K.K. Downing Discusses Reasons for Leaving Judas Priest

A lot of Judas Priest fans are still reeling over the departure of long-time guitarist K.K. Downing, who stepped down from the band before they began their recent Epitaph World Tour. Downing had been a part of Judas Priest for over 40 years at the time of his departure, having been a founding member of the band in 1970.

The Valley Radio Online recently conducted a video interview with K.K. at his home, where he discussed his decision to leave the band and clarified some of the rumors surrounding his departure, including making clear that his motivation was leaving was not to focus on golf.

From the interview, it's clear that K.K. would have liked to continue in Priest, but was unhappy with the working relationships between the members. He was careful, however, not to reveal specifics, saying: "I mean, certain reasons I will never, ever disclose."

You can watch the entire 16-minute interview below.

Josh Hart

Josh Hart is a former web producer and staff writer for Guitar World and Guitar Aficionado magazines (2010–2012). He has since pursued writing fiction under various pseudonyms while exploring the technical underpinnings of journalism, now serving as a senior software engineer for The Seattle Times.