Kenneth "K. K." Downing, Jr. (born 27 October 1951 in Yew Tree Estate in West Bromwich, England) is a Grammy Award winning guitarist, songwriter and a founding member of the British heavy metal band Judas Priest.
Downing dropped out of school when he was 16 years old. A short time later, he was told by his parents to leave, which he did. In the late 1960s, Kenneth discovered rock music and the guitar. He was heavily influenced by Jimi Hendrix, af...
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Kenneth "K. K." Downing, Jr. (born 27 October 1951 in Yew Tree Estate in West Bromwich, England) is a Grammy Award winning guitarist, songwriter and a founding member of the British heavy metal band Judas Priest.
Downing dropped out of school when he was 16 years old. A short time later, he was told by his parents to leave, which he did. In the late 1960s, Kenneth discovered rock music and the guitar. He was heavily influenced by Jimi Hendrix, after whom he modelled his playing style. In the early 1970s, Downing decided to form a band with his friend Ian Hill, and this band would become Judas Priest. Downing played on every Judas Priest album from Rocka Rolla to A Touch of Evil: Live.
Downing has been noted for his aggressive, rock influenced guitar solos and dual leads with fellow Judas Priest guitarist Glenn Tipton. His solos have remained of this style for most of his career, but he has incorporated various techniques into his playing over the years. As opposed to Tipton, his solos...
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