Kenneth Keith Downing Jr. is an English musician. He is a former guitarist of heavy metal band Judas Priest.
Downing was born in West Bromwich, West Midlands. In the late 1960s, Downing developed a passion for rock music and the guitar, which led to his being kicked out of his home at age 15 and dropping out of school soon afterwards. He is a mostly self-taught guitarist. He was heavily influenced by Jimi Hendrix, whom Downing said he was “very quick to recognize” as the future. He was also influenced by John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers and Eric Clapton. Downing performed on every Judas Priest album from Rocka Rolla to A Touch of Evil: Live.
| Net Worth: | $40 Million |
|---|---|
| Born: | 27 October 1951 |
| Origin: | West Bromwich, West Midlands, England |
| Last Updated: | 2024 |
Downing officially left Judas Priest on 20 April 2011, citing “an on-going breakdown in working relationships between myself, elements of the band and management for some time.” He stated that there were at least “21 reasons” why he left, but refused to go into specific detail; however, he did express disappointment in the band’s live performance and thought it could’ve been better. Judas Priest had since continued with Richie Faulkner as his replacement.