From Black Country estate to rock God: Rob Halford to feature at Literature Festival

Judas Priest frontman Rob Halford will tell his story of a Black Country council estate boy who became an international star and all the adventures and troubles that came along the way as he releases his autobiography “Rob Halford: Confess”.

The 69-year-old, who was born in Sutton Coldfield and grew up in Walsall, will be interviewed on Friday by broadcaster Garry Foster as he discusses his book and tells some of his stories with his deadpan humour.

He said the book was an honest account of his life from his youth until the present day.

He said: “Confess is just that, my whole life warts and all, from my earliest memories till today.

“When it was all done and dusted, it felt amazing and I had many 'that can’t have been me!' moments.

“The Halford clan have the gift of the gab, so we could have kept going and going, and there's a lot of words left over, put it that way.”

Mr Halford is one of the most iconic performers in heavy metal music, famous for his powerful, wide-ranging voice and his trademark leather and studs look and “Confess” aims to be an honest look at his life and career.

It features his struggles with alcoholism and addiction, his struggles with his sexuality and personal tragedy and his subsequent recovery, finally coming out and finding love.

He said his upbringing helped shape him into the person he had become and spoke of why the region was such a hotbed of metal bands.

He said: “Walsall yam yam for life! I’m very proud of my roots and the place I’m from.

“We speak the truth from the heart and never get on a pedestal and If you try that, you get knocked off it sharpish.

“I tell the story of walking to school every day going over the cut past the local pig iron factories and breathing in the metal fumes long before the music.

“You can hear and feel the rumble and fire in all the local acts.”

He also said he was thrilled to be asked by the festival to be a part of it and said he hoped those attending his event would help revive memories of seeing Judas Priest live.

He said: “When you see Priest live, it’s more than the band, it’s a community getting together to celebrate the music we live by, where fans reunite and have a great night out.

“Nothing beats the feeling of playing at home and everything about the band and the journey and dreams we have been on come to life.

“When the lights go down and the metal horns go up, It’s magic!”

“Rob Halford: Confess” starts at 8pm on Friday, with tickets costing £14 plus booking fee.

To book tickets and to find out more, go to wolvesliteraturefestival.co.uk