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K.K. DOWNING retirement Press Release
Stratophony
Posts: 9,212 just the tip
:O
It is with regret that Judas Priest announce that K.K. DOWNING has formally retired from the band and will therefore not be joining them on their forthcoming EPITAPH Tour.
The band respect his decision and naturally all wish him well.
http://judaspriest.com/News/Doc/KK-Downing-Retirement-Announcement.pdf <--- entire press release.
It is with regret that Judas Priest announce that K.K. DOWNING has formally retired from the band and will therefore not be joining them on their forthcoming EPITAPH Tour.
The band respect his decision and naturally all wish him well.
http://judaspriest.com/News/Doc/KK-Downing-Retirement-Announcement.pdf <--- entire press release.
Comments
ah well.... Retirement is a bitch, but it needs to happen. He only was part of one of the biggest bands ever (and in metal)
He couldn't just wait for one last tour? Who leaves right before a band's final world tour?
[-(
blue turbins
From Those Fishes - I Fingered An Old Bitch (i got Aids on my finger)
This line is what's really bothering me.
It's just the fact that instead of saying "our good friend Richie Faulkner will be filling in for him" or something like hat, they say "the perfect replacement". To me, that says "don't worry, we don't need him"
"K.K. leaving was his own decision, for the reasons he made public on his web site [earlier today]," Halford said.
"We had a fantastic time together on the 'Nostradamus' tour... [But] K.K. has his own life to live and we can't force him to do anything he doesn't want to do.
"He told us [of his decision to leave JUDAS PRIEST] before Christmas time. Personally, I thought this could be the end... Emotionally, for me, it's been very, very difficult…
"When K.K. said he was thinking of retiring, Glenn [Tipton, PRIEST guitarist] was the first guy to send him a personal email to say, 'Ken, I hope you're OK. If there's anything you need, just let me know.' We kept the door open all this time in case Ken changed his mind, but the clock was ticking."
When asked about the remaining JUDAS PREST members' decision to go ahead with their previously announced tour plans with a replacement guitarist — 31 year-old British guitar player Richie Faulkner (LAUREN HARRIS, DIRTY DEEDS) — Halford said, "K.K. can never be replaced; he's unique, and we didn't want any kind of K.K. copycat. Richie Faulkner came to Glenn's house to jam, and Glenn simply told me he was absolutely brilliant."
Rock Hard's full interview with Rob Halford will be published in the in the magazine's May issue (#110).
Downing released a statement earlier today blaming his departure from JUDAS PRIEST on "an ongoing breakdown in working relationship between myself, elements of the band, and the band's management for some time." He added that he "decided to step down rather than to tour with negative sentiments as I feel that this would be a deception to . . . our cherished fans."
JUDAS PRIEST members had previously stated that their "Epitaph" tour would be their last, but that they would continue recording, with a new album due for release next year.