John Wetton | |
---|---|
Wetton playing live in January 2010
|
|
Born |
John Kenneth Wetton 12 June 1949 Willington, Derbyshire, England |
Died | 31 January 2017 Bournemouth, Dorset, England |
(aged 67)
Cause of death | Colon cancer |
Occupation | Singer-songwriter, musician, producer |
Years active | 1965–2017 |
Musical career | |
Genres | Progressive rock, hard rock, pop rock, jazz fusion |
Instruments | Vocals, bass guitar, guitar, keyboards |
Labels | E.G., Atlantic Records, Geffen, Universal Records, Island, Eagle, Avalon, EMI, King Records, Frontiers |
Associated acts | Mogul Thrash, Family, King Crimson, Roxy Music, Uriah Heep, U.K., Jack-Knife, Wishbone Ash, Asia, Phenomena, Renaissance, Qango, Brian Eno, Ayreon |
Website | Official website |
Notable instruments | |
Fender Precision Bass Zon Legacy |
John Kenneth Wetton (12 June 1949 – 31 January 2017) was an English singer, bassist, and songwriter. He was born in Willington, Derbyshire, and grew up in Bournemouth. He rose to fame with bands Mogul Thrash, Family, King Crimson, Roxy Music/Bryan Ferry, Uriah Heep, and Wishbone Ash.
After his period with King Crimson, Wetton formed U.K., and later he was the frontman and principal songwriter of the supergroup Asia, which proved to be his biggest commercial success. Their eponymous debut album sold eight million copies worldwide and was Billboard magazine's No. 1 album of 1982. He later formed the duo Icon with Geoff Downes ex-Yes, ex-The Buggles), and from the 1990s had a successful solo career, releasing a large number of studio and live albums.
Wetton had a long career as an in-demand session bass player, and collaborated with many members of progressive rock bands such as Yes (including Steve Howe, Bill Bruford, Geoff Downes, Alan White, Billy Sherwood and Peter Banks), Roxy Music and Bryan Ferry and Genesis' (Steve Hackett).