• facebook
  • twitter
  • rss

K.K. DOWNING: My Golf Course Was Never Reason For Not Doing Latest Tour With JUDAS PRIEST

July 3, 2011

Former JUDAS PRIEST guitarist Kenneth "K.K." Downing has shot down as "inaccurate" reports that he left the band because chose to concentrate on running his Astbury Hall 18-hole championship golf course in Shropshire, England.

In a recent interview with Express & Star, JUDAS PRIEST bassist Ian Hill stated about Downing's departure from the group, "I think Ken had just had enough. He'd got a lot on his plate with his golf course and I think he couldn't spend the time away. This tour's going to be, by the time it's wrapped up, the best part of two years. It's a long, long time to be away from things and I just think Ken couldn't handle the time away."

In response to Hill's comments and the subsequent press reports which insinuated that Downing "chose golf over PRIEST," the guitarist has released the following statement via his official web site:

"The word 'think' depicts uncertainty; therefore it lends itself to supposition.

"I love Ian as a brother and nothing will ever change that, but his take on the situation in this instance is inaccurate, and the people from the press had no license to jump in and take what they thought was a cheap scoop out of what Ian thought the situation was.

"To concentrate on my golf course is not, and was never, the reason for not doing the latest tour with JUDAS PRIEST. I have had in place since last September the world's leading golf-management company known as Troon Golf. Troon manages approximately 200 facilities world-wide; please see the facility directory at Troongolf.eu.

"The course has been open and running smoothly since last September when it hosted a great charity event for the Lords Taverner's in aid of underprivileged children.

"Anyone that has ever known me will testify that I have always been dedicated to JUDAS PRIEST and the fans, and nothing has ever stopped me from touring until now.

"I have been busy going to concerts, metal exhibitions, trying to help younger bands to get off the ground, and have plans to travel on business to other countries including Finland, Spain, and the U.S. this summer.

"As for stepping out from PRIEST before the tour, I stand by my original official statement on the matter.

"Although I am not there, I wish for the name JUDAS PRIEST to forever be triumphant.

"I have no doubt the 'Epitaph' tour is sensational. I therefore urge you all again not to miss out this one, so please give your best support one more time to the mighty PRIEST."

Find more on
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • reddit
  • email

Comments Disclaimer And Information

BLABBERMOUTH.NET uses the Facebook Comments plugin to let people comment on content on the site using their Facebook account. The comments reside on Facebook servers and are not stored on BLABBERMOUTH.NET. To comment on a BLABBERMOUTH.NET story or review, you must be logged in to an active personal account on Facebook. Once you're logged in, you will be able to comment. User comments or postings do not reflect the viewpoint of BLABBERMOUTH.NET and BLABBERMOUTH.NET does not endorse, or guarantee the accuracy of, any user comment. To report spam or any abusive, obscene, defamatory, racist, homophobic or threatening comments, or anything that may violate any applicable laws, use the "Report to Facebook" and "Mark as spam" links that appear next to the comments themselves. To do so, click the downward arrow on the top-right corner of the Facebook comment (the arrow is invisible until you roll over it) and select the appropriate action. You can also send an e-mail to blabbermouthinbox(@)gmail.com with pertinent details. BLABBERMOUTH.NET reserves the right to "hide" comments that may be considered offensive, illegal or inappropriate and to "ban" users that violate the site's Terms Of Service. Hidden comments will still appear to the user and to the user's Facebook friends. If a new comment is published from a "banned" user or contains a blacklisted word, this comment will automatically have limited visibility (the "banned" user's comments will only be visible to the user and the user's Facebook friends).