Chris Squire

Christopher Russell Edward Squire (March 4th,
1948 – June 27th, 2015) was an English musician, singer and songwriter best known as the bassist and a founding member of the progressive rock band Yes . He was the longest-serving original member, having remained in the band until his death and appearing on every studio album released from 1969 to 2014.

Born in Kingsbury , London, Squire took an early interest in church music and sang in the local church and school choirs. After he took up the bass guitar at age sixteen, his earliest gigs were in 1964 for the Selfs , which later evolved into the Syn . In 1968, Squire formed Yes with singer Jon Anderson; he would remain the band’s sole bassist for the next 47 years. Squire was widely regarded as the dominant bassist among the English progressive rock bands, influencing peers and later generations of bassists with his incisive sound and elaborately contoured, melodic bass lines. His name was associated with his trademark instrument, the Rickenbacker 4001 .

In May 2015, Squire announced a hiatus from Yes after he was diagnosed with acute erythroid leukemia , and subsequently died on 27 June at his home in Phoenix , Arizona. The band’s first show of their tour with Toto on 7 August 2015 marked the first Yes concert ever performed without Squire, with longtime friend and frequent collaborator Billy Sherwood performing in his place. From 1991 to 2000, Rickenbacker produced a limited edition signature model bass in his name, the 4001CS . Squire released two solo albums, Fish Out of Water (1975) and Chris Squire’s Swiss Choir (2007), a Christmas album. He was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Yes in 2017.