Tony Kaye (born Anthony John Selvidge, 11 January 1946, Leicester, England) is a British musician. Kaye was the original keyboard player for the progressive rock group Yes from 1968 to 1971, and rejoined Yes from 1983 to 1995. Between his stints with Yes, he was also a founding member of the 1970s rock bands Badger and Detective, and joined Badfinger for their last album in 1981. Kaye currently plays with CIRCA:, which also features former Yes member Billy Sherwood, and formerly included Yes drummer Alan White.
Kaye was only four years old when he started to receive piano lessons. At twelve he started to play in local concerts and he attended the London School of Music, aspiring to be a concert piano player. Later on, when Kaye was fifteen, he discovered he preferred the music of both the Dixieland and modern jazz as well as the modern youthful sounds of the Beatlemania days. He played in one jazz band when he was still a schoolboy and at 15 he joined the Danny Rogers Orchestra. Three years later he abandoned his classical music lessons completely.
During the 1960s he played with Johnny Taylor's Star Combo and later recorded a handful of singles with at least three different rock groups (The Federals, Jimmy Winston & His Reflections a.k.a. Winston's Fumbs, and Bittersweet; during 1967 he was on tour with French singer Johnny Hallyday too) before being invited by Chris Squire (at this time with Jon Anderson and Peter Banks in Mabel Greer's Toyshop) to join the future "Yes" in 1968. The original line-up of Yes featured Kaye on keyboards, Peter Banks on guitar, Chris Squire on bass guitar, Jon Anderson on vocals and Bill Bruford on drums. They released two albums: Yes (1969) and Time and a Word (1970), and a few singles. In 1971, Yes released The Yes Album with guitarist Steve Howe replacing Banks. The opening track, titled "Yours Is No Disgrace", was the first song featuring Kaye as co-composer. But after a last concert that year at The Crystal Palace in August 1971, Kaye was asked to leave the group.Kaye had rehearsed some songs that appeared on Fragile, such as "Heart of the Sunrise", with his keyboard parts being re-recorded by Rick Wakeman.
Kaye was only four years old when he started to receive piano lessons. At twelve he started to play in local concerts and he attended the London School of Music, aspiring to be a concert piano player. Later on, when Kaye was fifteen, he discovered he preferred the music of both the Dixieland and modern jazz as well as the modern youthful sounds of the Beatlemania days. He played in one jazz band when he was still a schoolboy and at 15 he joined the Danny Rogers Orchestra. Three years later he abandoned his classical music lessons completely.
During the 1960s he played with Johnny Taylor's Star Combo and later recorded a handful of singles with at least three different rock groups (The Federals, Jimmy Winston & His Reflections a.k.a. Winston's Fumbs, and Bittersweet; during 1967 he was on tour with French singer Johnny Hallyday too) before being invited by Chris Squire (at this time with Jon Anderson and Peter Banks in Mabel Greer's Toyshop) to join the future "Yes" in 1968. The original line-up of Yes featured Kaye on keyboards, Peter Banks on guitar, Chris Squire on bass guitar, Jon Anderson on vocals and Bill Bruford on drums. They released two albums: Yes (1969) and Time and a Word (1970), and a few singles. In 1971, Yes released The Yes Album with guitarist Steve Howe replacing Banks. The opening track, titled "Yours Is No Disgrace", was the first song featuring Kaye as co-composer. But after a last concert that year at The Crystal Palace in August 1971, Kaye was asked to leave the group.Kaye had rehearsed some songs that appeared on Fragile, such as "Heart of the Sunrise", with his keyboard parts being re-recorded by Rick Wakeman.