankie Lee and Judas Priest). Featuring a musical direction unrelated to the future metal band, this band lasted until October 1970, developing a small following in Birmingham before splitting up over creative differences.
By this time, bands such as Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath were emerging, and Atkins was interested in pursuing a similar direction. Fellow Birmingham musicians K.K. Downing and Ian Hill had similar musical interests, so they teamed with Atkins to form a new band called Freight. Atkins did not like the name, so he suggested they be called Judas Priest, as he had rights to the name. After gaining a following in Birmingham, the Atkins-led Priest recorded a demo in 1971, which attracted the attention of Tony Iommi's management but failed to endear them with any of London's major record labels. Though the gigs began to improve, the band also had to contend with higher overhead, and no record deal was in sight.
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