| K. K. Downing | |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Kenneth Downing, Jr. |
| Born | 27 October 1951 West Bromwich, England |
| Genre(s) | Heavy metal |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, Songwriter |
| Instrument(s) | Guitar |
| Years active | 1968 - Present |
| Label(s) | Columbia |
| Associated acts | Judas Priest |
| Notable instrument(s) | |
| Hamer KK Downing Signature model | |
Kenneth "K. Events 312 - Constantine the Great is said to have received his famous Vision of the Cross. Year 1951 ( MCMLI) was a Common year starting on Monday. Events of 1951 January West Bromwich ( is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Sandwell, in the West Midlands, England England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland A music genre is a categorical and typological construct that identifies musical sounds as belonging to a particular category and type of music that can be distinguished from other A musician is a person who plays or writes Music. Musicians can be classified by their roles in creating or performing music An instrumentalist plays a A songwriter is someone who writes the Lyrics to songs the Musical composition (chords or Melody to songs or both A musical instrument is a device constructed or modified for the purpose of making Music. The guitar is a Musical instrument with ancient roots that is used in a wide variety of musical styles In the Music industry, a record label can be a Brand and a Trademark associated with the Marketing of music recordings and Music Columbia Records is an American Record label founded in 1888 Columbia is the oldest surviving Brand name in pre-recorded sound being the first record company Judas Priest are an English heavy metal band formed in 1970 in Birmingham. Hamer Guitars is an American manufacturer that specializes in the production of high quality Guitars It was founded in Illinois by Jol Dantzig and K. " Downing, Jr. (born 27 October 1951 in Yew Tree Estate, Hill Top in West Bromwich, England) is a guitarist, songwriter and a founding member of the British heavy metal band Judas Priest. Events 312 - Constantine the Great is said to have received his famous Vision of the Cross. Year 1951 ( MCMLI) was a Common year starting on Monday. Events of 1951 January Hill Top can refer to Hill Top Stanley, County Durham England Hill Top Teesdale, County Durham England Hill Top West Bromwich ( is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Sandwell, in the West Midlands, England England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland A guitarist is a Musician who plays the Guitar. Guitarists may perform solo pieces or play with ensembles and bands of a wide variety of genres A songwriter is someone who writes the Lyrics to songs the Musical composition (chords or Melody to songs or both See also Kingdom of Great Britain Great Britain (Breatainn Mhòr Prydain Fawr Breten Veur Graet Breetain is the larger of the two main islands Judas Priest are an English heavy metal band formed in 1970 in Birmingham. He received his stage name when a girl in Denmark could not pronounce his name and called him "K. The Kingdom of Denmark ( ˈd̥ænmɑɡ̊ (archaic ˈd̥anmɑːɡ̊ commonly known as Denmark, is a country in the Scandinavian region of northern Europe K. " instead.
Contents |
Childhood
Downing dropped out of school when he was fifteen, then was kicked out of his house when he was sixteen and has reportedly not spoken to his parents since. He had little ambition at the time, until he picked up the guitar.
