LIFESTYLE - SUMMER 2017

Jon says: "I thought I beer get exercising. I've been working out every day – and watch Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle from the treadmill. These are my favourite teams. Aer Accrington Stanley of course." In 2004 Jon describes one of "the most wonderful moments" of his life when watching the sports channel ESPN. Says Jon: "The commentator said, ‘Next Tuesday we are going live to Accrington to see Stanley play Colchester in the FA Cup. "That freaked me out that I would see a live game at Accrington Stanley on my telly in California. I rang my brother Stuart who lives in Accrington and he said, ‘Oh I'm going to go down and sit behind the goal.’ So I actually watched the game and called Stuart on my cell phone while he was behind the goal and we had the best laugh ever. Colchester won in the replay, but that's life!" Growing up in the town with his brothers Tony and Stuart and sister Joy was a happy experience. Jon's father Albert was Scoish, from Glasgow, and his mumKathleen second generation Irish with French ancestry. The couple were East Lancashire ballroom dancing champions, and Jon remembers their trophies proudly displayed on the mantelpiece. "My sister Joy passed away a couple of years ago," says Jon. "Tony is a Pentecostal church minister living on the Isle ofWight, and Stuart lives in Accrington with his wife Marilyn, so me and Jane visit him every time we come up toManchester.” From the age of 10, Jon's father, a salesman, became ill, so to help out with the bills Jon would deliver milk and work on a farm in Huncoat. "I did that until I was 16," says Jon. "I worked onWalter Procter's farm to help my family because my dad was prey sick. I shovelled a lot of cow poop, milked the cows, generally had a good time, I loved those days. I oen look back fondly at Easter times when the sun was shining and the weather was geing beer. It made me a very deliberate worker. I'm a workaholic." When Jon was 18 he joined TheWarriors, where he and his brother Tony shared the role of vocalists. He then quit the band in 1967, released two solo singles in 1968 under the pseudonymHans Christian Anderson. It was around this time that Jon met the late Chris Squire and went on to superstardom aer forming Yes, along with Pete Banks, drummer Bill Bruford and keyboardist Tony Kaye. Wherever Jon has travelled in the world, Accrington has always held a special space in his memories. "We drive up to Accrington whenever we are in the UK,” he says.

old. "My wonderful wife Jane loves that place," adds Jon, affectionately. Sadly there will be no time for a trip to Jon's hometown during the UK leg of ARW's tour. "Touring is not the easiest thing in the world. It is exhausting," says Jon. "You have to do two shows then a day off, three shows and a day off, etc. So I'll be driving fromGlasgow to Manchester on the day of the show and then straight down to Birmingham from there." The formation of ARW– the initials of each member's surnames – has been a long time coming. "It took us about three years to find time to do this. Trevor was doing film scores like crazy, Rick is always busy doing what he does and I was doing some great solo and collaborative work." Jon's love affair with music is a lifelong one. He was brought up on TheWho, Rolling Stones, and The Birds. But the first song to have a huge impact on Jon's life was a track on the Beatle's Revolver album called TomorrowNever Knows. He says: "It wasn't a hit but it was great. It was the same with Frank Zappa. He didn't have many hit records but his music was great. And it was the same with Yes. We didn't have many hit records, but our music was great. "Music touches our hearts on so many levels. I like Coldplay and feel very emotional when listening to their songs and the music produced by BrunoMars is just glorious." In 2008 – aer illness kept Jon off the road for a year – Yes replaced himwith Benoit David, a sound-alike who previously fronted the Yes tribute band Close to the Edge. Reportedly nobody in the band called Jon to tell him the news – he had to hear it from a friend. "They didn't tell me anything," he says. "They were just off and running. But what can you do? I was pissed off in the beginning, but then you say, 'Oh well, the boys want to go on tour and be rock and rollers. Let them do it.' Now people come see me and I'm suddenly 30 years younger!" On reflection, Jon was released to bigger and beer things and some amazing collaborations with people like Jean-Luc Ponty the

jazz fusion violinist. The reviews of ARW's concerts have been phenomenally good – with particular reference to Jon's rejuvenated voice and presence. "It has been a whirlwind," says Jon. "FromTrevor ringing me up and suggesting we get together with Rick, we flew to LA, called ourselves ARW, and together started performing a whole show of Yes songs - because that's who we are, actually." Touring with Rick and Trevor is always a lot of fun for Jon. "Rick is a bit of a comedian anyway and Trevor is very strange at times – like John Cleese! "Trevor turned up to rehearsals in bare feet one time. He got on stage and said, ‘Oh my I've forgoen my shoes.' "We were like, ‘How can you drive all the way here Trevor without your shoes? Then we realised . . . he's a bit of a nutcase!" Another time Trevor met his bandmates at the airport, fully clothed but wearing a dressing gown. Jon laughs: "When we asked himwhy he was wearing a bathrobe it was because he forgot to bring a coat. It was below freezing and he's standing there shivering in the airport with his dressing gown on. I said, ‘you could have gone and bought a coat!' He said, ‘Oh yeah, you're right'." Jon adds: "First of all I love working with such great talent, we put on a great show of songs that everyone knows, we enjoy it and they are too damn funny those guys. Rick always tells jokes – his latest one which he must tell me twice a week is ‘People in Dubai, they never watch the Flintstones.' ‘But the people in Abu Dhabi do'. "To be able to sing and performwith Rick and Trevor at this time in my life is a treasure beyond words. "I'm so excited to make newmusic and revisit some of the classic work we created many years ago; it's a musical adventure on so many new levels."

“To me, Accrington never changes. It's just a lovely lile town." Jon likes to drive his wife Jane around Accrington to see his old haunts. "I always go to my old schools, St John's and St Christopher's. "I do remember wonderful Christmas times singing at school and the local church. Life is very magical at that time of year when you are nine or 10 years old because you don't really have a care in the world. "Actually, I always remember more about football than lessons. I'd be staring out of the window dreaming of playing outside and I'd hear, ‘Anderson – stop daydreaming.' Or during choir practice, the teacher would tell me off for singing too loudly!" Another favourite spot is at the top of the coppice which Jon used to run up with his dog when he was just six years

Left: Jon in his first band with brother Tony. Photo of Jon by Deborah Anderson, his daughter. Above: ARW - Anderson, Rabin and Wakeman. Jon is an Accrington Stanley fan at heart. Right: Jon and his wife Jane.

Next time: The day I died, and howwife Jane andmeditation savedmy life.

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