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Wishbone Ash are a British classic rock band, formed in Devon, 1969, forming out of the ashes of the groups as The Empty Vessels, then Tanglewood.

History

Wishbone Ash was formed in 1969 by bassist Martin Turner and drummer {{Steve Upton]]. After an extensive search for a guitar player, the band could not decide between the final two candidates, Andy Powell and Ted Turner. Powell suggested that they try both guitar players "just to see what it sounds like." Unbeknownst to Powell, he was helping to pioneer a brand new technique in rock: the "Twin lead" harmonizing guitar sound. Coincidentally, across the ocean in America, Dickie Betts and Duane Allman were utilizing the same technique as The Allman Brothers Band was formed around the same time in Macon, GA. Though both bands were heavily rooted in the blues, the Wishbone Ash twin lead sound also included strong elements of folk, progrssive rock, and classical music.

In early 1970, the band scored an opening spot for rock legends Deep Purple, who were on their way to becoming one of the most popular bands in the world. During soundcheck, Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore was warming up alone onstage when a very bold Andy Powell walked up, plugged in, and began jamming along with Blackmore. Within 24 hours, Blackmore hooked the band up with legendary producer Derek Lawrence and helped them secure a record deal with MCA Records.

The band's self-titled debut album, released in 1970, was a huge success. Fans and critics alike praised the album, which contained a raw, roguh bluesy rock sound as well as extended jam sessions and twin guitar flights that displayed the band's impressive musical skills. The haunting "Phoenix," clocking in at nearly 13 minutes, closed aout the album and is considered by many to be the definitive Wishbone Ash song. The group also displayed early signs of heavy metal with the pummeling riffs of "Queen of Torture" and "Lady Whiskey."

One year later, the group released Pilgrimage. Reactions were mixed, as there was extreme pressure on the band to surpass their highly praised debut album. Regardless, Pilgrimage was a strong effort, and remains one of their finest studio recordings. However, most of the tracks on the album were instrumental, as there were only a few songs with vocals and solid song structures.

The band struck gold in 1972 with Argus, without question their commercial and creative peak. The album was voted by the readers of Sounds magazine as the best rock album of the year. Argus contained epic themes, brilliant vocal harmonizing, instrumental precision, and the best songwrting of Wishbone Ash's career. The impact of Argus was enormous. A potent blend of folk, progressive rock, and classical, Argus was a truly original album that helped propell the band to superstar status. The band was now one of the most popular rock bands in the world, and was getting international acclaim for their live performances.

The band was now headlining major arenas on their own and starting to make a huge impact in the United States. In a move that Wishbone Ash would unfortunately repeat time and time again throughout their career, the group released a lackluster follow-up to Argus that put the brakes on their rise to the top. Wishbone Four was the band's first record without producer Derek Lawrence, as the band decided to produce the album themselves. It was as if Argus never happened. None of the lush harmonies, folky elements, or epic songwriting was present, and most of the trademark twin lead guitar was missing. However, there were some absoulte classics on the album, including the beautiful "Ballad of the Beacon" and the underrated rocker "Doctor."

Regardless of whether Wishbone Four captivated audiences, the band still had a reputation as a fierce live act. Therefore, in 1973, the band released a double live album entitled Live Dates, which truly captured the band at their peak of their live performance. Bands were releasing live albums left and right in the early 70s, so Live Dates, although successful, did not recieve the popularity and attention it should have.

Just as the band's popularity was continuing to rise on the strength of Live Dates and the now legendary status of Argus, the band suffered a serious blow with the departure of guitarist Ted Turner, who retired from music and moved to the English countryside. After replacing Turner with new guitarist Laurie Wisefield, the band relocated to America and recorded the critically acclaimed There's the Rub album.

Widely considered one of the band's strongest albums, There's the Rub contained several classics, including the druggy instrumental epic "FUBB (Fucked Up Beyond Belief)" and the haunting, gorgeous ballad "Persephone," one of the group's best songs. American influences began creeping into the band's sond as well, as the album contained the first hints of the mellow, softer side the group would embrace later in the decade.

