One of those bands that would need far more than a single post, YES are a British group formed in 1968, without doubt among the leading exponents of Progressive Rock in its Symphonic Rock form.
Founded by singer Jon Anderson, bassist Chris Squire, guitarist Peter Banks, keyboardist Tony Kaye and drummer Bill Bruford, they released some of the finest albums in this genre and among them one that vies for the very top spots, Close To The Edge, an immense masterpiece.
The line-ups often changed, but two are remembered that, in my view, did the most to mark out different styles.
The first, active in the seventies, with a Progressive Rock imprint, made up of
- Jon Anderson, who was its leader
- Chris Squire
- Bill Bruford or his successor Alan White
- Steve Howe
- Rick Wakeman
The second, with a sound closer to pop rock or rock, in the eighties and nineties is made up of
- Jon Anderson
- Chris Squire
- Tony Kaye
- Alan White
- Trevor Rabin, who was its leader
Huge successes in both phases of the band, in particular structurally complex and elaborate albums, such as The Yes Album, Fragile, Close to the Edge, Relayer, Going for the One, the much-debated and divisive Tales from Topographic Oceans, and a worldwide hit with 90125.
A sophisticated sound, symphonic and romantic rock based on the best technology of the time in music, the ARP Odyssey, the Moog and the mellotron, which established them as undisputed masters of the genre.
The band, stellar. Some members, beyond the fundamental experience with YES, have had brilliant solo careers, played in other bands, taken part in separate projects; I mention a few:
Steve Howe, child prodigy, guitar collector, virtuoso on every kind of guitar (electric, Spanish, classical, steel guitar, mandolin...) in YES also appears as author or co-author of many of the most famous tracks, but he is also among the founders of Asia and has an extensive solo discography, as well as countless collaborations as a guest star on works by other artists, from Lou Reed to Queen, and also projects such as Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe. Gibson, the maker of his first guitar, said that Howe «has elevated rock guitar to the rank of an art form» and «helped define the new musical style known as art rock». The Gibson ES-175 is his favorite instrument.
John Roy Anderson, known as Jon, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, historic voice of YES, endowed with a very distinctive vocal timbre, with a range at least that of a mezzo-soprano while keeping the masculine character of the singing, without ever using falsetto. A great lyricist, he influenced every project he worked on; very active, he collaborated with many other artists including Vangelis, Jean-Luc Ponty, Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe, Jon Anderson & Roine Stolt (a sort of attempt to remake a parallel YES group), and a beautiful solo career with the latest beautiful recent album True from 2024 with The Band Geeks.
Christopher Russell Edward Squire, great bassist and singer, the only member present on all YES studio albums up to the date of his death (June 27, 2015), with a single true solo album, Fish Out of Water from 1975, which is one of the most loved solo works by YES members. Notable is the Squackett project, by Chris Squire & Steve Hackett.
William Scott Bruford, known as Bill, immense drummer, played in numerous groups besides YES: King Crimson, Genesis, Brand X, Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe. Bruford revolutionized drumming technique by using electronic drums in an innovative way and combining a strong sense of melody with the use of complex polyrhythmic solutions.
Richard Christopher Wakeman, known as Rick Wakeman, immense keyboardist and composer, great improviser, master of ambitious and grand symphonic progressive rock that makes wide use of keyboards, an instrument on which he is among the most virtuosic; trained as a classical pianist, later moving to keyboards and synthesizers, with a long and prolific solo career, marked by some successes especially in the mid-Seventies: the instrumental record The Six Wives of Henry VIII (1973, over six million copies sold), The Myths and Legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table (1975) and Journey to the Centre of the Earth (1974, over twelve million copies sold). He often played as a guest or session man for very different artists, such as David Bowie, Elton John, Cat Stevens, Lou Reed, Black Sabbath, John Williams, Al Stewart and Brotherhood of Man. Beautiful is his latest work Yessonata from 2024, in which he retraces on piano the most important themes of YES and his solo career. Seen live in Rome on March 4, 2025, it was a fantastic concert.
This is the long list of YES members
Current lineup
- Jon Davison – vocals (2012-present)
- Steve Howe – electric and acoustic guitars, backing vocals (1970-1981, 1990-1992, 1996-2004, 2009-present)
- Geoff Downes – keyboards (1980-1981, 2011-present)
- Billy Sherwood – bass, backing vocals (until 2000: guitars and keyboards) (1997-2000, 2015-present)
- Jay Schellen – drums, percussion (2023-present)
Former members
- Jon Anderson – vocals, backing vocals, percussion, guitar, harp (1968-1980, 1982-1987, 1990-2004)
- Chris Squire – bass, backing vocals (1968-1981, 1983-2004, 2009-2015)
- Tony Kaye – keyboards (1968-1972, 1982-1983, 1985-1995)
- Peter Banks – electric guitar, backing vocals (1968-1970)
- Bill Bruford – drums, percussion (1968-1972, 1990-1992)
- Tony O'Reilly – drums, percussion (1968)
- Rick Wakeman – keyboards, Hammond organ, piano, mellotron (1971-1974, 1976-1980, 1990-1992, 1996-1997, 2002-2004)
- Alan White – drums, percussion, backing vocals (1973-1981, 1982-2004, 2009-2022)
- Patrick Moraz – keyboards (1974-1975)
- Trevor Horn – vocals (1980-1981)
- Trevor Rabin – vocals, electric guitar, backing vocals, keyboards (1982-1995)
- Eddie Jobson - keyboards (1983)
- Igor Khoroshev – keyboards (1998-2000)
- Benoît David – vocals (2009-2011)
- Oliver Wakeman – keyboards (2009-2011)
Note: All links to the musicians' works are in the TAGS under the article title or on the "Artists" page
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