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John Young | |
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 Young with Lifesigns in 2023 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | A. Smith |
| Born | 31 May 1956 Liverpool, England |
| Genres | Progressive rock, rock, jazz fusion, pop |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, singer-songwriter |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, keyboards |
| Years active | 1974–present |
| Labels | Lifesigns Music Limited |
| Website | |
John Young (born 31 May 1956) is a British rock musician hailing from Liverpool. He is currently the keyboardist and singer for the progressive rock band Lifesigns.
Young spent his early years at the Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral where he was classically trained on piano and vocals. His first bands were mainly semi-pro jazz rock bands, and he played in these into the mid 1980s. His first major break came in 1985 when he auditioned and became part of Uli Jon Roth's Band (ex-Scorpions). After a world tour, Young did studio and session work with artists including Steeleye Span and Bon Jovi. He formed a band with Jon Camp (Renaissance) which signed to Warner Bros, but failed to produce any material before the project was disbanded. Young went on to play with the MTV band in London and during this time he met John Wetton who asked him to join Asia for two European tours. Shortly after that he joined Paul Rodgers and Kenney Jones in a very short lived band called The Law. They played a single show at the Bowl in Milton Keynes with Bryan Adams and ZZ Top.
Young joined Bonnie Tyler in the mid 1990s and has worked with her live band ever since. In 2000, he's worked with another short lived band called Qango including John Wetton on bass and vocals, Dave Kilminster on guitars and back-up vocals and Carl Palmer on drums, as a spin off from Asia. They've published a live album, Live in the Hood later that year, consisting of material from Asia and Palmer's previous band ELP and one original song The last one home. And then later in 2001, Young joined the Scorpions for a world tour of their CD Acoustica. 2001 saw him co-writing the Fish album Fellini Days with John Wesley and also appearing on the resulting live album Fellini Nights. John Young has also worked as part of the re-generated Greenslade appearing on the albums Large Afternoon and Live 2001. He also toured with John Wetton, appearing on several live albums with the singer bass player, Live in Tokyo 1997, An evening With John Wetton in 2002 on which he appears on one song. He was also a part of the band for the live 2002 album, Live at the John Wetton Fan Convention also featuring Geoff Downes on keyboards, John Mitchell on guitars and back up vocals, Steve Christey on drums as well as John Wetton on bass and lead vocals.
In 2002, Young formed his own band, The John Young Band following the release of the albums Life Underground and Significance.
Young has worked with Jon Anderson of Yes. The first product of that union saw Jon Anderson touring Europe and playing the song "Sooner (Than Later)", a track co-penned with Young.
Young has worked as keyboard player with The Strawbs on their November/December 2010 Canada/UK tour, alongside Dave Cousins, Dave Lambert, Chas Cronk, and Tony Fernandez.
A small number of John Young Band gigs took place at the end of 2012 and during 2013.
Young also completed an album of instrumental music, "Financial Meltdown", which continues the series of albums in the vein of "Political Agenda" and "Scientific Breakthrough". Music from this album is often used on various TV productions.
In recent years John Young has been working with Nick Beggs (Steven Wilson Band), Frosty Beedle (Cutting Crew) and Steve Rispin (Sound Engineer for Asia) on a new prog rock orientated project called "Lifesigns", which signed to Esoteric Records in a one-album deal. The Lifesigns album was released in early 2013. As well as the core band members, Lifesigns also features guest contributions from Steve Hackett (Genesis), Jakko Jakszyk (Jakszyk Fripp & Collins)(King Crimson), Thijs van Leer (Focus), Robin Boult (Howard Jones, Fish). Lifesigns began performing live in 2014. This version includes Jon Poole (ex-Cardiacs) on bass/vocals and Niko Tsonev (ex-Steve Wilson band) on guitar/vocals.
The album has five tracks: "Lighthouse", "Telephone", "Fridge Full of Stars", "At the End of the World" and "Carousel".
A live DVD "Under the Bridge – Live in London," culled from two performances at Stamford Bridge in January 2015 was released in October 2015.
Work on the second studio release was announced via the pledgemusic crowd funding website in 2015 with the following message.
"It's still hard to believe how far the band has come in a few short years, from local pubs to playing to nearly 50,000 people over the summer. Supporting Marillion in Germany through to festivals at Lorelei, Ramblin Man and Cropredy. A great deal of this is thanks to you our friends and supporters and the wonderful PledgeMusic. We have little or no press and radio so word of mouth is everything.
Cardington will be the next stage in our growth. Cardington is the title track but this is not a concept CD just a concept track about some Sheds in Bedfordshire! We think those of you who joined with us in funding the live DVD/CD package (Under the Bridge) will know our commitment to quality. The music Lifesigns creates is both progressive and popular. It can be complex or simple but hopefully always melodic and uplifting. Thank you for all the Telephone boxes.... we look forward to the Airships."
Within 48hrs the full target had been met and the writing and recording process began in earnest.
In August 2016, Niko Tsonev announced that he was leaving the band to concentrate on other projects including "Moonparticle"
Cardington was released in late summer 2017 and consists of seven tracks: "N", "Voice In My Head", "Chasing Rainbows", "Different", "Impossible", "Touch", "Cardington".
As with the first album the core band members were augmented by guest musicians including:- Dave Bainbridge (Iona, Celestial Fire, Strawbs), Robin Boult (Fish, Howard Jones), Menno Gootjes (Focus) and Niko Tsonev (Steven Wilson, Lifesigns, Moonparticle).
