Tim "Ripper" Owens

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Timothy S. Owens
Tim "Ripper" Owens
Born	September 13, 1967 Akron, Ohio
Genre(s)	Heavy metal
Affiliation(s)	Iced Earth Beyond Fear Winter's Bane Judas Priest
Years active
Official site	www.timripperowens.com

Tim "Ripper" Owens (born Timothy S. Owens on September 13, 1967 in Akron, Ohio) is an American heavy metal singer who currently performs with Iced Earth and Beyond Fear, though he is best known as the former lead singer of Judas Priest.

Prior to joining Judas Priest in 1996, Owens was frontman of a heavy metal band called Winter's Bane, with whom he recorded an album called Heart of a Killer in 1993. He also was the frontman of Judas Priest tribute band British Steel.

The young Ohio salesman and tribute band frontman 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 discredited 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 has stated "I would never rejoin Judas Priest, ever." [1]

Judas Priest reunited with Rob Halford in 2003. That same year Matthew Barlow, the frontman for Iced Earth, quit the band and Owens became the new lead singer for them after leaving Judas Priest. Iced Earth's first album with Owens, The Glorious Burden, came out in early 2004.

Recently, Owens reunited with his former Winter's Bane colleague Dennis Hayes in a band called Beyond Fear. The self-titled debut album from this new band was released in May 2006. Hayes would join Iced Earth as well in 2007 after bassist James "Bo" Wallace left due to family health issues.