Chris Squire
| Chris Squire | |
|---|---|
Squire performing with Yes in April 2013
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Christopher Russell Edward Squire |
| Born |
4 March 1948 Kingsbury, London, England |
| Died | 27 June 2015 (aged 67) Phoenix, Arizona, United States |
| Genres | Progressive rock, symphonic rock, art rock |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, singer, songwriter |
| Instruments | Bass guitar, vocals |
| Years active | 1965–2015 |
| Labels | Atlantic, Wounded Bird, Sanctuary, Lime, Stone Ghost |
| Associated acts | The Selfs, The Syn, Mabel Greer's Toyshop, Yes, XYZ, Conspiracy, Squackett |
| Website | chrissquire |
| Notable instruments | |
|
Rickenbacker 4001 Wal Triple-Neck Bass Guitar Fender Jazz Bass |
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Christopher Russell Edward "Chris" Squire (4 March 1948 – 27 June 2015) was an English musician, singer and songwriter. He was best known as the bassist and founding member of the progressive rock band Yes. He was the only member to appear on each of their 21 studio albums, released from 1969 to 2014.
Born in Kingsbury, London, Squire took an early interest in church music and sang in the local church and school choirs. After he took up the bass guitar at age sixteen, his earliest gigs were in 1964 for The Selfs, which later evolved into The Syn. In 1968, Squire formed Yes with singer Jon Anderson; he would remain the band's sole bassist for the next 47 years. Squire was widely regarded as the dominant bassist among the English progressive rock bands, influencing peers and later generations of bassists with his incisive sound and elaborately contoured, melodic bass lines. His name was associated with his trademark instrument, the Rickenbacker 4001.
In May 2015, Squire announced a hiatus from Yes after he was diagnosed with acute erythroid leukemia, and subsequently died on 27 June at his home in Phoenix, Arizona. The band's first show of their tour with Toto on 7 August 2015 marked the first Yes concert ever performed without Squire. From 1991 to 2000, Rickenbacker produced a limited edition signature model bass in his name, the 4001CS. Squire released two solo albums, Fish Out of Water (1975) and Chris Squire's Swiss Choir (2007), a Christmas album. He will be postumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Yes in 2017.
Squire was born on 4 March 1948 in the north west London suburb of Kingsbury, to Peter and Joanne Squire. He grew up there and in the nearby Queensbury and Wembley areas. His father was a cab driver and his mother a secretary for an estate agent. As a youngster Squire took a liking to Lena Horne and Ella Fitzgerald records belonging to his father, though his main interest was church music. At age six, he joined the church choir at St. Andrew's in Kingsbury as a soprano with Andrew Pryce Jackman, a friend of his who lived nearby. The choir got to perform at St. Paul's cathedral. Their choirmaster, Barry Rose, was an early influence on Squire. "He made me realise that working at it was the way to become best at something". Squire also sang in the choir at his next school, Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School, then located in Hampstead. He played the harmonica on his way home from school.
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