However, the band almost didn't make it to the latter part of the decade, as their next album nearly killed their career. Locked in, produced (and extremely overproduced) by Tom Dowd, was a critical and commercial disaster. Virtually unrecognizeable as a Wishbone Ash album, the album nearly derailed the band's career as fan backlash was enormous. The group even began touring with a keyboard player; not only was the album panned, but the shows were slagged as well. The entire Locked In experience was seen as a complete disaster.

The band returned with a newfound focus on 1976's New England, and the Americanization of Wishbone Ash was now in full effect.

Original Lineup

Andy Powell - guitar, vocals (1969 - present) Martin Turner - bass, vocals (1969 - 1980, 1987 - 1992, 1996) Ted Turner (1969 - 1974, 1987 - 1994) Steve Upton - drums (1969 - 1990)

Current Lineup

Andy Powell - guitar, vocals (1969 - present) Muddy Manninen - guitar (2004 - present) Bob Skeat - bass (1998 - present) Ray Weston - drums (1991 - 1994, 1998 - present)

Other Members

Laurie Wisefield - guitar, vocals (1974 - 1985) John Wetton - bass, vocals (1981) Trevor Bolder - bass, vocals (1981 - 1983) Mervyn Spence: bass, vocals (1984 - 1985) Jamie Crompton - guitar (1986 - 1987) Andy Pyle - bass (1986 - 1987, 1992 - 1994) Roger Filgate - guitar (1995 - 1997) Tony Kishman - bass, vocals (1995 - 1997) Mike Sturgis - drums (1995 -1997) Mark Birch - guitar (1998 - 2001) Ben Granfelt - guitar (2001 - 2004)

Band members through the years

1970s

• longtime members (1970-1990)
  • Andy Powell (guitar+voc)
  • Steve Upton (drums)

Original line-up with only one replacement 1969-1980

1. Andy Powell (guitar+voc)
2. Steve Upton (drums)
3. Martin Turner (bass+voc)
4. Ted Turner (guitar+voc) - replaced in 1974 by Laurie Wisefield

1980s

Various replacements 1980-1987

Martin Turner quit in 1980 and Wisefield quit in 1985. This was followed by continuous replacements of both with Upton and Powell remaining.

Original line-up (1969-1974) 1988-1990

1. Andy Powell (guitar+voc)
2. Steve Upton (drums)
3. Martin Turner (bass+voc)
4. Ted Turner (guitar+voc)

1990s-present

• long time members

1. Andy Powell (1990-present)
2. Ray Weston (1990-1995,1997-present) - replaced original band drummer Steve Upton

early 1990s-middle 1990s

1. Andy Powell (guitar+voc)
2. Ted Turner (guitar+voc)
3. Ray Weston (drums)
4. Andy Pyle (bass 1991-1994) - Martin Turner was again replaced continously untill Andy Pyle arived.

middle 1990s-present

1. Andy Powell (guitar+voc)
2. Bob Skeat (bass+voc) - replaced Andy Pyle (qutting and rejoing a couple of times)
3. Ray Weston (drums) from 1995-1997 was replaced by Mike Sturgis.
   • Second guitar is continously being replaced.

Discography

Studio Albums 1970-1980

1. Wishbone Ash (1970)
2. Pilgrimage (1971)
3. Argus (1972)
4. Wishbone Four (1973)
5. There's the Rub (1974)
6. Locked In (1976)
7. New England (1976)
8. Front Page News (1977)
9. No Smoke Without Fire (1978)
10. Just Testing (1980)
11. Nubmer the Brave (1980)

Q: A T.Rex Connection?

• A: Wishbone Ash wrote a song about the site where Marc Bolan of T Rex died called Bolan's Monument. The site is now Bolan's Rock Shrine visited by many people (from around the world) each year and cared for on a charitable basis by TAG (founded in 1999).

External links

• Wishbone Ash's official site
• TAG's Marc Bolan 'Rock Shrine' Site

• British musical groups
• Rock music groups