Born in Los Angeles, California back in 1964, Kerry King started his musical career in 1981, co-founding Slayer alongside Tom Araya, Jeff Hanneman and Dave Lombardo. They became one of the most influential Thrash Metal bands of all time, being a huge inspiration, especially for extreme Metal groups.
King had the chance to meet and see many incredible vocalists over the decades and he revealed once Who are his two favorite singers of all time.
Who are Kerry King’s two favorite singers of all time
The Slayer guitarist revealed in an interview with 107.7 The Bone (Transcribed by Ultimate Guitar) that his favorite singer of all time always was and it will always be the Judas Priest vocalist Rob Halford. On the second position, although they were good friends and he always loves him, it’s Ronnie James Dio.
“Probably hearing Priest on the radio (Was what got me into Metal). We had two rock stations back then, and I heard ‘Breaking The Law’, ‘Living After Midnight’, or something on ‘British Steel’. I didn’t know who Judas Priest was at that point in my life, believe it or not. And I’m like, ‘Cool, I like the singer, I like there’s two guitars.’ What you did back then, you’d go buy all the old records, and that’s when I found (‘Killing Machine’), ‘Stained Class’, and ‘Sad Wings (of Destiny)’.”
Kerry King continued:
“The first time I was able to see Priest was on the ‘Point of Entry’ (tour). The whole time before this, Halford is in his leather and studs and everything, and that fucking tour shows up in a fucking jean sweatsedo. A jean jacket, and denim jeans. I’m like, ‘Oh, this guy, come on!’ It was just a letdown for me, from all the photos you’ve seen back then in magazines.”
“But yeah, Priest was killer, and he’s my favorite singer since the dawn of time. He’s always my number one. That’s tough to say, being a friend of Ronnie James Dio, but Dio has always been my number two. Sorry, bro,” Kerry King said.