Judas Priest Bassist Ian Hill Retires After 57 Years, Davey Rimmer Takes Over

Judas Priest have announced that founding bassist Ian Hill is retiring from the band after more than five decades, with Uriah Heep and Elegant Weapons bassist Davey Rimmer stepping in to take his place.

The heavy metal legends shared the news alongside a personal message from Hill, who revealed that advanced arthritis has made it too difficult for him to continue performing at the level he expects of himself.

“It is with heavy hearts that we are sending out this personal message from our Ian,” the band said. “He has been the backbone of Judas Priest for so long and will be greatly missed by us all. We wish him well in his retirement and welcome Davey into the Priest family.”

In his statement, Hill explained that he had always known when the time to stop would come. “For a long time now, when asked ‘how long can you continue’ – I’ve always answered ‘until my performances suffer’,” he wrote. “I hate to say it, but that time has come.”

Hill revealed he has been struggling for some years with arthritis, which is now in an advanced state in his left shoulder and right hand. It is also established in his right shoulder and present in both knees, and he has been managing it with painkillers, gels and, more recently, cortisone injections.

Despite the pain, Hill was able to record bass parts for the band’s new album. However, there were doubts about whether he would make it through Judas Priest’s recent European tour, so the band asked Rimmer to learn the set as a stand-in in case he was needed.

That precaution proved wise. Hill snapped a tendon in his left shoulder just before the encores at the band’s Brussels show, leaving him unable to lift his arm high enough to reach the neck of his bass. Two days later, Rimmer took his place for the London show.

“So we had to call Davey to stand in for me, who put in an incredible performance at such short notice!” Hill said, adding with typical dry humour that the injury came “as if I didn’t have enough problems with it!”

Specialists have suggested Hill may be able to avoid surgery, but there is no guarantee either way that his shoulder and arm will have the strength to get through a full show. With that in mind, he has decided to step away and focus on the people closest to him.

“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,” he said, “and doing things with them before it involves one of ’em pushing me around in a wheelchair.”

Hill was also clear about who should take over. “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!”

Rimmer is no stranger to classic British hard rock. He has been Uriah Heep’s bassist for more than a decade and also plays in Elegant Weapons, the band led by Judas Priest guitarist Richie Faulkner, so he already has close ties to the Priest camp.

Hill’s retirement marks the end of a remarkable era. A founding member from the band’s earliest days in the Black Country, he is the only musician to have played on every Judas Priest studio album, from the 1970s through classics such as British Steel, Screaming For Vengeance and Painkiller.

Often described as the quiet anchor of the band, Hill locked in with a succession of drummers to provide the steady low end beneath Priest’s twin-guitar attack and Rob Halford’s soaring vocals. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with Judas Priest in 2022.

With Hill stepping down, Rimmer now officially joins the Judas Priest line-up as the band look ahead to their next chapter. Fans will still hear Hill on the upcoming album, having recorded his bass parts for the new songs before making his decision.

Hill closed his message with a heartfelt thank you to the fans who have followed Judas Priest throughout his career.

“There’s not a day goes by where I don’t give thanks for the incredible journey I’ve lived through,” he said, “and it just remains for me to say that I love you all, and thank you for the life you’ve let me live.”