Ugly Kid Joe singer Whitfield Crane recalls contributing vocals on Glenn Tipton’s album ‘Baptizm of Fire’
Ugly Kid Joe singer Whitfield Crane recalls contributing vocals on Glenn Tipton’s album ‘Baptizm of Fire’
Ugly Kid Joe frontman Whitfield Crane was recently interviewed by Eamon O’Neill for UK’s eonmusic. Crane was promoting Ugly Kid Joe‘s new album Rad Wings of Destiny, which was recently released via Metalville Records on October 21, 2022.
Back in the mid-90’s, Crane continued vocals on Judas Priest guitarist Glenn Tipton‘s solo album Baptizm of Fire (1997). Crane noted (with slight edits): “It was crazy! And once again, guess who produced that? Mark Dodson! So by then I had met the Priest guys. The first time I met Glenn and K.K. [Downing] was on June 6th 1993 when Ugly Kid Joe played Sheffield with Def Leppard. I was backstage, and I barely made the show – I was off seeing Metallica somewhere else – and I was in this rock and roll ether, and I was like; “Wow!”, like, it was all happening. My life was happening, and we were drinking these little mini-Heinekens, and my tour manager at the time, Billy Morgan came up, and he had this weird look on his face, and he said; “Hey man”, and I go; “What’s up?”, and he had this look like something bad had happened, and he’s a southern guy, and he goes [affects southern drawl]; “I’ve got some people who wants to meet you”. I’m like; “Who?”, and he goes; “I can’t tell you”, and I’m like, “Something bad is about to happen!”
Crane added: “Everyone in the dressing room knew except me, and I was scared! I felt kind of pukey, So I cruised out, and there they were! I was like; “No fucking way!” I got on my hands and knees and I think I kissed their feet! But anyway, push comes to shove, I love Priest and built a pretty cool rapport with those guys, and don’t forget Rob Halford sang on 1992’s America’s Least Wanted song “Goddamn Devil”.”
In terms of whether his friendship with Judas Priest led to his appearance on Tipton‘s album Baptizm of Fire, Crane indicated: “When Glenn was doing his solo thing with Dodson, I don’t know where I was or what I was doing, and it was before cell phones, so I don’t know how Mark got a hold of me, and he said; “Hey, do you want to come down and sing on Glenn’s solo record with him? There’s some little parts he wants you to sing on”, and I was like; “Oh fuck, yes I do!” So I went down there and it was such a fucking amazing experience. There was Glenn Tipton sitting there on a blue and white Igloo cooler, playing a Stratocaster, and it was Mark Dodson behind the Neve board at Devonshire Studios, [in] north Hollywood. What an experience! And if you look at the credits, it makes me feel like a Christmas present that I want. I don’t really want anything, but in the credits it says; “my voodoo brother Whitfield Crane”, and that just makes me feel good!”
You can read the rest of the interview with Whitfield Crane at eonmusic‘s website.