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John Wetton
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| John Wetton | ||
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 John Wetton in concert
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| Background information | ||
| Born | June 12, 1949 (age 57) Willington, Derby, Derbyshire, England |
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| Genre(s) | Rock, Progressive rock | |
| Instrument(s) | bass, guitar | |
| Years active | 1965 - present | |
| Associated acts |
Mogul Thrash, Family, King Crimson, Roxy Music, Uriah Heep, UK, Wishbone Ash, Asia, Phenomena, solo | |
| Website | Official website | |
John Henry Wetton (born June 12, 1949 in Willington, Derby, Derbyshire, England) is an English singer, bassist and guitarist.
Contents |
Born in Derbyshire, John Wetton grew up in Bournemouth, Dorset. He has been a professional singer/songwriter/musician since the late 1960's as a member of such progressive rock bands as Mogul Thrash, Family, King Crimson (working with childhood friend Robert Fripp), Roxy Music/Bryan Ferry band, Uriah Heep, UK, and Wishbone Ash. Wetton found worldwide fame in 1982 with the explosion of the band, Asia, whose self-titled debut album sold millions and became Billboard Magazine's #1 album of 1982.
Wetton achieved an original bass guitar sound utilizing a 1961 Fender Precision Bass amplified through tubes. The sound is overdriven, powerful and very aggressive. This style and approach is particularly evident during his stint with King Crimson from 1972 until 1974.
Whilst Wetton was initially known for his powerful bass guitar sound, his tremendous vocal and songwriting abilities garnered greater attention once Asia was unleashed to the public.
Early recorded highlights include King Crimson's Larks' Tongues In Aspic (1973) and Red (1974), UK's self-titled album (1978) and Asia's self-titled album (1982), the latter being the biggest seller of his career. In 1986 he contributed also to Phenomena II and had a number 1 hit with the single "Did it all for Love" in South-America. Since the early 1990s, Wetton has released four solo albums (Voice Mail/Battle Lines, Arkangel, Sinister/Welcome to Heaven, and Rock of Faith), and a number of live recordings from his solo tours around the world. Wetton also created the ICON project with fellow Asia band mate Geoff Downes. The duo recorded two studio albums of original material (ICON and ICON II/Rubicon) and one live album (Never in a Million Years) from their ICON world tour.
Wetton rejoined the other original members of Asia (Downes, Steve Howe and Carl Palmer) in early 2006 to announce a 25th anniversary world tour. This lineup performed a series of dates in the United States in September 2006, and in the United Kingdom in November/December 2006. The band will also spend much of 2007 on the road, with shows already scheduled for North and South America, Europe and, of course, Asia.
- Caught in the Crossfire, 1980, E'G/Polydor Records
- King's Road, 1972-1980, 1987, E'G/Virgin Records
- One World (with Phil Manzanera), 1987, Geffen Records
- Battle Lines, 1994, Eclipse Records
- Chasing the Dragon (Live), 1995, Eclipse Records
- Akustika (Live), 1996, Blueprint Records
- Arkangel, 1997, Eagle Records
- Chasing the Deer (film soundtrack), 1998, Blueprint Records
- Hazy Money Live in New York, 1998, Blueprint Records
- Live in Tokyo, 1998, Blueprint Records
- Monkey Business (with Richard Palmer-James), 1998, Blueprint Records
- Sub Rosa Live in Japan, 1998, Blueprint Records
- Nomansland Live in Poland, 1999, Giant Electric Pea Records
- Welcome to Heaven, 2000, Avalon Records
- Sinister, 2001, Giant Electric Pea Records
- Live in Argentina, 2002, Blueprint Records
- Live in Stockholm 1998, 2003, Blueprint Records
- Rock of Faith, 2003, Giant Electric Pea Records
- Live in Osaka, 2003, Blueprint Records
- From the Underworld, 2003, Classic Rock Legends
- One Way or Another (with Ken Hensley), 2003, Classic Rock Legends
- Amata, 2004, Metal Mind Records
- Icon (with Geoff Downes), 2005, Frontiers Records/UMe Digital (US)
- Acoustic TV Broadcast (with Geoff Downes), 2006, Frontiers Records
- Icon II: Rubicon (with Geoff Downes), 2006, Frontiers Records (US)
- Heat of the Moment '05 (with Geoff Downes), 2005, Frontiers Records