Jon Anderson
Vocalist Jon Anderson performing in concert with Yes in 1977
Background information
Birth name	John Roy Anderson
Born	October 25, 1944 (1944-10-25) (age 62)
Origin	Accrington, Lancashire, England
Genre(s)	Progressive rock, Arena rock, New Age
Occupation(s)	Vocalist, lyricist, Songwriter, Painter
Years active	1968 - present
Associated acts	Yes Jon & Vangelis
Website	Official website

John Roy "Jon" Anderson (born October 25, 1944) is an English musician, best known as the lead singer of the progressive rock band Yes. He is also an accomplished solo artist, and has collaborated for over 20 years with the Greek musician Vangelis, creating the duo "Jon & Vangelis". Jon Anderson, Yes, Indianapolis, August 30, 1977, by Rick Dikeman File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Also: 1977 (album) by Ash. ... October 25 is the 298th day of the year (299th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ... Arms of the former Accrington Municipal Borough Council Blackburn Road near Church Accrington is a small former mill town in Lancashire, England; situated in the North West. ... Lancashire is a county in North West England, bounded to the west by the Irish Sea. ... Motto (French) God and my right Anthem God Save the Queen England() – on the European continent() – in the United Kingdom() Capital (and largest city) London (de facto) Official languages English (de facto) Unified  -  by Athelstan 967 AD  Area  -  Total 130,395 km²  50,346 sq mi  Population  -  2007 estimate 50... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... For the Swedish political music movement, see progg. ... Arena rock is a loosely defined style of rock music, often also called anthem rock or stadium rock, and the style of music is closely associated with corporate rock and album-oriented rock. ... New Age describes a broad movement characterized by alternative approaches to traditional Western culture. ... In music a singer or vocalist is a type of musician who sings, i. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... A songwriter is someone who writes the lyrics to songs, the musical composition or melody to songs, or both. ... Painting by Rembrandt self-portrait Detail from Las Meninas by Diego Velazquez, in which the painter portrayed himself at work For the computer graphics program, see Corel Painter. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Jon & Vangelis is the collaborative effort between the singer Jon Anderson and the synthesizer artist Vangelis. ... October 25 is the 298th day of the year (299th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ... Motto (French) God and my right Anthem God Save the Queen England() – on the European continent() – in the United Kingdom() Capital (and largest city) London (de facto) Official languages English (de facto) Unified  -  by Athelstan 967 AD  Area  -  Total 130,395 km²  50,346 sq mi  Population  -  2007 estimate 50... “Instrumentalist” redirects here. ... For the Swedish political music movement, see progg. ... In music, a band is a group of musicians, or musical ensemble, usually popular or folk, playing parts of a musical arrangement. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Evangelos Odysseas Papathanassiou (Ευάγγελος Οδυσσέας Παπαθανασίου) [IPA: ] is a world-renowned Greek composer of electronic, New Age and classical music and musical performer, under the artist name Vangelis Papathanassiou (Βαγγέλης Παπαθανασίου) or just Vangelis (a diminutive of Evangelos) [IPA: or ]. He is best known for his Academy Award winning score for the film Chariots of... Jon & Vangelis is the collaborative effort between the singer Jon Anderson and the synthesizer artist Vangelis. ...

Early life and childhood

He was born in the town of Accrington, Lancashire, England, in a family of Irish ancestry, his parents being Albert and Kathleen Anderson. He was later to drop the "h" from his first name in about 1971, as he had a dream where he was given the name "Jonathan". Thus, on The Yes Album he is still credited as "John", and on the next album Fragile, credited as "Jon". Arms of the former Accrington Municipal Borough Council Blackburn Road near Church Accrington is a small former mill town in Lancashire, England; situated in the North West. ... Lancashire is a county in North West England, bounded to the west by the Irish Sea. ... Motto (French) God and my right Anthem God Save the Queen England() – on the European continent() – in the United Kingdom() Capital (and largest city) London (de facto) Official languages English (de facto) Unified  -  by Athelstan 967 AD  Area  -  Total 130,395 km²  50,346 sq mi  Population  -  2007 estimate 50... The Yes Album is the third album by British progressive rock band Yes. ... Fragile is the fourth album by British progressive rock band Yes. ...

He attended St. John's Infants School in Accrington, and made a tentative start to his musical career at an early age by playing the washboard in "Little John's Skiffle Group", which played songs by Lonnie Donegan among others. Arms of the former Accrington Municipal Borough Council Blackburn Road near Church Accrington is a small former mill town in Lancashire, England; situated in the North West. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Doghouse Skiffle Group Skiffle is a type of folk music with a jazz and blues influence, usually using homemade or improvised instruments such as the washboard, tea chest bass, kazoo, cigar-box fiddle, musical saw, comb and paper, and so forth, as well as more conventional instruments such as acoustic... Lonnie Donegan Lonnie Donegan MBE (29 April 1931 – 3 November 2002) was a skiffle musician, possibly the most famous of them all, with more than 20 UK Top 30 hits to his name. ...

Anderson left school at the age of fifteen, and went through a series of jobs including working as a farm hand, a lorry driver, and a milkman.

He also tried to pursue a football career in the club he is still a fan of, Accrington Stanley F.C., but he was eventually turned down because of his frail constitution. Accrington Stanley is a football club from Accrington in Lancashire, in the north-west of England, formed in 1968. ...

Early career

In 1962, Anderson joined The Warriors (also known as The Electric Warriors), where he and his brother Tony shared the role of lead vocalist. He quit this band in 1967, released two solo singles in 1968 under the pseudonym Hans Christian Anderson, and then briefly sang for the bands The Gun and The Open Mind. In music a singer or vocalist is a type of musician who sings, i. ... The Gun were formed in 1967 in London, by Paul and Adrian Gurvitz. ... The Open Mind were a London-based psychedelic rock band active in the 1960s and 1970s. ...

In the summer of 1968, Anderson met bassist Chris Squire and joined him in a group called Mabel Greer's Toyshop, which had previously included guitarist Peter Banks. Anderson fronted this band, but ended up leaving again before the summer was over. He remarks on his website that his time with the band consisted of "too many drugs, not enough fun!". ||/ | @___oo / / / (__,,,,| ) /^) ^/ _) ) /^/ _) ) _ / / _) / )// || | )_) < > |(,,) )__) || / )___) | ____( )___) )___ ______(_______;;; __;;; A bassist is not a musician, so much as a guy or girl trying to play an instrument with four strings and a long neck. ... Christopher Russell Edward Squire (born 4 March 1948), better known as Chris Squire is an English musician and the bassist and backing vocalist for the progressive rock group Yes, and is the only member of the group to appear on every album (co-founder Jon Anderson appeared on all but... the very definition of a guitarist is cody allen and taylor hines because of there un ending guitar skills and awsomnes. ... Peter Banks is the stage name of Peter Brockbanks (April 8, 1947—). He was the original guitarist of the progressive rock band Yes. ...

Yes

Anderson, Squire, and Banks went on to form Yes, with drummer Bill Bruford and keyboardist Tony Kaye. Their debut album was released in 1969. He stayed with the group until 1980, and this period is now known as the classic period of Yes. Jon was a major creative force and band leader throughout the period (describing himself as the 'team captain')-- and is recognized as the main instigator of the series of epics produced by Yes at the time. His role in creating such complex pieces as Close to the Edge, Awaken, and especially The Gates of Delirium is central, despite his limited instrumental abilities. This article does not cite any references or sources. ... A drummer in Action A drummer is a person who plays the drums, particularly the drum kit, marching percussion, or hand drums. ... Bill Bruford on the cover of his album, Feels Good to Me William Scott Bruford (born May 17, 1949 in Sevenoaks, Kent, England), better known as Bill Bruford, is an influential British drummer known for his forceful, highly precise, polyrhythmic style. ... A keyboardist is a musician who plays keyboard instruments. ... Tony Kaye (born January 11, 1946) is a British musician born in Leicester, England with the name Anthony John Selvidge (some mistaken authors spell it Selridge). He was the original pianist and organist for the legendary progressive rock group Yes. ... Close to the Edge is the fifth album by British progressive rock band Yes. ... The Gates of Delirium is the first track on Yes’s 1974 album, Relayer. ...

