Bassist Chris Squire Of YES, Dies At Age 67

This past weekend has brought very unfortunate news to the world of music. Chris Squire, bassist for world-reknowned rock-group YES, died Sunday, June 28th. All of us at The Music Zoo are deeply sadden by this, and send our condolences to Chris’s family and friends.

In May, Squire announced that he had been diagnosed with acute erythroid leukemia, forcing him to miss the band’s summer co-headlining tour with Toto. The absence marked the first time in the band’s history that Yes performed without their longtime bassist. Chris, 67, had been undergoing treatment, in his adopted home town of Phoenix, for acute disease.

As founder of YES, Chris was the only member to record on every one of YES’s albums, in addition to his prior work with The Syn, who he co-founded in the years preceding. He toured and recorded with a number of acts throughout his career, including a famous support slot for the Jimi Hendrix Experience at the Marquee Club in 1967. He also played on Rick Wakeman’s ‘Six Wives Of Henry VIII’ in 1973 and on former Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett’s ‘Out Of The Tunnel’s Mouth’ (2009) and ‘Beyond The Shrouded Horizon’ (2011), before the pair formed the much-lauded Squackett, releasing the album ‘A Life Within A Day’ in 2012. (www.udiscovermusic.com)

Chris’ talent continued to flourish on his solo-album ‘Fish Out Of Water,’ which featured Yes colleagues Bill Bruford and Patrick Moraz among others, was much revered, and a top 30 UK success.