What Yes members left the band voluntarily and who were fired?

[Soundchaser413]

Apparently Peter Banks and Tony Kaye were both fired from the band in 1970 and 1971 respectively. Jon Anderson left voluntarily with Rick in the late 70s and in 1988 but was fired in 2008 because they didn't want to wait for his health issues to improve. Trevor Rabin left voluntarily in 1994. Besides those examples who else quite on their own and who was fired?

[pianozach]

Apparently Peter Banks and Tony Kaye were both fired from the band in 1970 and 1971 respectively. Jon Anderson left voluntarily with Rick in the late 70s and in 1988 but was fired in 2008 because they didn't want to wait for his health issues to improve. Trevor Rabin left voluntarily in 1994. Besides those examples who else quite on their own and who was fired?

Moraz was kinda taken to the country and left there. So, yeah, fired.

Khoroshev was out and out fired.

[soundchaser09]

Banks: fired
Kaye: fired, left
Bruford: left, left
Wakeman: left, left, kinda fired by management (wanted Kaye instead), left, left
Moraz: fired
Anderson: left, left, fired
Horn: left
Downes: left
Howe: left, left
Rabin: left
Sherwood: left
Khoroshev: fired
Brislin: fired
David: more or less fired
O Wakeman: fired

[luna65]

I think Benoit quit before he could be fired.

[Ash Armstrong]

[josuev80]

Brislin was not fired. It was understood it was a one year gig with Wakeman coming back in 2002 as he was unavailable in 2001.

Reading the interview with Benoit, he claims he quit (before he got fired).

Did you quit the band?
Well…yeah. I quit the band. I couldn’t sing. I went to see a doctor over there. He said, “There’s something wrong. We need to look more into this. You cannot continue to sing or it’s going to cause more problems.” So we decided to quit the tour.

[bondegezou]

Horn: left

In his recent memoir, he says he was fired.

[Enlighten]

I kinda agree with Ash. Here’s a more interesting question, who will be the next person in the current Yes to leave or be fired?

[Ash Armstrong]

I'm curious about what happened to their secretary back in the early 70s, Kristina.... There's a photo of her in the Yessongs music book, and she's credited on the back cover of the Yessongs album.

[soundchaser09]

In his recent memoir, he says he was fired.

that's curious, i just thought the whole band fell apart in 80/81. Steve and Geoff went off to do Asia, and Trevor to do his producing, i thought he didn't enjoy being the lead singer in a live setting imitating Anderson.

But I suppose it doesn't matter either way.

[Soundwaveseeker]

I kinda agree with Ash. Here’s a more interesting question, who will be the next person in the current Yes to leave or be fired?

Well, Howe is sort of grandfathered in, and Davison and Sherwood are needed to reproduce the Anderson/Squire nexus. Downes, I'm not sure, he's locked in too, but I could see it being not impossible that he could leave to concentrate on DBA/Asia/production/sessions/NDO etc. They could then slot in any other good keyboardist and still retain the Yes formula.

I'd have to say, really, the only member I can see being the next guy to be replaced would be Jay Schellen - not particularly fired but probably because of other commitments and Yes going with someone else and not calling him back for the next activity. Who knows, really. The current lineup is rather stable.

[pianozach]

that's curious, i just thought the whole band fell apart in 80/81. Steve and Geoff went off to do Asia, and Trevor to do his producing, i thought he didn't enjoy being the lead singer in a live setting imitating Anderson.

But I suppose it doesn't matter either way.

Horn's departure is somewhat of an oddity, as he was the band's lead singer on Drama, and the producer on 90125. Did he "leave" the band? He was also on board for the beginning of Big Generator, but "left" early on.

Not really. The band broke up mostly due to the loss of Howe and Downes to Asia, and Squire & White created a new band, Cinema. There was no Yes left to be fired from.

[patrickq]

In 1995 it felt first and foremost like Howe and Wakeman were in, and thus that neither Rabin and Kaye had the option to stay. I’m not saying anyone was fired, but after the band and/or management leaked/teased the lineup-change idea via the “Change Yes Must” Gottleib brothers editorial (mentioned here recently), and after the discovery of the the written prophesy from 1970s that the “classic lineup” would be together twenty years hence, it seemed like a done deal.

I’m not claiming to speak truth here. I’m saying what it seemed like at the time. I’d be curious if there is hard evidence one way or the other.

[Gilly Goodness]

I'm curious about what happened to their secretary back in the early 70s, Kristina.... There's a photo of her in the Yessongs music book, and she's credited on the back cover of the Yessongs album.

Now identifies as Kevin. Runs a noodle bar in Thailand. He was contacted by Rolling Stone for the article but declined. Sayin' "that part of my life was a long time ago. I've got nothin' bad to say about the boys. I obviously moved on with my life. If I hear one of their songs on the American army base radio station here, I will listen to it. Wakin' up everyday to your authentic self is the greatest feelin' in the world."

Sounds like he's doin' just fine 😉

[bondegezou]

In 1995 it felt first and foremost like Howe and Wakeman were in, and thus that neither Rabin and Kaye had the option to stay. I’m not saying anyone was fired, but after the band and/or management leaked/teased the lineup-change idea via the “Change Yes Must” Gottleib brothers editorial (mentioned here recently), and after the discovery of the the written prophesy from 1970s that the “classic lineup” would be together twenty years hence, it seemed like a done deal.

I’m not claiming to speak truth here. I’m saying what it seemed like at the time. I’d be curious if there is hard evidence one way or the other.

Rabin had already left. He'd nearly left before Talk. Kaye is less clear. At the time, there were reports that he was leaving performing but moving over into managing the band. These reports appear to have been mistaken, but I don't know whether they were a garbled form of some actual truth.