He rejoined a reformed Yes in 1983 which produced their most commercially successful album 90125 with newcomer Trevor Rabin, and departed again in 1988 over the band's continued pursuit of major commercial success and mainstream radio play. In 1989, Anderson and other former Yes members formed the group Anderson, Bruford, Wakeman, Howe (ABWH), augmented by bassist Tony Levin who had played with drummer Bill Bruford in King Crimson. After the successful first ABWH album, a bizarre series of business deals caused ABWH to reunite with the then-current members of Yes, who had been out of the public eye while searching for a new lead singer. The resulting eight-man band assumed the name Yes, and the album Union was assembled from various pieces of an in-progress second ABWH album as well as recordings that "Yes proper" had been working on, without Anderson. A successful tour followed, but the eight-man lineup of Yes never recorded a complete album together before splintering in 1992. Many more personnel changes followed, but Anderson has been with the band ever since. He appears on all Yes albums except their 1980 album Drama. 90125 is a rock album by Yes released in 1983 (see 1983 in music). ... Trevor Rabin onstage with Yes, 1995 Trevor Rabin (born Trevor Charles Rabin on January 13, 1954) is a South African guitarist and film composer, best known for being the guitarist and songwriter for the progressive rock band Yes from 1983 - 1995, and since then, as a film composer. ... Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe is a permutation of the popular music group Yes, which is a progressive rock band that formed in London in 1968. ... Tony Levin (born June 6, 1946, Boston, Massachusetts) is an influential American bass player. ... King Crimson are an influential English musical group founded by guitarist Robert Fripp and drummer Michael Giles in 1969. ... Union is an album by British progressive rock band Yes, released in 1991 . ... Drama is the twelfth album by British progressive rock group Yes. ...

Nicknamed "Napoleon" by his bandmates for his diminutive stature and leadership of Yes, Anderson was fond of experimenting within the band, also adding to what were at times conflicted relationships within the band and with management. He originally wanted to record the album Tales from Topographic Oceans in the middle of the woods, and instead decided to put hay and animal cut-outs all over the recording studio, causing lice to infest one of Rick Wakeman's keyboards. In another incident, Anderson had tiles installed in the studio, to simulate the echo effect of one's vocals in a bathroom. Tales From Topographic Oceans is the sixth studio album by British progressive rock band Yes. ... Suborders Anoplura (sucking lice) Rhyncophthirina Ischnocera (avian lice) Amblycera (chewing lice) Lice (singular: louse) (order Phthiraptera) are an order of over 3000 species of wingless parasitic insects. ... Bathroom singing, also known as singing in the bathroom, singing in the bath, or singing in the shower is a widespread phenomenon. ...

Vocal and lyrical style

Though he considers himself an alto tenor vocalist, Jon's performance on Owner of a Lonely Heart is an example of what is known by singers as "the blend voice": a technique where the head voice, falsetto and chest voice (speaking voice) are gradually blended allowing a smooth breakless transition to the male countertenor register. The higher the voice gets, the more falsetto and less chest and head voice are used. The lower the voice gets, the less falsetto and more chest voice come to bear. At the highest limit, (the high "yeeows" before the guitar solo) full falsetto is used. Owner of a Lonely Heart is a song by the rock band Yes. ... Human voice is sound made by a person using the vocal folds for talking, singing or crying. ... Falsetto (IPA: Italian , General American , RP ) is a singing technique that produces sounds that are pitched higher than the singers normal range. ... Human voice is sound made by a person using the vocal folds for talking, singing or crying. ... Human voice is sound made by a person using the vocal folds for talking, singing or crying. ...

Other practitioners of blended singing include Steven Tyler (Aerosmith), Sting (The Police) and Hugh Wilson (Vertigo). Stephen Victor Tallarico (born March 26, 1948 in Yonkers, New York), better known as Steven Tyler (and often nicknamed The Demon of Screamin) is an American musician and songwriter. ... Aerosmith is a prominent American rock band, regarded by some as Americas Greatest Rock and Roll Band. [1][2] Although they are known as the bad boys from Boston[3], none of the bands members are actually from that city. ... For professional wrestler Steve Borden, see Sting (wrestler). ... The Police are a three-piece rock band consisting of singer/bassist Sting, guitarist Andy Summers, and drummer Stewart Copeland. ...