Playing style and technique
Influenced by Jimi Hendrix, Downing bought his first guitar at the age of sixteen. James Marshall Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix) (November 27 1942 – September 18 1970 was an American Guitarist, Singer and Songwriter The guitar is a Musical instrument with ancient roots that is used in a wide variety of musical styles According to an interview by Guitar One magazine, Downing found little support from his parents for his career of choice. This did not change even after Judas Priest achieved worldwide commercial success and critical acclaim. To this day Downing's mother insists he should get a "proper job"[1]. Together with his schoolmate and fellow band founding member Ian Hill, Downing has been solely dedicated to the band for more than 35 years. Ian Hill (born Ian Frank Hill January 20 1951, lived on Yew Tree Estate Walsall, England) moving there in 1955 is a founding member and
Downing has been noted for his aggressive, bluesy solos and dual leads with fellow Judas Priest guitarist Glenn Tipton. Glenn Raymond Tipton (born October 25, 1947 in Blackheath, England) is one of the Guitarists (and occasional keyboard [2] 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 tend to incorporate a more raw, rough-edged sound, making use of techniques like pinch harmonics, dive bombs, and tremolo picking, and often focus on speed and ferocity more than accuracy and melody. A pinch harmonic, also known as a squealie or squealer is a Guitar technique (typically Electric guitar) pioneered by Roy Buchanan This article refers to musical term For information regarding the military term see Dive bomber. Tremolo picking or double picking describes the musical technique of picking on a Guitar or other String instrument in which a single note is In 1978, Tipton began to incorporate tapping into his playing, which Downing promptly began to use as well. Year 1978 ( MCMLXXVIII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1978 Gregorian calendar) Tapping is a playing technique generally associated with the Electric guitar, although the technique may be performed on almost any String instrument. In 1990, both guitarists started to use the complex technique of sweep-picking, which can be notably heard on the title track of their 1990 album Painkiller. Year 1990 ( MCMXC) was a Common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar) Sweep picking is a technique used on the Guitar in which a 'sweeping' motion of the pick is combined with a matching fret hand technique in order to produce a specific " Painkiller " is the the first song on British metal band Judas Priest 's 1990 album Painkiller Year 1990 ( MCMXC) was a Common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar) Painkiller is a 1990 gold-certified album by British heavy metal band Judas Priest. Both have continuously used these techniques ever since.
In Judas Priest's early years, Downing made common use of the wah-wah pedal, but began to limit his use of it in the late '70s, and had abandoned use of it by the mid-'80s, save for during live performances of the songs that originally featured it. A wah-wah pedal (or just wah pedal) is a type of Guitar Effects pedal that alters the tone of the signal to create a distinctive effect intended to mimic The only time since then that he has renewed use of it was in 1996, when vocalist Tim "Ripper" Owens joined the band, and they began to experiment with their music more than before. Year 1996 ( MCMXCVI) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar) Tim "Ripper" Owens (born Timothy S Owens on September 13, 1967 in Akron, Ohio) is an American heavy metal singer who One of these experimentations was the renewal of wah-wah in Downing's playing, which can be heard on their 1997 album Jugulator. For the onomateopeic word see Wah-wah. Wah-Wah is a 2005 Drama film, written and directed by British Year 1997 ( MCMXCVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1997 Gregorian calendar Jugulator is the 13th Studio album by British heavy metal band Judas Priest, was released in Japan on October 16 1997 and the rest of the This experimentation was taken further on their next album with Owens, 2001's Demolition, but was once more abandoned when the band's former vocalist, Rob Halford, returned to the band. Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar. Demolition is British heavy metal band Judas Priest 's 14th studio album Robert John Arthur Halford (born August 25, 1951) is an English singer and songwriter best known as the lead vocalist for the heavy metal band
Homes
Downing owns a home in Spain, but his main abode is Astbury Hall in Shropshire, England (worth $3. Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Shropshire (ˈʃrɒpʃɪə/ /-ʃə alternatively known as Salop or abbreviated in print only Shrops, is a county in the 64 million). It is in a very secluded area so he can--as stated in a 2007 interview--"blast his Marshalls. "
Trivia
- He was ranked 23 on rock magazine Hit Parader's list of 100 greatest metal guitarists.
Gear
Downing has many guitars, among them:
- 1964 Gibson Flying V Limited Edition with Gibson PAF pickups
- 1970 Gibson Flying V with Maestro vibrato bar
- 1969 Fender Stratocaster (White) with left-handed neck
- 1970-71 Fender Stratocaster (Sunburst)
- Custom Hamer Vector, Vector KK and KK Mini V guitars
- ESP Custom V guitar and a Dan Johnson custom built V
References
External links
The Gibson Flying V is an Electric guitar model first released by Gibson in 1958. Fender Musical Instruments Corporation of Quincy Illinois is a manufacturer of stringed instruments such as solid-body Electric guitars including the Hamer Guitars is an American manufacturer that specializes in the production of high quality Guitars It was founded in Illinois by Jol Dantzig andDapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic