Los Angeles, CA – February 18, 2020 – K.K Downing, founding member of Judas Priest,
today announces the name of his new band KK’s PRIEST. This all new band features some
very familiar faces. With Downing on guitar, KK’s PRIEST features ex-Judas Priest
members Tim “Ripper” Owens on vocals, who fronted the band for eight years and recorded
two studio albums, Jugulator, featuring the GRAMMY® nominted track “Bullet Train,” and
Demolition, plus two live albums, and Les Binks who was the drummer on the studio
albums Stained Class and Killing Machine and the live album Unleashed in the East. They
are joined by Tony Newton (Voodoo Six) on bass, and A.J. Mills (Hostile) on guitar. With the
line-up complete, KK’s PRIEST is hard at work in the studio creating the band’s debut album
which will be released globally by Explorer1 Music Group as a part of the partnership with
K.K Downing signed early 2020. More details to come.
KK’s PRIEST is represented exclusively by Andy Gould for Explorer1, with Jim Morewood
handling the band’s global bookings outside the U.S. for the K2 Agency. Extensive touring
and festival dates are already being planned with KK’s PRIEST taking to stages around the
world to celebrate the 50 th Anniversary of Judas Priest and K.K Downing’s career as a
founding member. The band will deliver everything that fans would expect of Downing and
his ability to deliver up everything that is Priest including newly written metal masterpieces.
“Forging ahead with KK’s PRIEST was not only inevitable, but was essential for me to
perform and deliver everything that is expected from me and KK’s PRIEST” says K.K
Downing. “Due to the massive demand and overwhelming support from fans around the
world, I feel this is where I belong, and a set combining the true, classic songs and sound of
Priest, together with great, newly forged metal tracks, is what fans can expect when KK’s
PRIEST is taking to stages.”
Last summer K.K Downing made his first public appearance in almost 10 years, performing
classic Judas Priest cuts at the Bloodstock Open Air Festival in the U.K. In November K.K
Downing called on Tim “Ripper” Owens and Les Binks for a surprise, one-off performance,
featuring Hostile’s A.J. Mills on guitar and David Ellefson from Megadeth on bass. The band
performed a blistering set of classic Judas Priest songs as well as deep album cuts that
have never been performed live. With an overwhelming response and the instant chemistry
Downing, Owens and Binks shared on stage, KK’s PRIEST was born.
K.K Downing’s genre-defining guitar style helped establish Judas Priest‘s iconic sound and
helped propelled them to one of the top Heavy Metal bands of all-time, earning numerous
accolades including a GRAMMY® in 2010 for “Best Metal Performance,” a total of five
GRAMMY® nominations and multi-platinum and gold releases.
ABOUT EXPLORER1 MUSIC:
Explorer1 Music Group (E1) (www.explorer1music.com) is a Los Angeles, California based
global full-service music company, owned and operated by career professionals from the
music, movie, TV, radio and media industries. We are not just a record, management or
services company, we are a dynamic organization of passionate and highly skilled
individuals, that offers Artist’s, songwriters, producers and companies a completely new type
of funding, infrastructure, platform and support for their music.
E1’s services include artist management, digital and physical distribution, record label
services, music publisher, radio promotion, tour promoter, publicity, production,
merchandising and career development.
Our completely unique business model provides financial support and stability, while
delivering a completely unique one-of-a-kind turnkey support system for recording,
mastering/remastering, catalog management, distribution, streaming, syndication, licensing,
promotion, marketing, touring, merchandising and all other aspects of the industry that
normally are managed by multiple entities or persons.
E1’s highly-regarded management and operational team includes senior executives who
have worked for or with the major recording labels, promoters, talent booking agencies,
management companies, music publishers, merchandise companies, and radio
stations, including BMG, Warner Music, Interscope, Clear Channel Entertainment,
Goldenvoice, AEG, Live Nation, Capitol Records, Universal, EMI, MGM, Paramount, United
Artists, Sony Music, Sanctuary Music Group, Columbia Music, Portrait Records and Virgin
Records, among others. These individuals have managed and provided booking, marketing,
artistic and promotional services for numerous world-renowned artists, including, among
many others, Madonna, U2, Lady Gaga, Eminem, Elton John, Beyoncé, Led Zeppelin, Linkin
Park, Lionel Ritchie, Rob Zombie, The Who, Iron Maiden, Metallica, Hilary Duff, Snoop
Dogg, Fleetwood Mac, Jewel, Guns ‘N Roses, Michael Bublé, Motorhead, Josh Groban,
Hole, Judas Priest, Aerosmith, Journey, Foo Fighters, Morrissey, KISS, Nickelback, Alanis
Morissette, Counting Crows, John Mayer, Jimmy Cliff, Poison, Van Halen, Sammy Hagar,
and many more.
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For more information visit www.explorer1music.com
Contact Andy Gould: ag@explorer1music.com
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Media Contact:
Todd Nakamine, FunHouse Entertainment
todd@funhouse-ent.com