Anderson is also responsible for most of the mystically-themed lyrics and concepts which are part of many Yes releases. These elements are crucial components of the classic Yes sound, but have occasionally alienated some members of the band (most notably Bruford and Rick Wakeman), contributing to their leaving the group. The lyrics are frequently inspired by various books Anderson has enjoyed, from Tolstoy's War And Peace to Hermann Hesse's Siddhartha. A footnote in Paramahansa Yogananda's Autobiography of a Yogi inspired one Yes album. Recurring themes include environmentalism, pacifism and sun-worship. This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Richard Christopher Wakeman (born May 18, 1949 in Perivale, London) is an English keyboard player best known as the keyboardist for progressive rock group Yes. ... Count Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy (Russian: , IPA:  ), commonly referred to in English as Leo Tolstoy (September 9 [O.S. August 28] 1828 – November 20 [O.S. November 7] 1910) was a Russian novelist, writer, essayist, philosopher, Christian anarchist, pacifist, educational reformer, moral thinker, and an influential member of the Tolstoy family. ... War and Peace (Russian: Война и мир, Voyna i mir; in original orthography: Война и миръ, Voyna i mir) is an epic novel by Leo Tolstoy, first published from 1865 to 1869 in Russki Vestnik, which tells the story of Russian society during the Napoleonic Era. ... Hermann Hesse (pronounced ) (2 July 1877 – 9 August 1962) was a German-born poet, novelist, and painter. ... Siddhartha is an allegorical novel by Hermann Hesse which deals with the spiritual journey of an Indian man called Siddhartha during the time of the Buddha. ... Paramahansa Yogananda (Bengali: পরমহংস যোগানন্দ Pôromôhongsho Joganondo, Hindi: परमहंस योगानन्‍द; January 5, 1893–March 7, 1952), was an Indian yogi and guru. ...

Work outside Yes

In 1970, Anderson sang as a session singer on King Crimson's "Lizard" album, on the track "Prince Rupert Awakes", as it was outside the range of the then Crimson vocalist, Gordon Haskell.

In 1985 Anderson's song "This Time It Was Really Right" was featured on the soundtrack for the movie "St. Elmo's Fire". St. ...

Also in 1985, along with tangerine dream he recorded the song "loved by the sun" for the film "Legend" directed by ridley scott.

The song "Cage Of Freedom" was also featured on the 1984 soundtrack for the re-release of the classic black and white movie "Metropolis". Metropolis is a silent science fiction film created by the famed Austrian director Fritz Lang. ...

In 1982 Jon worked as vocalist for Mike Oldfield's release of "In high places" from the album Crises, and the song "Shine". He has also guested with Bela Fleck and the Flecktones. Note: crises is the plural of crisis. ... Béla Fleck and the Flecktones is a primarily instrumental group that draws equally on bluegrass, fusion and jazz band, sometimes dubbed blue_bop. ...

In 2004, Anderson appeared with the Contemporary Youth Orchestra of Cleveland. The concert was recorded and released for the orchestra members, but was never publicly released, to the dismay of many concert attendees. The Contemporary Youth Orchestra released a collaboration album with Styx in November 2006-One With Everything: Styx and the Contemporary Youth Orchestra The Contemporary Youth Orchestra is a youth orchestra based in Cleveland, Ohio. ...

In 2006 Animation was finally released on CD but was a huge disappointment for fans due to poor audio quality as it was sourced from a worn vinyl record and was then digitally mastered inexplicably loud causing the CD to distort. The master tapes have since been found and Voice Print will be issuing free upgrades to those who bought the original release.

In a 2006 tour, the Trans-Siberian Orchestra (East Coast Troupe) got Anderson to appear in 2 concerts on December 16 in Philadelphia, PA to play "Roundabout". Trans-Siberian Orchestra (often abbreviated as TSO) is a Rock and Heavy Metal orchestra founded by Paul ONeill, Robert Kinkel, and Jon Oliva in 1996. ...

In 2007, Anderson toured with The Paul Green School of Rock Music, finishing the tour with two sold out shows at B.B. Kings Bar and Grill in New York City. The Paul Green School of Rock is a rock music program, first established in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1998, by Paul Green. ...

Currently Jon is on tour for a second time with The Paul Green School of Rock

Jon appears on the new Dream Theater album "Systematic Chaos", as part of a vocal ensemble on the fifth track "Repentance". The album was released on June 5th, 2007.

Family

Jon Anderson's children include daughter Deborah Anderson (who has done work singing for the French electronica band Télépopmusik on the album Angel Milk, released in summer 2005), Jade Anderson (who has released a solo album in Japan) and Damion Anderson (also a musician). Deborah Anderson (born in the UK; currently resident in the US) is a musician and photographer. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Electronic music. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Jade Anderson is a singer, currently living in London. ...

