Timothy Owens A.K.A. The Ripper was born April 12, 1968 in Akron, Ohio, USA, where he still resides. Wife Jeannie has a son; Timothy Steven Owens Jr. has a daughter named Lauren from a previous marriage to Leslie Anderson.

Joined Judas Priest in February 1996 and carried the band through until their inevitable reunion with Rob Halford in July 2003. Nickname "Ripper" given by Glenn Tipton at a pub after the initial audition, where Owens impressed when he covered the song of the same title. "What's my name? The Ripper!", Said Tim.

The Movie "Rock Star" with the actor Mark Walhberg is based on the life of Tim Owens who was an awsome Priest fan who became the star of his favorite band. In fact, his parents are so supportive of his musical choices that for his 18th birthday, they had a cake decorated with the Metallian figure off the cover of Defenders Of The Faith! It all began in 1983 when Tim was at the impressionable age of 16 and his older brother brought home the Judas Priest album Screaming for Vengeance. Soon after, a transformation had begun. "His room - walls and ceiling - was nothing but posters of Judas Priest." -Sherri Owens (Tim's mom).

At 18, Owens was heard singing the high notes louder than the PA at a local Akron, Ohio club where the band U.S. Metal were performing. The two musicians who discovered him, Dan Johnson and Steve Trent, then formed a band with Owens called Damage, Inc. and they played all the heavy metal standard covers, especially Judas Priest tunes. In 1986, Tim was asked to try out for another local Ohio metal band called Breaker. but Owens opted to remain with Damage, Inc. By 1988, the band changed their name to Brainicide, but they still played Priest covers, and one tune in particular that had become a staple of Tim's - "Victim Of Changes". "There's this point in the live version when Halford holds this, 'No, no, noooooooo', and Tim would hold that note infinitely, absolutely as long as he could. Every time, he would stagger around the stage and nearly fall down, deprived of oxygen!" - Dan Johnson, New York Times, 1997.

I Think Tim Owen's Story his one of the more insane i've ever heard !... The guy who held the "no..." longer than Rob Halford.