More Info on Geoff DownesSimilar Undetermined MusicSearch Artistopia
Biography
BLP sources|date=June 2010Infobox musical artist | name = Geoff Downes| image = Geoff_Downes.jpg| caption = Downes in concert with Asia, 2006| image_size = 250| landscape = yes| background = non_vocal_instrumentalist| birth_name = Geoffrey Downes| alias =| birth_date = Birth date and age|1952|8|25|df=y|birth_place = Stockport , Cheshire , England | death_date =| instrument = Keyboard instrument|Keyboards , piano , synthesizer , vocoder , drums , percussion | genre = Progressive rock , hard rock , pop rock , New Wave music|New Wave , synthpop , electronica | occupation = Musician , keyboardist , songwriter , Record producer|producer | years_active = 1974-present| label = EMI America Records Frontiers Records Geffen Records Universal Records|Universal | associated_acts = The Buggles , Yes (band)|Yes , Asia (band)|Asia , Glenn Hughes , New Dance Orchestra , John Wetton , Icon (band)|ICON | website = http://www.geoffdownes.com/ Official website| notable_instruments =Geoffrey Downes (born 25 August 1952)Gregory, Andy. ''International Who's Who in Popular Music 2002 . P. 143. Routledge, 2002. ISBN 1-85743-161-8, ISBN 978-1-85743-161-2 is an England|English Rock music|rock musical keyboard|keyboard player and songwriter for the bands Yes (band)|Yes and Asia (band)|Asia , and formerly of The Buggles , during which he played multiple keyboards to achieve a New Wave music|New Wave technopop sound. He was once entered for the Guinness Book Of Records for performing with the most keyboards (twenty-eight) http://pop-break.com/2011/09/08/interview-geoff-downes-of-yes/ on stage in one performance.
Biography
Downes was born at Stepping Hill Hospital in Hazel Grove , Stockport , Cheshire , the son of musical parents. His father was a church organist and his mother a pianist . He also took up the musical keyboard|keyboards and played in a succession of local bands. He attended Stockport Grammar School before studying at Leeds College of Music . After graduating he moved to London , where he played sessions and composed advertising jingle s.
In 1976, he met Trevor Horn while auditioning for pop singer Tina Charles (singer)|Tina Charles ' backing band. They continued to work together, eventually forming The Buggles , recording a worldwide hit single in 1979 in music|1979 (" Video Killed the Radio Star "). It was Island Records ' first number 1 in the UK, and the video of the song subsequently became the first ever to be played at the launch of MTV on August 1981 in music|1981 .
The success of The Buggles led to Downes and Horn joining Yes (band)|Yes for the ( Drama (Yes album)|Drama ) album and the List_of_Yes_concert_tours#Drama_Tour|associated tour in 1980 in music|1980 . Downes was the first member of the band to have completed a music degree. Yes split at the beginning of 1981 in music|1981 , and Downes subsequently joined forces with Yes' Steve Howe (guitarist)|Steve Howe , Carl Palmer (from Emerson, Lake & Palmer ) and John Wetton (from King Crimson ) to form ' Asia (band)|Asia '. Asia was an immediate worldwide success upon the recording of Heat of the Moment and the release of their Asia (album)|first album ' in 1982 in music|1982 ; the album remained at number 1 on the Billboard album charts for a record 9 successive weeks. Asia has formed the backbone of Downes' career since.
In addition to recording and touring with Asia, Downes has also recorded a number of solo albums and collaborated with many other artists, including Glenn Hughes , Ride The Tiger with Greg Lake , Trapeze (band)|Trapeze , in 1991 for a tour that produced the live album Welcome to the Real World (Trapeze album)|Welcome to the Real World , and a brief appearance on Kate Bush 's Sat in Your Lap . In 2005, he joined Yes drummer Alan White (Yes drummer)|Alan White 's eponymous band, White (band)|White , on their debut album.
He has also worked extensively as a producer with such acts as Mike Oldfield , Thompson Twins and GTR (band)|GTR . As a songwriter, he has written for Agnetha Fältskog of ABBA . He is also credited as a co-writer on the album entitled " Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe " (made up of former members of Yes (band)|Yes ; he is credited due to Howe re-using some musical ideas from Asia.
Downes has continued to release sporadic solo albums over the years, mainly under the name The New Dance Orchestra. They include the critically acclaimed 1986 double album The Light Programme , in addition to Vox Humana , Shadows & Reflections , along with a few others. He performed a sold out one-man show in 2003 at St Cyprian's Church in London, which was recorded using ambisonics technologyCitation needed|date=August 2010.
In recent years, Downes has teamed up with John Wetton again in a separate project under the name Icon. They have released three studio albums thus far, Icon , Rubicon , and 3 released in 2009. The original 'Wetton/Downes' album is due for re-issue under the Icon banner in 2010.
