Richard Ian Faulkner (born 1 January 1980), is an English guitarist. Faulkner was born in London. In the early stages of his career, he played in bands such as Dirty Deeds, Voodoo Six, Ace Mafia and Lauren Harris' band. On 20 April 2011, he was appointed as the successor of K.K. Downing in heavy metal band Judas Priest.[1] His first performance with the band occurred on 25 May 2011 on American Idol, where the band played "Living After Midnight" and "Breaking the Law" with James Durbin.[2] He has also arranged music for actor Christopher Lee's heavy metal album Charlemagne: The Omens of Death, which was released on 27 May 2013, Lee's 91st birthday.