Ian Hill

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English bassist, member of Judas Priest

title: "Ian Hill" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1952-births", "living-people", "20th-century-english-bass-guitarists", "21st-century-english-bass-guitarists", "english-heavy-metal-bass-guitarists", "english-rock-bass-guitarists", "english-male-bass-guitarists", "judas-priest-members", "english-people-of-scottish-descent", "people-from-west-bromwich", "musicians-from-birmingham,-west-midlands"] description: "English bassist, member of Judas Priest" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ian_Hill" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary English bassist, member of Judas Priest ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox musical artist"]

FieldValue
imageIan Hill TonsofRock24.jpg
captionHill performing in 2024
nameIan Hill
birth_nameIan Frank Hill
birth_date
birth_placeWest Bromwich, England
occupationBassist
genreHeavy metal
current_member_ofJudas Priest
years_active1969–present
::

| image = Ian Hill TonsofRock24.jpg | caption = Hill performing in 2024 | name = Ian Hill | birth_name = Ian Frank Hill | birth_date = | birth_place = West Bromwich, England | death_date = | occupation = Bassist | alias = | genre = Heavy metal | current_member_of = Judas Priest | past_member_of = | years_active = 1969–present Ian Frank Hill (born 20 January 1952) is an English musician, best known as the bassist of the heavy metal band Judas Priest. Along with lead guitarist Glenn Tipton, he is one of only two members who've appeared on all of the band's studio albums.

Judas Priest

Main article: Judas Priest

In 1970, together with schoolmate K. K. Downing, Hill joined heavy metal band Judas Priest. He has been playing bass with the band ever since and is now the longest-serving member of the band, following Downing's departure in 2011.

During the early years of the band, he played bass by finger-picking, but since the album Killing Machine he has played with a pick.

Hill is credited with playing bass on all of Judas Priest's albums, but on Painkiller bass was double-tracked with Don Airey's bass on a Minimoog synthesizer. Hill is responsible for bringing Rob Halford into Judas Priest. The two met while Hill was dating Halford's sister and mentioned that he needed a new vocalist for his band. Halford accepted, leaving his previous band Hiroshima, and brought along drummer John Hinch, who would later be dropped by the band after one album due to "musical inadequacy", according to Judas Priest's website.

When Hill was asked about his reaction to the 2001 film Rock Star, which was originally inspired by the real-life story of Tim "Ripper" Owens, a singer in a Judas Priest tribute band who was chosen to replace singer Rob Halford when he left the band, in an interview with PopMatters magazine, Hill responded "Well, it was a true work of fiction, you know? When we heard about the production company were going to make a movie based, as far as we knew, about Ripper joining the band we offered our help. We said 'If there's anything you want to know, talk to us at the time.' And certainly our communication was cut off and that was it and they went off on their own tangent." Hill added "I mean, I quite enjoyed the movie. [laughs] It was entertaining, you know?" Hill was quoted as saying "It had nothing to do with Rob Halford, Ripper Owens and Judas Priest, it's got nothing to do with that, whatsoever. It was fiction. Apart from the fact that 'Local Boy Makes Good'? That was the only true aspect of the movie." Hill was quick to add "I watched it once. I don't have the urge to watch it again. [laughs]"

Personal life

Hill learned how to play the double bass from his father, a bass player for local jazz acts. His father died when he was fifteen. Hill married Rob Halford's sister, Sue, in 1976 and they divorced in 1984. Together they have a son, Alex, who was born in 1980. Hill lived in Florida while he was married to his second wife, Letitia. They had a daughter with the same name. He met his present wife, Jean, in 1999, and married in 2006. The couple resides in Staffordshire.

He is a supporter of West Bromwich Albion F.C.

Hill is featured in the 2024 documentary Cover Your Ears produced by Prairie Coast Films and directed by Sean Patrick Shaul, discussing the subliminal message trial Judas Priest were involved with.

Musical equipment

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/08/Priest_feast_36_-_Ian_Hill.jpg" caption="Hill performing in 2009"] ::

In the early years of Judas Priest, Hill played a 1970s Fender Jazz Bass, switching to Hamer in the mid-1980s. Since the late 1980s, Hill has played Spector basses. Spector currently produce an Ian Hill signature bass guitar, based on Hill's NS-2 and fitted with a narrower neck, with an optional tuning of BEAD. He plays using a nylon flatpick of 0.75 mm thickness.

While Hill has used a wide range of different amplifiers through his career, he has been using SWR products since the late 1990s. His current rig consists of two SWR SM1500 amplifiers and four SWR TRIAD cabinets. During the Jugulator and Demolition recording sessions, Hill used a five-string Spector bass to access the lower registers needed through the use of down tuned guitars by Tipton and Downing.

Discography

Main article: Judas Priest discography

References

References

  1. Rose, Mike. (January 20, 2023). "Today's famous birthdays list for January 20, 2023 includes celebrities Questlove, Rainn Wilson".
  2. Popoff, Martin. (2007). "Judas Priest: Heavy Metal Painkillers—An Illustrated History". ECW Press.
  3. "Judas Priest's Ian Hill".
  4. (6 November 2020). "Deep Purple Keyboardist Don Airey: I Played Bass on Judas Priest's 'Painkiller'". [[Loudwire]].
  5. "JudasPriest.com".
  6. Maçek III, J.C.. (1 June 2015). ""We're All Fans" An Interview with Judas Priest's Ian Hill". [[PopMatters]].
  7. [http://www.trucktrend.com/features/consumer/163_0807_ian_hill_celebrity_drive/car_collection_first_car.html Trucktrends] {{Webarchive. link. (25 September 2009 , K. S. Wang, 2008)
  8. "Ian Hill".
  9. "Judas Priest's Ian Hill: 'I must be West Brom's only Fan!".
  10. "Cover Your Ears".
  11. "Stuart Spector Designs, Ltd - Makers of fine electric and bass guitar…".
  12. "Swrsound.com".

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1952-birthsliving-people20th-century-english-bass-guitarists21st-century-english-bass-guitaristsenglish-heavy-metal-bass-guitaristsenglish-rock-bass-guitaristsenglish-male-bass-guitaristsjudas-priest-membersenglish-people-of-scottish-descentpeople-from-west-bromwichmusicians-from-birmingham,-west-midlands