Jon Anderson

Best known as singer with British progressive rock pioneers Yes, Jon Anderson has enjoyed a long and varied career exploring classical elements of pop music and has one of the most recognisable voices in the industry. From Lancashire in England, he left school at 15 and worked in various jobs as a farm hand, lorry driver and milkman—and even attempted a career as a professional football player— before launching his first band The Warriors with his brother Tony sharing lead vocals. In 1968 he released two solo singles under the name Hans Christian Anderson, but they weren't successful and he joined Mabel Greer's Toyshop as lead singer. With two other members of this band—bass player Chris Squire and guitarist Peter Banks—he went on to form Yes, adding Bill Bruford on drums and keyboardist Tony Kaye. Yes released their first album in 1969 and went on to enjoy huge success embracing a new progressive kind of technical rock—especially after the addition of keyboardist Rick Wakeman in 1971—and, notable for his distinctive alto-tenor voice, Jon Anderson was the driving force behind ambitious, complex works like "Close To The Edge," "Awaken," "The Gates Of Delirium" and, most famously, "Tales From Topographic Oceans." Jon Anderson eventually left Yes in 1979 and released his solo album "Song Of Seven" the following year. He also collaborated with other progressive bands like Iron Butterfly and King Crimson, toured with the New Life Band and in 1981 achieved further success working with Vangelis on the album The Friends Of Mr Cairo, including two hit singles "I'll Find My Way Home" and "State Of Independence," also covered by Donna Summer. He then became involved in movie soundtrack music (including Metropolis and Legend) and rejoined Yes in 1983 in time for another hit album, 90215, only to quit again five years later to form Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe with Bill Bruford, Rick Wakeman and Steve Howe. This line-up then linked up with the remaining members of Yes to release the 1991 album Union. He continued to work with different line-ups of Yes until 2008 and subsequently recorded again with Rick Wakeman and Trevor Rabin. After suffering a severe asthma attack in 2008, Jon Anderson focused on his passion for painting, building up a vast portfolio of work. A year later he returned to music, touring with Rick Wakeman and releasing the collaborative Anderson/Wakeman album The Living Tree. More solo albums followed and in 2016 he announced that he would be touring with Rick Wakeman and Trevor Rabin under the acronym ARW, with the release of a brand new collaborative album. He ushered in the release of his sixteenth studio album True in August 2024.