To date the album has met with very favourable reviews, both from fans and critics alike. Including a review and article in Prog Magazine. (http://teamrock.com/review/2017-09-05/lifesigns-cardington-album-review)
Dave Bainbridge was confirmed as the replacement for Niko Tsonev for live dates in the summer of 2017, including a short UK Tour, Progdreams VII and Cruise To The Edge. He will bring a new perspective to the live sound with both his guitar, additional keyboards and a touch of bouzouki thrown in for good measure.
John also plans to re-release his solo album "Significance" in the very near future.
Lifesigns current members are:
Past members:
John Young Band members have included:
Asia are an English rock supergroup formed in London in 1981. The most commercially successful lineup was its original, which consisted of four members of different progressive rock bands who had enjoyed great success in the 1970s: lead vocalist and bassist John Wetton, guitarist Steve Howe (Yes), keyboardist Geoff Downes and drummer Carl Palmer. Their debut album, Asia, released in 1982, remains their best-selling album and went to number one in several countries. Billboard listed it as the top album in the U.S. in 1982. The lead single from the album, "Heat of the Moment", remains their top charting and best-known song, reaching the top 40 in over a dozen markets. It peaked at #4 in the U.S. on the Billboard Hot 100 and hit #1 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart.
Blood, Sweat & Tears is an American jazz rock music group founded in New York City in 1967, noted for a combination of brass with rock instrumentation. BS&T has gone through numerous iterations with varying personnel and has encompassed a wide range of musical styles. Their sound has merged rock, pop and R&B/soul music with big band jazz.
The Strawbs are an English rock band founded in 1964 as the Strawberry Hill Boys. The band started out as a bluegrass group, but eventually moved on to other styles such as folk rock and progressive rock.
John Kenneth Wetton was an English musician, singer and songwriter. Known for his dexterous bass playing and booming baritone voice, Wetton first began to gain fame in 1971 when he joined Family for a short time before joining King Crimson in 1972.
William Wyman Sherwood is an American multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, singer, record producer and mixing engineer. He is best known for his tenures in the English progressive rock band Yes as guitarist and keyboardist in 1994 and from 1997 to 2000 and as bassist since 2015, following the death of original bassist Chris Squire. He is also known for working with former and current Yes members on other projects.
Family were an English rock band, active from late 1966 to October 1973, and again since 2013 for a series of live shows. Their style has been characterised as progressive rock, as their sound often explored other genres, incorporating elements of styles such as folk, psychedelia, acid rock, jazz fusion, and rock and roll. The band achieved recognition in the United Kingdom through their albums, club and concert tours, and appearances at festivals.
Dave Bainbridge is an English guitarist and keyboard player who has played with The Strawbs since 2015 and Lifesigns since 2016. With Dave Fitzgerald, Dave co-founded the Christian progressive and Celtic folk themed band Iona.
Qango were a short-lived progressive rock band, a spin-off from Asia. In 1999, an attempt was made at a partial reunion of the progressive rock supergroup Asia involving John Wetton, Carl Palmer (drums) and Geoff Downes (keys), with Dave Kilminster to be on guitar. However, Downes withdrew from plans, choosing to stick with John Payne in their Asia line-up. Wetton and Palmer instead formed Qango with Kilminster and John Young on keys. The band's live set was based on songs by Asia and Palmer's former band Emerson, Lake & Palmer.
"Starless" is a composition by English progressive rock band King Crimson. It is the final track on their seventh studio album, Red, released on 1 October 1974.
Khan were an English progressive rock band of the Canterbury Scene during 1971-1972.
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Diamond Head is the first studio album by English rock musician Phil Manzanera. It was released in 1975, originally on Island Records in the UK and in the US on Atco Records. The sound quality on the US album was deemed to be worse than the UK album, so the UK import became a popular seller in the speciality record shops who sold Roxy Music and other UK bands. The diesel locomotive featured on the cover art is an EMD E9.
Fantasia: Live in Tokyo is a double live album by British rock band Asia, released on 21 June 2007 in Japan by WHD Entertainment and on 26 June 2007 internationally by Eagle Records.
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Edison's Children is a science fiction-oriented progressive rock trio, featuring Rick Armstrong, Pete Trewavas and Eric Blackwood.
XXX is the twelfth studio album by British rock band Asia, released in 2012. It is the fifth and final studio album with the original line-up due to guitarist Steve Howe's departure the following year and vocalist/bassist John Wetton's death in 2017.
Jon Davison is an American singer, musician and songwriter who has been the lead vocalist of progressive rock band Yes since 2012.
Lifesigns are an English progressive rock band, first conceived by lead singer and keys player John Young in 2008. By 2014, the band's lineup included Steve Rispin as their sound engineer, Jon Poole on bass and vocals, Martin "Frosty" Beedle on drums, percussion and vocals, and formerly Niko Tsonev on guitars and vocals. After Tsonev departed the band in 2016, Dave Bainbridge joined on guitar and additional keys. Beedle left the band in 2020 and was replaced by Zoltán Csörsz.
Niko Tsonev is a Bulgarian-born musician, producer, composer, mixing engineer, and arranger living in London, England. At age four, Tsonev played accordion; later he began playing guitar but only in his early teen years Tsonev began formally taking music theory and guitar lessons. Aged seventeen, he received a scholarship from Berklee College of Music, however, Tsonev moved to London, England to study Music Production at Lewisham College. At that time (1996) Tsonev also joined a musician session agency as a freelance guitarist.
Deep Blue is the debut solo album by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Louise Patricia Crane, released on 15 May 2020 by Peculiar Doll Records.
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