Robert Sidney Halligan Jr. (born January 3, 1953) is an American singer, musician, music producer and songwriter who has collaborated with many artists, particularly in the
hard rock
Hard rock or heavy rock is a loosely defined subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the garage, psychedelic and blues rock movements. Some of the earliest hard ...
/
heavy metal genre, throughout his career. He is currently the lead vocalist and guitarist for the band
Ceili Rain, a group he founded which combines
Celtic
Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to:
Language and ethnicity
*pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia
**Celts (modern)
*Celtic languages
**Proto-Celtic language
* Celtic music
*Celtic nations
Sports Fo ...
, rock and contemporary
Christian music.
[Bob Halligan Jr. and Ceili Rain](_blank)
Syracuse Post-Standard, March 12, 2007
As a songwriter, Halligan has contributed songs to two albums by heavy metal band
Judas Priest
Judas Priest are an English heavy metal band formed in Birmingham in 1969. They have sold over 50 million albums and are frequently ranked as one of the greatest metal bands of all time. Despite an innovative and pioneering body of work in th ...
: "(Take These) Chains" from 1982's ''
Screaming for Vengeance'' and the single "
Some Heads Are Gonna Roll" from 1984's ''
Defenders of the Faith''.
[Herman, Michae]
Christian Music's Best Kept Secret?
''Christianity Today'', August 26, 2002. Judas Priest lead singer
Rob Halford
Robert John Arthur Halford (born 25 August 1951) is an English heavy metal singer. He is the lead vocalist of Judas Priest, which was formed in 1969 and has received accolades such as the 2010 Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance. He has b ...
included another song by Halligan, "Twist", on the album ''
Resurrection'' by his band
Halford.
Halligan worked with
Rick Cua focusing on Cua's solo career (f.i. album ''You're My Road'') as also extensively with the hard rock/heavy metal band
Kix, beginning in the mid-1980s, when he co-wrote most of the songs on the band's third album, ''
Midnite Dynamite
''Midnite Dynamite'' is the band's third full-length released on Atlantic Records. The album, released in 1985, features 7 out of 10 songs co-written by bassist Donnie Purnell with hit songwriter Bob Halligan Jr. (Kiss, Judas Priest, Icon, Blu ...
.'' Incidentally, one of the most successful songs he has ever written is Kix's near-top ten hit, "Don't Close Your Eyes" (co-written with one-time
Crack the Sky frontman John Palumbo and Kix bassist Donnie Purnell), which was featured on the band's follow-up album, ''
Blow My Fuse
''Blow My Fuse'' is the fourth album by the glam metal band Kix. Released on September 19, 1988, on Atlantic Records, the album features Kix's only hit, the power ballad " Don't Close Your Eyes." The song peaked at No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 ...
''. The song remains Kix's highest charting single.
He also wrote the songs "Beat 'Em Up" and "Make Rock Not War" on
Blue Öyster Cult's ''
Club Ninja
''Club Ninja'' is the tenth studio album by American hard rock band Blue Öyster Cult, released on December 10, 1985 in the United Kingdom and on February 11, 1986 in the United States. The album was intended as a comeback for the band, whose pr ...
'' record, "Rise to It" and "Read My Body" on
Kiss' album ''
Hot in the Shade
''Hot in the Shade'' is the fifteenth studio album by American rock band Kiss, released in 1989. It is the first Kiss studio album since 1981's ''Music From "The Elder"'' to feature lead vocals from someone other than Paul Stanley or Gene Simmons ...
'',
"
Could've Been You" on
Cher
Cher (; born Cherilyn Sarkisian; May 20, 1946) is an American singer, actress and television personality. Often referred to by the media as the Honorific nicknames in popular music, "Goddess of Pop", she has been described as embodying female ...
's album ''
Love Hurts'' and the single "
Rock You" for
Helix's ''
Walkin' the Razor's Edge'' album. In addition, Halligan wrote or co-wrote most of the songs on ''
Night of the Crime'' by 80s heavy metal band
Icon. He also co-wrote the song "Bang Down the Door" on
Bonfire's 1989's ''
Point Blank'' record.
Solo discography
*''Window in the Wall'' (1991)
*''Sprung'' (1994)
References
External links
Ceili Rain
Musicians from New York (state)
Living people
1953 births
Place of birth missing (living people)
{{US-singer-stub