On this date in 1964, iconoclast and rock musician Kerry Ray King was born in Los Angeles, where he grew up with two older sisters. His father was an aircraft parts inspector, and his mother worked for a phone company. He started playing guitar at age 13. The first song he learned was Ted Nugent’s “Cat Scratch Fever.” He was enamored with artists such as Judas Priest and Eddie Van Halen.
Although they were not religious, his parents suggested, when he was in grade school, that he should check out Sunday school. “[L]ike a week into it, I went to my parents. I’m, like, ‘I don’t think I want to go to this anymore.’ Even that little kid knew it was a bunch of dog shit.” (Consequence.net, June 4, 2024)
King excelled academically and won an award as his school’s top math student in junior high. Then puberty kicked in. “I was really good at school until I discovered girls, and then it was all over. It’s a good thing I didn’t plan on college or anything because I probably would have failed miserably. I was such a smart kid, but once high school came around and girls were in the picture, the grades went south.” (Metal Hammer, Jan. 2, 2019)
In 1981 he formed a “thrash metal” group called Slayer with Jeff Hanneman, Dave Lombardo and Tom Araya. The group disbanded in 2019 and announced several reunion shows in early 2024. Slayer released 12 studio and three live albums, a box set, six music videos and a cover album. Four of its studio albums went gold in the U.S. It earned five Grammy nominations, winning two for songs from the album “Christ Illusion” in 2006.
King’s debut solo album “From Hell I Rise” was released in May 2024. He says he doesn’t believe in God or the devil and calls himself an atheist who thinks religion is “the biggest lie among humanity for centuries.” (Blabbermouth.net, June 25, 2024) He has been divorced twice and has a daughter named Shyanne Kymberlee with his first wife. He is married to Ayesha King, a former model and aerial performer who is also an atheist.
His political views don’t fit neatly into any category. In 2024 he said he was angry about the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade but in the past has praised the archconservative Rush Limbaugh, agreeing that “penalizing the achievers” was poor policy. He said he wouldn’t vote for Bill Clinton, supported a flat tax and criticized people for drawing welfare. “That’s what being an American is about, not sitting on your ass and letting the rich people pay for you. It’s about getting off your ass and accomplishing things.” (Interview with Arsenio Orteza, May 9, 1995)
But in 2017 he said he was “embarrassed about Trump’s presidency,” terming it “divisive and polarizing.” He had called Hillary Clinton “the safe, correct choice” for president, explaining: “Trump is just a sideshow. … I think the reason he’s so popular is because he’s like the politics version of WWE. He’s sensational like wrestling and that’s why middle America loves him. He’s the biggest liar I’ve ever seen in politics.” (Rolling Stone, July 27, 2016)
