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Akron, Ohio
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Metal
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1 MaleOrigin
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MetalStyle
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1967
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1967 to Present...
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Timothy S. "Ripper" Owens (born on September 13, 1967) is an American heavy metal singer who currently performs with Beyond Fear, Yngwie Malmsteen's Rising Force and Charred Walls of the Damned. He first gained attention as the lead singer of Judas Priest, and then Iced Earth. He took the nickname "Ripper" from the Judas Priest song " The Ripper" during his time in the tribute band "British Steel"
Owens began his musical career as the singer for Brainicide, a thrash metal band based in his home town of Akron, Ohio. However, the band split up shortly after recording a demo tape titled "Damage Daze" in 1990. Prior to joining Judas Priest in 1996, Owens fronted a band called Winter's Bane, with whom he recorded an album called Heart of a Killer in 1993. He was most prominent in his role as the frontman of Judas Priest tribute band British Steel, named after the Judas Priest album, although the bands Winter's Bane and British Steel were actually one and the same. The band would often open their shows as Winter's Bane in order to introduce the audience to their original material. After finishing their original set, they would then take a break, which included a wardrobe change to emulate the subject of their tribute, Judas Priest. Winter's Bane sound engineer Ken Reffner would come out from behind the soundboard, adding a fifth member to the stage. Ken can be seen playing the part of K. K. Downing with British Steel in the Judas Priest episode of VH1's Behind the Music.
Judas Priest
Owens made headlines in 1996 when he went from being a fan of the British metal act Judas Priest to being their lead singer, filling the shoes of Rob Halford (and, by doing so, inspiring the movie Rock Star, which was later disavowed by the band). Despite numerous rumours that Halford would reunite with Priest, Owens recorded two studio albums with his childhood heroes, as well as two live albums and a 2002 DVD release. Owens also helped write one Judas Priest song, "What's My Name?", which was a bonus track on Demolition. With Judas Priest, he was nominated once for the Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance in 1999, with the song called "Bullet Train" from the album named Jugulator, but lost to Metallica's Better than You.
Rock Star
The movie "Rock Star" was loosely based on Owen's career. Though the general plot of the movie closely matches the actual occurrences, Judas Priest disavowed the movie after they were denied creative control in the screen play and script. For example, Rob Halford left Judas Priest almost a year before he was replaced, as opposed to Steel Dragon throwing Bobby Beers out halfway through a tour and playing shows with Mark Wahlberg's character, Chris Cole, days after the event. MTV reported, "They fabricated things and decided to pull away from my story and make their own because I guess mine was too normal," said Owens. "There's no telling what they put in there. If I could sue, I would."
Iced Earth and Yngwie Malmsteen's Rising Force
Judas Priest reunited with Rob Halford in 2003. Owens seized opportunity when, that same year, vocalist Matt Barlow quit Iced Earth. Iced Earth's first album with Owens, The Glorious Burden, came out in early 2004. While singing with Judas Priest, Owens had toured with Iced Earth (and Anthrax) in 2001, but the tour was cut short. In 2006, Owens also reunited with his former Winter's Bane colleague Dennis Hayes in a band called Beyond Fear. The self-titled debut album from his new band was released in May of that year. Hayes would join Iced Earth as well in 2007 after bassist James "Bo" Wallace left due to family health issues.
Owens' stay in Iced Earth was short, however, as on December 11, 2007, guitarist Jon Schaffer announced that Owens would be leaving the band; Matt Barlow had been invited to return to the line-up after heavy feedback from fans.
On February 26, 2008, it was announced that Owens would be the new lead singer for Yngwie Malmsteen's Rising Force, replacing Doogie White.
In May 2009, Owens released his first solo album, Play My Game. The album featured many prominent metal musicians.
Charred Walls of the Damned, HAIL! and Dio Disciples
Owens now fronts a new project called Charred Walls of the Damned, a band founded in 2009 by Richard Christy, radio personality on The Howard Stern Show and former drummer for Iced Earth and Death. The band features Christy on drums, and Owens on vocals along with Steve DiGiorgio (bass guitar) and Jason Suecof (lead guitar). The band's debut self-titled album was released on February 2, 2010 on Metal Blade Records. Owens is also a member of a cover band called HAIL!. HAIL!'s rotating cast of members include Owens, Andreas Kisser, Paul Bostaph, David Ellefson, Mike Portnoy, Jimmy DeGrasso and Roy Mayorga. Owens, DeGrasso, Ellefson and Kisser formed the band in late 2008. The band toured Europe in 2009, June 2010, and also came together to perform at a benefit for Deftones bassist Chi Cheng in 2010. That line-up consisted of Owens, Portnoy, Mark Anthony of The Letter Black, Phil Demmel of Machine Head and Ellefson. HAIL! is on their second European tour with the following line-up: Andreas Kisser, Owens, Paul Bostaph and James LoMenzo. Due to the tragic death of previously announced bassist Paul Gray, LoMenzo agreed on only one day’s notice to fly to Portugal and rescue the Rock In Rio Festival where HAIL! was scheduled to perform on May 30, 2010. In early 2011, Owens also joined Dio Disciples, which features former Dio members.
Other projects
Other music projects include: Project Rock w/ Keri Kelli, Rudy Sarzo, James Kottak, and Teddy Zig Zag.
Owens owns "Ripper's Rock House", a rockin sports eatery, restaurant and entertainment venue, in the Kenmore neighborhood of his hometown of Akron. He was also the owner of "Ripper Owens Tap House", the predecessor to "Ripper's Rock House", in Akron's Firestone Park neighborhood.
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