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Stephen James "Steve" Howe (born April 8 , 1947 in Holloway , North London , England ) is a Guitarist best known for his work with the Progressive Rock group Yes . He has also been a member of The Syndicats, Bodast , Tomorrow , Asia and GTR , as well as releasing 13 solo albums as of June 2005. EARLY INFLUENCES Howe was the youngest of four children who grew up in a musical household, listening to , who he first heard in 1959, as a major inspiration. Howe said he took from Atkins, "the idea that one guitarist could play any kind of guitar style."Vance, Brian. "Steve Howe: The man with the guitar mind." http://www.gibson.com/whatsnew/pressrelease/2000/nov15a.html. November 15, 2000. He received his first . He made his first recording, Chuck Berry 's ''Maybellene'', in 1964 with The Syndicats , who were produced by Joe Meek . In 1968, he recorded albums with both Tomorrow (initially called The In Crowd ) and Bodast .Vance, Brian. "Steve Howe: The man with the guitar mind." http://www.gibson.com/whatsnew/pressrelease/2000/nov15a.html. November 15, 2000.Biography - Steve Howe Guitar Rondo. http://www.stevehowe.com/sh_bio1960.html. Howe declined offers from both The Nice and Jethro Tull while waiting for a record deal to materialize for Bodast, but the group's prospective label went bankrupt. He was then approached by the members of Yes as a possible replacement for Peter Banks , who had appeared on the group's first two albums. CHANGING YES LINEUP In the spring of 1970, Howe joined Yes and played his first show with the group at Queen Elizabeth Hall on March 21 , 1970 . Howe was pictured with the group on the non-Europe jacket of their second Album , '' Time And A Word '', which was released in August, although it was Banks who had actually played on the recording. Beginning with '' The Yes Album '', Howe's electric and acoustic guitars, combined with Jon Anderson 's vocals, Chris Squire 's bass, and Tony Kaye 's keyboards were seen as an essential part of the band's early sound. The addition of Rick Wakeman after the departure of Tony Kaye for the following album, '' Fragile '', created the classic Yes sound of Anderson-Howe-Squire-Bruford-Wakeman associated with the peak of the band's early achievements. To his already-formidable assortment of electric and acoustic guitar sounds, Howe added a unique prog-rock approach to Pedal Steel Guitar in the next album, '' Close To The Edge ''. His Classical and Jazz influences, along with his penchant for ongoing experimentation, helped produce a playing style unique among rock musicians, while the group as a whole took a position as a leading Progressive Rock band.Biography - Steve Howe Guitar Rondo. http://www.stevehowe.com/sh_bio1970.html. Although the band underwent some personnel changes in the 1970s, Howe, Anderson, and Squire were the constant elements for the entire decade. In early 1980, however, Anderson and Wakeman left the group and were replaced a few weeks later by , 1981 . Over the next few years, Howe contributed to several albums produced by Horn for other artists (including Frankie Goes To Hollywood and Propaganda ). In 1989, Jon Anderson asked Howe, Wakeman, and , plus Tony Kaye , Trevor Rabin , Chris Squire and Alan White ) as a "mega-Yes" lineup to record the album, '' Union '', which was released in 1991. Shortly thereafter, Howe worked on guitar parts for a "Symphonic Yes" album of re-recordings, and then left the band after the Victory Music label left him out of an invitation to participate in the studio sessions that would lead to their next album. In 1991, he contributed a Flamenco inspired guitar solo to the epic Queen song ''Innuendo'', which would be featured on the Album Of The Same Name .Biography - Steve Howe Guitar Rondo. http://www.stevehowe.com/sh_bio1990.html. Howe rejoined Yes for good in 1996.Biography - Steve Howe Guitar Rondo. http://www.stevehowe.com/sh_bio1990c.html. Since '' Keys To Ascension '', Howe has again appeared on all the albums recorded by Yes. "BEST OVERALL GUITARIST" Despite the troubles Yes was experiencing at the time, Howe was voted "Best Overall Guitarist" in ''Guitar Player'' magazine five years in a row (1977 - 1981) and was inducted into ''Guitar Player's'' "Gallery of Greats" in 1981.Biography - Steve Howe Guitar Rondo. http://www.stevehowe.com/sh_bio1980.html. Gibson Guitar Corporation , the maker of Howe's second Electric Guitar (which he was still playing forty years later), said that Howe "elevated rock guitar into an art form" and "helped define a new style of music known as Art Rock ." In a tribute to Howe and his personal favorite ES-175 guitar, Gibson produced a Steve Howe Signature ES-175 in 2002.Steve Howe Signature ES-175. http://www.gibson.com/products/gibson/classic/howe175.html. SIGNATURE SONGS The early years of Yes provided two of his best known solo songs - both on early Yes albums. ''The Yes Album'' had the first live version of ''Clap'', a heavily syncopated guitar Rondo with roots in Ragtime , and Country Blues . ''Clap'' is a song that mutated with subsequent live performances while always retaining some of the distinctive themes. ''Mood for a Day'' first appeared as a studio performance on ''Fragile'' and later on the triple live album '' Yessongs ''. ''Mood for a Day'' has its roots in Flamenco / Classical guitar music. OTHER BANDS In 1982, Howe, King Crimson 's John Wetton , Carl Palmer of Emerson, Lake And Palmer , and Geoff Downes of The Buggles formed the band Asia Biography - Steve Howe Guitar Rondo. http://www.stevehowe.com/sh_bio1980.html., but after two popular albums and a few hit singles, Howe left the band over differences with Wetton.Biography - Steve Howe Guitar Rondo. http://www.stevehowe.com/sh_bio1980b.html. Some disagreements have since been reconciled, and Howe rejoined the other three founding members in a 25th anniversary reunion tour in late 2006. In 1986, Howe formed the Supergroup GTR with ex- Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett . Their only album, '' GTR '', went gold, but Hackett's interest in pursuing solo interests spelled the end of the group.Biography - Steve Howe Guitar Rondo. http://www.stevehowe.com/sh_bio1980b.html. SOLO WORK In October, 1975, Howe released '' and reached number 63 in the US and number 22 in the UK charts. His second solo work, ''The Steve Howe Album,'' was released in November, 1979.Biography - Steve Howe Guitar Rondo. http://www.stevehowe.com/sh_bio1970d.html. Howe played alone on half of the tracks, while others again feature White, Bruford and Moraz, along with vocalist (keyboards and vocals), as part of a project called Remedy.Biography - Steve Howe Guitar Rondo. http://www.stevehowe.com/sh_bio2000b.html. Howe's personal web site, Guitar Rondo , was launched in May, 1996.Biography - Steve Howe Guitar Rondo. http://www.stevehowe.com/sh_bio1990c.html. The guitarist takes an active role in the site by conducting auctions for gold albums and selected guitars, and answering questions from fans. On May 24 , 1996, Howe received an honorary Ph.D. in Music from Five Towns College in Dix Hills, New York .Biography - Steve Howe Guitar Rondo. http://www.stevehowe.com/sh_bio1990c.html. SOLO DISCOGRAPHY
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