Battling arthritis and a shoulder injury that’s made it virtually impossible to play his beloved stringed instrument, Judas Priest bassist Ian Hill has quit the band.
The now 74-year-old iconic rocker has made the difficult decision to hang up his bass and retire, and on Friday (10.09) the British-born musician took to the band’s social media accounts with:
“Hello everyone, for a long time now, when asked “how long can you continue” – I’ve always answered “until my performances suffer”…. “I hate to say it, but that time has come.” “For some years now, I’ve been struggling with the onset of the evil arthritis, which is now in an advanced state in my left shoulder and right hand, established in my right shoulder, and present in both knees.” “I’ve been fighting this with painkilling pills, gels, and recently with cortisone injections in my shoulder and hand.”
Recently forced to miss his first concert since joining the band some sixty years ago, due to a nasty tendon injury, Hill was replaced by Uriah Heep rocker Davey Rimmer stepping in at London Eventim Apollo on September 21, who’s since been confirmed as Priest’s new bassist following Ian’s departure.
About his replacement, Ian added “Although, I was able to put bass lines to the songs for the new album, there were questions whether I’d be able to complete the recent European tour without incident, so we asked our good friend Davey Rimmer from Uriah Heep, and of course Elegant Weapons, to learn the set list to stand in for me if I had to pull out, which I did for the London show.” “This was due to me snapping a tendon in my left shoulder (as if I didn’t have enough problems with it!) just before the encores during the Brussels show two days before. This led to me not being able to lift my arm enough to reach the neck of my bass.” “So we had to call Davey to stand in for me, who put in an incredible performance at such short notice!”
Giving Davey his blessing, he said: “The obvious choice for my replacement is Davey. He’s a great bassist, and a genuinely nice bloke who’ll fit the job perfectly, and I wish him the very best of luck!”
After meeting with medical specialists, Hill has opted to step back and spend quality time with his loved ones, explaining:
“I’ve seen specialists, who suggest I might get away without surgery, but even if I don’t there’s no guarantee either way that l’ll have enough strength in my shoulder/arm to complete a whole stage show. (sic)” “In view of all this, and the fact that I’ve neglected my family life for fifty seven years, I’ve decided to retire and spend the remaining years making up for it, and doing things with them before it involves one of ’em pushing me around in a wheelchair. (sic)”
Ian signed off his post, by thanking the fans for their support over the years “There’s not a day goes by where I don’t give thanks for the incredible journey, I’ve lived through, and it just remains for me to say that I love you all, and thank you for the life you’ve let me live.”
From 1974’s Rocka Rolla to 2024’s Invincible Shield, and another collection due next year, Ian Hill has played on all of the band’s studio full lengths.
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Author: Saul Goode
Photo: S. Bollmann