In the wake of Monday's announcement that Yes has hired Glass Hammer vocalist Jon Davison for its upcoming tour dates, bassist and founding member Chris Squire has confirmed that singer Benoit David is no longer a member of the group.
“Yes, he has officially left Yes,” Squire said Wednesday in an interview with Noise11.com.
“Jon Davison is coming in because of Benoit’s departure. I always hope that when there is a member change in the band that it will be a permanent thing. Only time will tell really," Squire reflected.
Benoit David joined Yes in 2008 after the band discovered him on YouTube singing for a Yes tribute band called Close to the Edge. He initially came in as a substitute for original Yes vocalist Jon Anderson, who was suffering from severe respiratory problems and could not commit to a tour. David made his recording debut with Yes on last year's Fly From Here.
In an interesting twist, the band attributed David's departure to respiratory distress that forced the cancellation of several shows in December. His replacement, Davison, is also a veteran of a Yes tribute band.
Squire downplayed the member changes that have plagued the group in recent years. “People have left to go off to do various projects and solo projects over the years,” he noted. “Some like Jon Anderson and Rick Wakeman have left and come back. In Rick’s case, four times. It’s always been a fairly flexible in and out door for some members of the band. At the last count, including Jon Davison, he is the 18th member of the band. It has never been personal problems. It’s just things that happen at certain times”.
Davison will front the band for the upcoming tour dates, and presumably for the 2012 touring season, but Squire said he doesn't rule out the possibility of working with Jon Anderson again, saying they maintain a cordial email relationship. "I have never closed the door on working with Jon again," he said. "He has left the band before and come back and left it again and come back. It is an unusual situation.
"We will work together in the future but right now we are promoting the Fly From Here album which is our first studio album in 10 years."
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