Judas Priest Respond to Whether K.K. Downing Will Attend Rock Hall Induction

2022-05-26

Judas Priest vocalist Rob Halford performing live at Soaring Eagle Casino and Resort in Mount Pleasant, Michigan.

Judas Priest vocalist Rob Halford – Story by Charles Ken, photo by Anne Erickson

Judas Priest are opening up about whether former guitarist K.K. Downing will be at the upcoming Rock Hall induction

Former Judas Priest guitarist K.K. Downing hasn’t been with the band since 2011, but he was an integral part of the group for years. That said, many fans have been wondering if Downing will be present when Judas Priest are inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame later this year.

Now, Judas Priest bassist Ian Hill has confirmed that former guitarist will attend the ceremony. Since leaving Judas Priest in 2011, Downing has formed a solo project, KK’s Priest, which hasn’t really settled well with some in the Judas Priest camp. But, there’s no denying his many contributions during his 40 years with the band.

Priest are being inducted into the Rock Hall in the class of 2022 via the Musical Excellence Award. Hill recently commented about Downing’s presence at the event.

“[Guitarist] Richie [Faulkner] is sadly not being inducted, but really deserves to be as he’s been the driving force in the band for nearly 12 years now,” Hill said in an interview with Metal Hammer when asked which members would be there. “Dave Holland [drummer 1979-1989] was in the band for a long time and obviously Ken [guitarist KK Dowling] will be there. Les Binks was with us all those years, as was Scott [Travis, drums] so he’ll be part of the induction too.”

When asked just about Downing, Hill said, “He’s spoken to management and said he will definitely be there. It should be good.”

Frontman Rob Halford also recently told Rolling Stone that he’s open to even doing a performance with Downing at the ceremony. He commented, “Absolutely. As I said before, you’ve got to push aside anything that gets in the way. You’ve got to remove the emotional clutter and just reference this great celebration. Otherwise, if you don’t do that, and you leave the building, a couple of years later you’ll go, ‘What the hell? Why didn’t we do that?’ It’s a few hours, but those few hours last forever.”

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony will take place Nov. 5 at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. The class of 2022 will also welcome Eminem, Dolly Parton, Duran Duran, Eurythmics and more.

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Charles Ken

Meet the expert - Charles Ken is a graduate of Michigan State University where he studied writing and history. He's a longtime music buff and covers classic rock for Audio Ink Radio. Contact him at ken@audioinkradio.com.