Yes (band)
Yes are an English progressive rock band formed in London in 1968 by lead singer Jon Anderson, bassist Chris Squire, guitarist Peter Banks, keyboardist Tony Kaye, and drummer Bill Bruford. The band has undergone numerous lineup changes throughout their history, during which 20 musicians have been full-time members. Since February 2023, the band has consisted of guitarist Steve Howe, keyboardist Geoff Downes, bassist Billy Sherwood, singer Jon Davison, and drummer Jay Schellen. Yes have explored several musical styles over the years and are most notably regarded as progressive rock pioneers.
Yes
London, England
- 1968–1981
- 1983–2004
- 2008–present
Yes began performing original songs and rearranged covers of rock, pop, blues and jazz songs, as evidenced on their self-titled first album from 1969, and its follow-up Time and a Word from 1970. A change of direction later in 1970 led to a series of successful progressive rock albums, with four consecutive U.S. platinum or multi-platinum sellers in The Yes Album (1971), Fragile (1971), Close to the Edge (1972) and the live album Yessongs (1973). Further albums, Tales from Topographic Oceans (1973), Relayer (1974), Going for the One (1977) and Tormato (1978), were also commercially successful. Yes toured as a major rock act that earned the band a reputation for their elaborate stage sets, light displays, and album covers designed by Roger Dean. The success of "Roundabout", the single from Fragile, cemented their popularity across the decade and beyond. Jon Anderson and Chris Squire remained with the group throughout the 1970s, with Peter Banks, Tony Kaye, and Bill Bruford all departing across 1970 to 1972, and being replaced by Steve Howe, Rick Wakeman, and Alan White, respectively. Wakeman left the group in 1974, but returned two years later, with Patrick Moraz taking his place in the interim. After a final album, Drama, and tour in 1980, both of which saw Geoff Downes and Trevor Horn replace Wakeman and Anderson, respectively, Yes disbanded in 1981.
In 1983, Squire and White reformed Yes, with Anderson and Kaye returning, and guitarist Trevor Rabin joining. Rabin's songwriting helped move the band towards mainstream rock, the result of which was 90125 (1983), their highest-selling album that featured the U.S. number-one single "Owner of a Lonely Heart". Its follow-up, Big Generator (1987), was also successful. In 1989, Anderson and former members Bruford, Wakeman, and Howe released the self-titled Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe album, after which they and the other then-current Yes members–Squire, Kaye, White, and Rabin–unified into an eight-piece line-up of Yes for the 1991 Union album and its subsequent tour. From 1994 to 2001, Yes regularly released studio albums with varied levels of success. After a four-year hiatus, they resumed touring in 2008 and have continued to release new albums; their latest, Mirror to the Sky, was released in 2023. Former members Anderson, Wakeman, and Rabin collaborated as Yes Featuring Jon Anderson, Trevor Rabin, Rick Wakeman from 2016 to 2018.[2] Among the longest serving members of the band, Squire (the last original member) died in 2015, and White died in 2022.
Yes are one of the most successful, influential, and longest-lasting progressive rock bands. They have sold 13.5 million RIAA-certified albums in the U.S.,[3] as well as more than 30 million albums worldwide.[4] In 1985, they won a Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance with "Cinema", and received five Grammy nominations between 1985 and 1992. They were ranked No. 94 on VH1's 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock.[5] Their discography spans 23 studio albums. In April 2017, Yes were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, which chose to induct current and former members Anderson, Squire, Bruford, Kaye, Howe, Wakeman, White, and Rabin.
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame[edit]
Yes were eligible to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994.[204] In August 2013, the fan campaign Voices for Yes[205] was launched to get the band inducted.[206][207] The campaign was headed by two U.S. political operators: John Brabender, senior strategist for Republican Rick Santorum's 2012 U.S. presidential campaign, and Tad Devine, who worked on Democrat John Kerry's 2004 presidential campaign and Al Gore's 2000 campaign.[208][209][210] Also involved were former NBC president Steve Capus and former White House Political Director Sara Taylor.[211] On 16 October 2013, Yes failed to be inducted.[212] In November 2013, Anderson expressed a wish to return to Yes in the future for a "tour everybody dreams of",[213] and cited Yes's nomination for inclusion into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a motive for a possible reunion.[214]
On 7 April 2017, Yes were inducted into the 2017 class by Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson of Rush in a ceremony held in New York City. The musicians inducted were Anderson, Howe, Rabin, Squire, Wakeman, Kaye, Bruford, and White, the same lineup featured on Union and its tour.[215][216] Having failed to pass the nomination stage twice previously, the announcement of their forthcoming induction was made on 20 December 2016. In the ceremony, Anderson, Howe, Rabin, Wakeman, and White performed "Roundabout" with Lee on bass, followed by "Owner of a Lonely Heart" with Howe on bass. Bruford attended the ceremony but did not perform, while Kaye did not attend.[217][218] Dylan Howe (Steve's son) described how at the ceremony the two groups—Yes and ARW—were seated at adjacent tables but ignored each other.[219]
