Featuring members of Yes, King Crimson, Roxy Music, and Soft Machine, U.K. was one of the most prominent progressive rock supergroups of the late '70s. Various members of U.K. -- guitarist Allan Holdsworth, keyboardist/violinist Eddie Jobson, bassist/vocalist John Wetton, and drummer Bill Bruford -- had all played together in their previous bands, but when the group formed in 1977, it was the first time all of the musicians had played together. Although the lineup was unstable -- Holdsworth and Bruford left after one album, with former Frank Zappa drummer Terry Bozzio replacing Bruford -- and the group was short-lived, the band maintained a dedicated cult following years after their early-'80s breakup.
The upcoming UK Reunion Tour matches main composers Jobson and Wetton playing the music of UK, and the mid-70's era of King Crimson, when Wetton was lead vocalist and bassist, alongside Bruford and Crimson staple Robert Fripp. The two are touring together for the first time since 1979. They are joined by Austrian guitar virtuoso Alex Machacek and German drumming phenom Marco Minnemann.
Prior to the formation of U.K., not only had Bruford and Wetton recently played together in King Crimson, but Holdsworth had played guitar on Bruford's debut album, 1978's Feels Good to Me. Shortly after the recording of Feels Good to Me, Bruford, Holdsworth, and Wetton formed U.K., adding former Roxy Music member Eddie Jobson to the lineup. Wetton had also toured as a member of Roxy Music as well.
U.K. released their eponymous debut in 1978 and the album captured the attention of progressive rock and jazz fusion fans, as did the record's supporting tour. At the conclusion of the tour, Holdsworth and Bruford left the group to form Bruford, leaving keyboardist Jobson as the band's leader. U.K. didn't hire another guitarist, but they did have Terry Bozzio replace Bruford. The new lineup of U.K. released Danger Money in 1979 and followed the album with a tour. Once the tour was completed, the group broke up. The posthumous live album Night After Night was released shortly afterward. Following the disbandment of U.K., Eddie Jobson became a member of Jethro Tull, Terry Bozzio formed Missing Persons, and John Wetton formed Asia with fellow progressive rock stars Steve Howe (Yes), Carl Palmer (ELP), and Geoffrey Downes (the Buggles). Asia became one of the most successful commercial bands of the early 80's, and the early era of MTV.
In addition to Roxy Music (where he originally replaced Brian Eno), Eddie Jobson has played with Frank Zappa , Jethro Tull and Curved Air . Jobson's recordings as a leader showed much promise in their use of keyboards, computer-generated sounds, and wailing electric violin solos. He has, however, continued his music-making into the new millennium, joining the band UKZ in 2007; the band released the Radiation EP in 2009. Jobson's Ultimate Zero (U-Z) Project was designed to be an unapologetic 'tribute' to the progressive rock genre that Jobson helped create in the '70s. Various members have included former Crimson stick player Trey Gunn and British drum legend Simon Phillips. A number of European U-Z concerts in Europe last year featured guest appearances from King Crimson members of various eras including John Wetton, Adrian Belew , Tony Levin and Pat Mastelotto.
Though out of the limelight over 20 years, he continued to carve out a highly successful career as a composer and producer of hundreds of original scores for advertising, television and film, and producing albums by such eclectic artists as the Bulgarian Women's Choir and Huun-Huur-Tu (the Tuvan Throat Singers) for his own musicians' label Globe Music.
http://www.eddiejobson.com/
http://www.johnwetton.co.uk/
