caption current_members associated_acts years_active alias label image_size article_title landscape past_members background genre image origin name
yes steve howe , alan white , jon anderson , chris in squire , rick wakeman concert , 1977 left to right : steve davison howe alan white geoff downes billy sherwood jon the howe , cinema , xyz , asia , u.k. , syn moraz/bruford , conspiracy , circa , yoso , mystery , , glass hammer , esquire , gtr , world trade , the squackett , jon and vangelis buggles , anderson bruford wakeman 1968 -- present -- 81 , 1982 -- 2004 , 2008 yes ! -lrb- summer 1968 -- early 1969 -rrb- atlantic , eagle , frontiers , atco , arista , victory , sanctuary 250 yes -lrb- band -rrb-
 yes see former members group_or_band progressive rock , symphonic rock , art rock yes concert.jpg london , england yes
yes -lrb- band -rrb-

yes are an english rock band formed in 1968 by bassist chris squire and singer jon anderson .
yes first achieved success in the 1970s with a progressive , art and symphonic style of rock music .
they are distinguished by their use of mystical and cosmic lyrics , live stage sets , and lengthy compositions , often with complex instrumental and vocal arrangements .
nine of their twenty studio albums have reached the top ten in either the uk or us , with two reaching number one in the uk .
they have sold 13.5 million certified units in the us .
the band 's most recent line-up consists of singer jon davison , guitarist steve howe , bass guitarist billy sherwood , keyboardist geoff downes , and drummer alan white .
squire and guitarist peter banks had played together in the syn and then mabel greer 's toyshop .
anderson and later drummer bill bruford joined a line-up of mabel greer 's toyshop , which evolved into yes .
keyboardist tony kaye completed the first yes lineup .
the 1970s saw yes release the albums widely viewed as their creative peak : `` the yes album '' , `` fragile '' -lrb- both in 1971 -rrb- , `` close to the edge '' -lrb- 1972 -rrb- , `` tales from topographic oceans '' -lrb- 1973 -rrb- , `` relayer '' -lrb- 1974 -rrb- and `` going for the one '' -lrb- 1977 -rrb- .
for most of this period , the band included anderson , squire , howe -lrb- who replaced banks in 1970 -rrb- , rick wakeman on keyboards and bruford , or later alan white , on drums ; kaye and patrick moraz each play keyboards on one of these albums .
after the relative failure of `` tormato '' -lrb- 1978 -rrb- and rise of punk rock , anderson and wakeman left in 1980 ; squire , howe and white recorded `` drama '' with downes and new vocalist trevor horn , both also members of the buggles .
yes disbanded in 1981 , with howe and downes subsequently creating asia .
yes reformed in 1983 with anderson , squire , white , a returning kaye , and singer and guitarist trevor rabin , adopting a more pop rock sound .
this quickly became the most commercially successful yes lineup with `` 90125 '' -lrb- 1983 -rrb- , which spawned the us number one single `` owner of a lonely heart '' , and `` big generator '' -lrb- 1987 -rrb- .
the tour in support of `` union '' -lrb- 1991 -rrb- , which amalgamated members of yes and anderson bruford wakeman howe , was a commercial success that featured an eight-man line-up -lrb- instead of a quintet -rrb- .
subsequent albums and singles have sold less well .
the band toured almost constantly between 1996 and 2004 , including both 30th and 35th anniversary shows , also releasing the albums `` keys to ascension '' -lrb- 1996 -rrb- , `` keys to ascension 2 '' -lrb- 1997 -rrb- , `` open your eyes '' -lrb- 1997 -rrb- , `` the ladder '' -lrb- 1999 -rrb- , and `` magnification '' -lrb- 2001 -rrb- during this period .
after a four-year hiatus , yes resumed touring , replacing anderson with benoît david and wakeman with his son oliver wakeman due to health issues .
in 2011 , they released `` fly from here '' featuring downes , who returned on keyboards after 30 years .
the following year david left the band due to illness and was replaced by jon davison , also of glass hammer .
the band 's twenty-first studio album `` heaven & earth '' , their first album with davison , was released in july 2014 .
on 19 may 2015 , yes announced that due to leukemia , squire was taking a leave from the band - for the first time in its history , with sherwood announced as his temporary replacement .
squire died on 27 june 2015 , and consequently there are no founding members left in the band .
