HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO K.K. DOWNING! Born Kenneth Downing (no middle name) on October 27th1951 in West Bromwich, England. He is a semi-retired Grammy Award winning guitarist, songwriter and a founding member of the British heavy metal band Judas Priest. He was kicked out of his home at 15 and dropped out of school soon afterward.In the late 1960s, Kenneth discovered rock music and the guitar. He is a mostly self-taught guitarist influenced by Jimi Hendrix, after whom he modelled his playing style and Cream. Downing played on every Judas Priest album from Rocka Rolla to A Touch of Evil: Live. Downing started his first band between the age of 17 and 18 with his second cousin Brian Badhams on bass guitar and drummer Martin Philips. The trio mainly jammed a few Cream songs and a few 12-bar blues. Downing played guitar with the band after winning a coin toss with his cousin Brian in his bedroom to see who would play guitar or bass. Prior to joining Judas Priest, Downing went to catering college and worked as trainee chef at the Lyttelton Arms in Hagley, England. Downing has been noted for his aggressive, rock influenced guitar solos and dual leads with fellow Judas Priest guitarist Glenn Tipton, but he incorporated various techniques into his playing over the years. As opposed to Tipton, his solos tended to incorporate a more raw, rough-edged sound, and often focus on speed, technical accuracy and melody. Although the two would switch roles, Downings usual job on Judas Priest songs was as the rhythm guitarist with Tipton playing solos. From Stained Class onward, Tipton came to increasingly dominate Judas Priests songwriting, particular on the more commercial tracks and Downings role in the band started to diminish, especially as the formers songs comprised the vast majority of live setlists after 1980. In 1978, Tipton began to incorporate tapping into his playing, which Downing began to use as well. By 1990, both guitarists started to use the complex technique of sweep-picking, which can be notably heard on the title track of their 1990 album Painkiller. Downing officially left Judas Priest on 20 April 2011. An official press release was issued by the band. In an interview with online music publication, Guitarhoo!, Downing spoke on his leaving the band, There had been an on-going breakdown in working relationships between myself, elements of the band and management for some time. Downing stated that there were at least 21 reasons why he decided to quit but refused to go into specific detail about them. In 2012, Downing was approached by Cleopatra Records to partake on the album, Who Are You? An All Star Tribute to the Who, a tribute album to the band The Who. Downing accepted the offer and performed guitar on the opening track, Eminence Front, along with musicians John Wetton and Derek Sherinian. The album was released on 2 October 2012. Downing on participating on the record, I feel honoured to pay tribute to such a great band. Downing was ranked 23 on rock magazine Hit Paraders list of 100 greatest metal guitarists.
Posted on: Mon, 27 Oct 2014 18:50:26 +0000
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