In 2006, Downes reunited with the original members of Asia for a series of tours that continued into 2008, releasing a new album of studio material, Phoenix , with more shows performed through Spring 2009. Later in 2009, the original Asia toured the US supporting Yes, with guitarist Steve Howe doing double duty performing with both bands nightly. In the autumn of 2009 the band went into the studio again to record another album. The Asia album Omega was released in April 2010. The band have since been touring this album in Europe and Japan. The band are scheduled to play the High Voltage Festival, London on 24 July and then several festivals in Germany before embarking on a six week US tour through August and September. A song, "Extraordinary Life" from their previous album, Phoenix , was recently chosen as the trailer for US's biggest reality TV show '' America's Got Talent .
Downes was involved as producer with the re-make of Deep Purple's "Smoke On The Water" in 1989 to raise funds for the Spitak Earthquake victims, which occurred on 7 December 1988. In 2009, Downes along with Tony Iommi , Ian Gillan and the former Wimbledon tennis champion Pat Cash , went to Armenia, and were presented with state medals from the President of Armenia for their efforts in the Rock Aid Armenia project.
Influences and style
In an interview conducted December 2006, http://web.archive.org/web/20080419113454/ http://hardrockhouse.com/Interviews/Asia.htm Geoff Downes - Asia 2007 Interview Downes said the three players who had inspired him were Rick Wakeman , Keith Emerson and especially Dave Sinclair . In the same interview, he identified his favourite Asia tracks as "Only Time will Tell", "Wildest Dreams", "Open Your Eyes" and "Voice of America".
Personal life
Downes has been married (and divorced) twice and has two daughters, Christina & Alexandra, from his first wife, Norwegian former model Wenche Steen. He has an older sister, Helen, and two older brothers, John Gordon and Andrew. He currently lives in South Wales with his long-term partner.
Latest activities
While currently active with the original Asia, he has also finished an album with John Wetton on their side project 'Icon', and recorded a live DVD in February 2009 to promote the release of their third studio album. The project included guitarist Dave Kilminster (Roger Waters, Keith Emerson), Pete Riley (Keith Emerson, Ken Hensley), and Hugh McDowell (ELO). In addition, Downes is also working on television, film and production music for a London West End film production company, Original Production Music Ltd.
He released a further NDO album scheduled in October 2010, entitled Electronica and with vocals from Anne-Marie Helder . It is a twelve track album featuring Downes's orchestral style of keyboard playing. http://www.geoffdownes.com/ Geoff Downes official website
On September 28, 2010, he reunited with Bruce Woolley and Trevor Horn as the band The Buggles , performing http://www.trevorhorn.com/news/buggles_the_lost_gig_280910.html The Lost Gig to "raise funds for the Royal Hospital for Neuro-disability".
On March 22, 2011, he performed at the Roundhouse, London with Trevor Horn and Producers (band)|Producers , along with Spandau Ballet & Alison Moyet to raise funds for a music charity for underprivileged children. The event itself raised over half a million pounds on the night.
On March 31, 2011, he was confirmed as participating in the recording of the new Yes album, reuniting with them formally for the first time since 1980, he has also been announced as rejoining the band for an upcoming tour.cite web|url= http://heavyrocktheplaylist.blogspot.com/2011/03/yes-new-album-fly-from-here-out-in-july.html |title=Heavy Rock - the playlist!: Yes: New Album "Fly From Here" Out In July |publisher=Heavyrocktheplaylist.blogspot.com |date=2011-03-31 |accessdate=2012-01-03
In May, 2011 he rejoined Yes as the full-time keyboard player, and the band toured during the summer period in the USA with Styx (band)|Styx . They then embarked on a European in October, starting in Portugal and ending up in December in Stockholm. The band was forced to cancel the last 3 shows due to an illness of the lead singer Benoit David.
In January 2012, the band appointed a replacement vocalist, Jon Davison (singer)|Jon Davison to continue with the World tour and in particular the Pacific Rim tour in April 2012, comprising New Zealand, Australia, Japan, Indonesia & Hawaii.
Downes has since been working on the 30th Anniversary ASIA album which is scheduled for release in September, 2012.
http://www.classicrockcentral.com/classic_rock_gimme5-Display.cfm? week=20 Asia on Classic Rock Central; 1983 audio interview clips with John Wetton, Geoff Downes and Steve Howe
AsiabandyesbandThe Buggles Use dmy dates|date=August 2010 Persondata | NAME = Downes, Geoff | ALTERNATIVE NAMES = | SHORT DESCRIPTION = | DATE OF BIRTH = 25 August 1952 | PLACE OF BIRTH = Stockport , Cheshire , England | DATE OF DEATH = | PLACE OF DEATH = DEFAULTSORT:Downes, Geoff Category:1952 births Category:Asia (band) members Category:English keyboardists Category:English rock keyboardists Category:Living people Category:People from Stockport Category:Trapeze members Category:Yes (band) members Category:People educated at Stockport Grammar School Category:Keytarists