Notes

Anderson was a smoker in the 1960s and 70s. To this day, before live performances he often meditates in a tent with crystals and dreamcatchers-- a practice he started in the 1980s. Anderson was also a vegetarian, as were most members of Yes during the mid-seventies. In an 16 August 2006 interview on The Howard Stern Show Jon said he eats meat, mostly fish on occasion. In the interview he also stated he had a spiritual adviser that "helped him see into the fourth dimension". He considers himself to be part of the "elf culture" and this revelation occurred during a trip on mushrooms, which he experimented with once a year until recent years. Jon attributes certain abilities, including being able to play the piano, to a back injury. Anderson now refers to the reason for Yes' breakup(s) to be from over-touring. His current projects include a rock fantasy camp. Anderson's religious beliefs are syncretic and varied, including respect for the Divine Mother Audrey Kitagawa 1 , 2. He has worked with Contemporary Christian music band 4HIM: in 1999, his vocal was featured on the song "The Only Thing I Need", which appeared on a various artists CD entitled Streams. For animals adapted to eat primarily plants, sometimes referred to as vegetarian animals, see Herbivore. ... August 16 is the 228th day of the year (229th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... This article is about the radio show hosted by Howard Stern, for a biography of his personal life see Howard Stern. ... Contemporary Christian Music (or CCM; also by its religious neutral term Inspirational music) is a genre of popular music which is lyrically focused on matters concerned with the Christian faith. ... 4Him (l to r): Andy Chrisman, Marty Magehee, Mark Harris, Kirk Sullivan 4Him is a Contemporary Christian vocal quartet founded in 1990. ...

One of Jon's biggest passions is his painting and uses his art as yet another channel for his creativity and self expression. His artwork is available to view on his official website

Discography

• Solo:
  • Olias of Sunhillow (1976)
  • Song of Seven (1980)
  • Animation (1982)
  • 3 Ships (1985)
  • In The City of Angels (1988)
  • The Best of South America (1994)
  • Deseo (1994)
  • Change We Must (1994)
  • Angels Embrace (1995)
  • Toltec (1996)
  • Lost Tapes of Opio (1996)
  • The Promise Ring (1997)
  • Earth Mother Earth (1997)
  • The More You Know (1998)
  • Animation (Re-Release on CD) (2006)
  • The Lost Tapes (20 CD Box) (2006-2007)

• With Kitaro:
  • Dream (a.k.a. Lady of Dreams) (1992)

• With Mike Oldfield:
  • Crisis (1983)
  • Shine (single) (1986)

• With Tangerine Dream:
  • Legend (OST) (1986)

• With King Crimson:
  • Lizard (1970)

• With Anthony Phillips:
  • The Geese & The Ghost (1973)

• With Vangelis:
  • Heaven and Hell (1975) - Vangelis album with Anderson vocals on one track
  • See You Later (Vangelis album) (1980)

• Jon & Vangelis:
  • Short Stories (1980)
  • The Friends of Mr. Cairo (1981)
  • Private Collection (1983)
  • The Best of Jon & Vangelis (1984)
  • Page of Life (1991)
  • Chronicles (1994)
  • Page Of Life (1998) - alternate version not approved by Vangelis

• With The Fellowship
  • In Elven Lands (2006)

Olias of Sunhillow is a progressive rock concept album by Jon Anderson, the lead singer of the band Yes. ... Kitaro Kitaro (喜多郎 Kitarō) (born as Masanori Takahashi (高橋正則 Takahashi Masanori) on February 4, 1953 in Toyohashi, Aichi Prefecture, Japan) is a composer and multi-instrumentalist. ... Michael Gordon Oldfield (born May 15, 1953 in Reading, England) is a multi-instrumentalist musician and composer, working a style that blends progressive rock, folk, ethnic or world music, classical music, electronic music and more recently dance. ... Tangerine Dream is a German electronic music group founded in 1967 by Edgar Froese. ... King Crimson are an influential English musical group founded by guitarist Robert Fripp and drummer Michael Giles in 1969. ... Anthony Ant Phillips (born December 23, 1951 in London) is an English musician, best known as a founding member of the band Genesis. ... Evangelos Odysseas Papathanassiou (Ευάγγελος Οδυσσέας Παπαθανασίου) [IPA: ] is a world-renowned Greek composer of electronic, New Age and classical music and musical performer, under the artist name Vangelis Papathanassiou (Βαγγέλης Παπαθανασίου) or just Vangelis (a diminutive of Evangelos) [IPA: or ]. He is best known for his Academy Award winning score for the film Chariots of... Heaven and Hell is a 1975 is the second solo album of the Greek artist Vangelis. ... Jon & Vangelis is the collaborative effort between the singer Jon Anderson and the synthesizer artist Vangelis. ... The Friends of Mr. ...

External links

• Jon Anderson online
• Jon Anderson's biography
• Jon Anderson discography
• Jon Anderson Radio Interview With Chris Comer March 21, 2006
• The Lost Tapes CD box set