John Wetton

John Wetton
John Wetton
Background information
Birth name	John Kenneth Wetton
Born	12 June 1949; Willington, Derbyshire, England
Origin	Bournemouth, Dorset, England
Died	31 January 2017 (aged 67); Bournemouth, Dorset, England
Genres	Progressive rock; hard rock; pop rock; jazz fusion; classic rock; AOR;
Occupation(s)	Musician; singer; songwriter; producer;
Instrument(s)	Bass; vocals; guitar; keyboards;
Years active	1965–2017
Labels	E.G.; Atlantic Records; Geffen; Universal Records; Island; Eagle; Avalon; EMI; King Records; Frontiers;
Formerly of	Mogul Thrash; Family; King Crimson; Roxy Music; Uriah Heep; U.K.; Wishbone Ash; Steve Hackett Band; Asia; Renaissance; Qango;
Website	Official website

John Kenneth Wetton (12 June 1949 – 31 January 2017) was an English musician, singer, and songwriter.^[1] Although he was left handed, he was known as a dexterous right handed bass player and had a booming baritone voice.^[2] He joined the band Family in 1971 for a short time before joining King Crimson in 1972.^[3] After the breakup of King Crimson at the end of 1974, Wetton was in progressive rock and hard rock bands including Roxy Music (1974–1975), Uriah Heep (1975–1976), U.K. (1977–1980), and Wishbone Ash (1980–1981).^[1]

In 1981 he co-founded Asia as lead vocalist and principal songwriter, which was considered to be a super group.^[1] Their debut album "Asia" which was released in 1982 sold 10 million copies worldwide and was Billboard magazine's number one album of 1982.^[4] He later formed the duo "Icon" with his Asia bandmate and songwriting partner Geoff Downes and had a successful solo career.

^ ^a ^b ^c Dancha, Kim (1997). My Own Time: The Authorized Biography of John Wetton. Northern Line Publishers. ISBN 9780965484718.
^ Curtiss, Ron; Weiner, Aaron (3 June 2016). "John Wetton (King Crimson, U.K., Asia): The Complete Boffomundo Interview". YouTube. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
^ Slotnik, Daniel E. (February 2017). "John Wetton, Rocker with King Crimson and Asia, Dies at 67". The New York Times.
^ "The Billboard 200 – Year-end albums – 1982". Billboard. Archived from the original on 5 February 2009.

[MyOwn-1] Dancha, Kim (1997). My Own Time: The Authorized Biography of John Wetton. Northern Line Publishers. ISBN 9780965484718.

[BoffomuInt-2] Curtiss, Ron; Weiner, Aaron (3 June 2016). "John Wetton (King Crimson, U.K., Asia): The Complete Boffomundo Interview". YouTube. Retrieved 3 June 2022.

[3] Slotnik, Daniel E. (February 2017). "John Wetton, Rocker with King Crimson and Asia, Dies at 67". The New York Times.

[4] "The Billboard 200 – Year-end albums – 1982". Billboard. Archived from the original on 5 February 2009.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]