Died On This Date (June 28, 2015) Chris Squire / Co-Founder Of Yes
themusicsover Chris Squire
March 4, 1948 – June 28, 2015
Chris Squire was a singer, songwriter, and co-founding bassist of the influential British progressive rock band, Yes. And to many, he was one of rock’s greatest bass players of all time. Born in a London suburb, Squire began his musical training as part of his church choir. Like so many teens in 1964, Squire heard the Beatles and knew that was what he wanted to do, so he picked up the bass and began learning how to use it. After perfecting his craft playing in a few bands around town for a couple of years, Squire was introduced to Jon Anderson. During the summer of 1968, and after recruiting Peter Banks, Bill Bruford, and Tony Kaye, Yes was born. Over the next four decades, the band went through several personnel changes and a couple of breaks, with Squire remaining the one and only constant throughout. They released twenty studio albums with nine reaching the Top 10 in either the US or UK and sold over 13 million in the US alone. Along the way they not only helped create the blueprint for prog rock, but helped refine it along the way. They were also very instrumental in expanding its fan base into the mainstream. In May of 2015, it was announced that Squire was suffering from and acute form of leukemia. Less than six weeks later, on June 28, 2015, Chris Squire died from it at the age of 67.
Thanks to David Plastik at eRock Photos for the assist.
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Once called “The Architect Of Progressive Music,” Peter Banks was the original guitarist for prog rock pioneers, Yes. Raised in North London, Banks first learned the guitar when his father gave him an acoustic one as a child. By his teens, he was also playing the banjo. The first band of note he played in was the Syn, which also counted future Yes members, Chris Squire and Steve Howe as members. The band’s biggest claim to fame was opening for 