Steve Howe

Stephen James “Steve” Howe (born April 8, 1947 in Holloway, North London, England) is an English guitarist best known for his work with the progressive rock group Yes after replacing Peter Banks in 1970. He has also been a member of The Syndicats, Bodast, Tomorrow, Asia and GTR, as well as having released 13 solo albums as of June 2005.

Howe cites several influences including Les Paul and the group Tennessee Ernie Ford who had Speedy West and Jimmy Bryant playing guitar. In addition, Howe listened to classical guitar and jazz, citing Barney Kessel as a primary influence. Howe also credited Chet Atkins, who he first heard in 1959, as a major inspiration. Howe said he took from Atkins, “the idea that one guitarist could play any kind of guitar style.”

He bought his first electric guitar, a solid body Guyatone, around 1961, and one of the guitars he is most identified with, a Gibson ES-175D, in 1964.

Howe was voted “Best Overall Guitarist” in Guitar Player magazine five years in a row (1977 – 1981) and was inducted into Guitar Player’s “Gallery of Greats” in 1981.

Gibson Guitar Corporation, the maker of Howe’s second electric guitar (which he was still playing forty years later), said that Howe “elevated rock guitar into an art form” and “helped define a new style of music known as art rock.” In a tribute to Howe and his personal favourite ES-175 guitar, Gibson produced a Steve Howe Signature ES-175 in 2002.

In 2007, Howe founded the Steve Howe Trio, a jazz band completed by his son Dylan on drums and Ross Stanley on Hammond organ.

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