Find the complete Off The Road series at hawaiipublicradio.org/offtheroad.
Today we conclude our Off the Road two part special with Jon Anderson, known for his decades as the voice of the band Yes, joining HPR All Things Considered Host Dave Lawrence. Off The Road is a series of interviews with musicians remotely sharing how they’ve been touched by the pandemic and other crises.
Hear part one of this special.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member is now a solo artist and recently released 1,000 Hands, which is filled with many special guests, including Chick Corea, Billy Cobham, Larry Coryell, the Tower of Power horns, and three members of Yes: Chris Squire, Steve Howe and Alan White. In the post for part one, we've included the entire new album for you to hear.
Jon also explained how his personal spiritual journey has roots in Hawaii, where he also has had a number of experiences. He even recorded an updated version of one of his songs, his “Prayersong”, originally released on the 1995 “Angels Embrace” solo album, just for HPR and this interview. As featured in part one, Jon told the story of how the lyrics to this come from a meditation prayer with origins in Hawaii.
During his nearly 40 minute conversation, posted below, Jon also told some great stories, including one riveting tale about the origins of Yes, included in today’s segment, plus details about his latest album, which actually started decades ago, he told us.
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Hear the complete new interview with Jon:
Hear previous interviews Dave has done with Jon: a 2006 phoner, a 2006 Hawaii Theatre dressing room follow-up and a 2013 phone interview.