More than eight years on from his departure, Judas Priest co-founder K. K. Downing has explained he hopes he could perform with the band at their potential Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction.
Last week, the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame announced the list of artists who had received nominations for its class of 2020. In addition to “frequent flyers” like Depeche Mode, Nine Inch Nails, Rufus featuring Chaka Khan, MC5, and the six-time nominated Kraftwerk, more than half of the list was made up of debut nominees.
In fact, the list of first-timers featured huge names like Pat Benatar, Dave Matthews Band, The Doobie Brothers, Whitney Houston, Motörhead, The Notorious B.I.G., Soundgarden, T.Rex, and Thin Lizzy, while Judas Priest and Todd Rundgren entered the list for the second time.
Although it’s amazing that Judas Priest were only nominated for the second time, despite being eligible since 1999, the topic of the band’s lineup when they potentially perform at the induction ceremony has been raised by former guitarist K. K. Downing.
Co-founding Judas Priest in 1969, Downing performed with the group until 2011 when he cited “an on-going breakdown in working relationships between myself, elements of the band and management for some time” as the reason for his departure.
Despite confirming his relationship with the band’s members wasn’t all that positive, Downing expressed desire to work with the band in the future, including a potential involvement with their 50th anniversary celebrations.
Check out Judas Priest’s ‘Living After Midnight’:
Now, in a new interview with eonmusic, K. K. Downing has explained that he would be open to performing with his old band if they were to be inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.
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“Yeah, that’s an interesting one really,” he explained. “I don’t know what the deal is, if a nominated person like me or Les Binks [drummer from 1977-1979] gets in, are we entitled to play? I don’t know how that all works, but I guess we’ll fathom that all out.
“I would imagine for one day that people can sensibly think; ‘well, it doesn’t matter. Nothing else matters; what matters is that we’ve achieved this’. Collectively, we have played our part, and it should be a moment of splendour really, and enjoyment, and something that we can be pretty grateful of.
“And it doesn’t hurt, you know? It’s often said that funerals bring people together – that’s not to say that getting in the Hall of Fame’s a funeral! – but this could maybe have an effect that it just gives us the opportunity to get together and get on the stage and just enjoy the moment, really.”
Elsewhere in the conversation, K. K. Downing said that he feels rather positive about the band being inducted in 2020, considering they were unsuccessful upon their first nomination.
“I know there was a lot of disappointment last time we didn’t make it, and I can’t speak for everyone, but I would imagine that everyone is thinking that yeah, this could be the one,” he explained. “And I hope that it is, because I think it would be a fitting, and a good thing to do, and I’m happy with it.
“I would like us to be together and enjoy this moment before it’s too late and we may not be around to enjoy it.”
Judas Priest were last in Australia earlier this year when they performed blistering sets at the Download Festival in Melbourne and Sydney. The group are gearing up to embark upon their 50th anniversary tour next year, with Rob Halford telling Rolling Stone they’ve got “some really big surprises” in store.
No word yet if this involves a return of K. K. Downing, but anything is possible, it seems.
Check out ‘Breaking The Law’ by Judas Priest:
