Тони Кей: Клавишник группы Yes и его музыкальный путь.

British keyboardist

Anthony John Selvidge (born 11 January 1946), known professionally as Tony Kaye, is an English keyboardist, best known as a founding member of the progressive rock band Yes. Born into a musical family, Kaye was classically trained and intended to become a concert pianist before he developed an interest in jazz and contemporary rock and pop music. He joined several groups through the 1960s, including the Federals, Johnny Taylor's Star Combo, Jimmy Winston & His Reflections, and Bittersweet. From 1968 to 1971, Kaye was a member of Yes and played on their first three albums. He then formed Badger and relocated to Los Angeles in 1974, after which he toured with David Bowie and joined Detective. Kaye then played in Badfinger and is featured on their final studio album in 1981. He returned to Yes in 1983 before leaving in 1994. Kaye has since been involved with several projects with Billy Sherwood and is a current member of CIRCA:. From 2009 to 2011, the two were also members of the supergroup Yoso with members of Toto. In 2017, Kaye was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Yes.

Kaye was born on 11 January 1946 in Leicester to Winifred and Norman. He grew up in a working class family in north London, with four brothers. Mainly a covers and comedy showband, the group opened for Roy Orbison for a European tour in 1965. Kaye then became a member of Yellow Passion Loaf and Johnny Taylor's Star Combo, followed by Jimmy Winston & His Reflections, also known as Winston's Fumbs. Also that year he toured Europe once more, this time with French singer Johnny Hallyday. Kaye then had a brief stint as a member of Bittersweet.

In 1968, Kaye was invited to attend rehearsals with members of Mabel Greer's Toyshop, a London based psychedelic rock band who were forming a new, full time group. He was approached by bassist Chris Squire after singer Jon Anderson had met Kaye some time before and suggested him. After a successful audition, they renamed themselves Yes and began touring nationwide from August 1968. By the end of the year, the band had earned enough money to purchase a Hammond organ for Kaye. During his first tenure in Yes, Kaye played on their first three studio albums: Yes (1969), Time and a Word (1970), and The Yes Album (1971). The latter includes Kaye's first songwriting credit which he received on the group written track "Yours Is No Disgrace". To promote the album, Kaye embarked on the band's first concert tour of the US in June and July 1971. During rehearsals for their next album, Fragile (1971), Kaye began to have problems with new guitarist Steve Howe who kept insisting the band expand their sound with electronic keyboards such as the Mellotron and synthesiser. Kaye disagreed with this approach and preferred organ and piano. Kaye was fired and quickly replaced by Rick Wakeman of The Strawbs who re recorded some parts originally written by Kaye, including sections on "Heart of the Sunrise". Kaye later revealed that Yes's manager Brian Lane gave him US$10,000 (approx. $62,000 in 2018 dollars) in exchange for all of his royalties.

Kaye joined several groups for the remainder of the decade. He played on the self titled debut album by Flash, a band founded by ex Yes guitarist Peter Banks but declined their offer to become a full time member. Kaye then formed Badger with bassist David Foster, a friend of Jon Anderson's who also co wrote some early Yes songs. They released One Live Badger (1973), recorded in concert with Jon Anderson producing, and White Lady (1974), recorded in New Orleans with producer Allen Toussaint featuring Jackie Lomax on vocals. In January 1976, during a birthday party held for Kaye at the Rainbow Bar and Grill, he met David Bowie's tour manager and accepted his offer to join Bowie in Jamaica to prepare for his upcoming tour in support of Station to Station. In 1979, Kaye accepted an invitation to join Badfinger for their upcoming North American tour. He was unaware of the band's turbulent history until he read a 1998 biography on them. Despite the tour containing dates at "really shitty clubs with small audiences", leaving Rabin to handle the remaining keyboard parts. By mid 1983, Jon Anderson had also joined the band as lead singer and it was decided, after some hesitation, to rename this new lineup 'Yes'. Kaye, in the meantime, had rejoined Badfinger and gone off on a North American tour and was replaced by Eddie Jobson. When this tour ended in October, Kaye accepted an offer by management to return to Yes where he and Jobson would share keyboard duties. This, however, did not sit well with Jobson, who left shortly thereafter. 90125 had included greater use of MIDI technology, which reignited Kaye's interest in contemporary keyboards unlike the time of his first departure from Yes. His solo spot on the tour, titled "Si", is included on the live album 9012Live: The Solos. Yes then recorded Big Generator with Kaye playing a majority of the keyboard parts with some minor assistance from Trevor Rabin. Before recording, Kaye and his technician Robby Eagle built a MIDI keyboard system to his specifications. Kaye stayed with Yes for their next album Talk, which featured the 90125 and Big Generator line up and which credits Kaye on the Hammond organ only, the rest of the keyboard parts being performed by Rabin. On their 1994 tour, however, Kaye did play most keyboard parts, using master keyboards which played additional sounds and samples from racks placed beneath the stage. In 1995, both Kaye and Rabin left Yes, Kaye's offer to stay on in a management capacity having been turned down.

Between the mid 1990s and early 2000s, Kaye was largely retired from the music industry, although he did appear on a number of archival Yes releases, including Something's Coming: The BBC Recordings 1969–1970 and The Word is Live. Kaye went on to play in the Neil Young tribute band The Neil Deal, and assisted in production duties for his wife, actress and singer Daniela Torchia. Around 2006, Yes member Billy Sherwood asked Kaye to play on some Pink Floyd tribute albums that he was overseeing. Kaye had been out of the music industry for some time and was partly residing in the Cayman Islands. A big fan of Pink Floyd, Kaye could not refuse the offer and "got my B3 out of retirement". During the recording sessions, the pair entered discussions on forming a new band which led to the announcement of CIRCA: in 2007.

Kaye is known for his more simple, more supportive style of playing and avoids long and improvised solos. Yes biographer Tim Morse named Kaye a "'gentleman of rock' for his polite demeanour and his distinguished looks". Longtime Yes producer and mixer Eddy Offord named Kaye as one of the best Hammond organists. Guitarist Steve Howe named Kaye a "good group member" and praised his contributions to Yes. Geoff Downes said he had always admired Kaye's playing and the sound he got from the Hammond.