Yes, circa 1969 (Gilles Petard/ Redferns)
A commemorative blue plaque honoring Yes in celebration of the band’s 50th anniversary will be unveiled on Friday, August 3, at 184 Shaftesbury Avenue in London. In 1968, thAT location was the site of The Lucky Horseshoe Café, in the basement of which the band rehearsed when it changed its name to Yes from Mable Greer’s Toyshop.
The permanent marker was devised and coordinated by Yes author and fan David Watkinson in conjunction with the band’s official website, YesWorld. Author and music journalist Chris Welch, who wrote the 2003 biography Close to the Edge: The Story of Yes, will be among the guests who will attend the unveiling ceremony.
Yes played their first gig under that moniker on August 3, 1968, in Essex, U.K. The band’s lineup at the time featured singer Jon Anderson, bassist Chris Squire, guitarist Peter Banks, drummer Bill Bruford and keyboardist Tony Kaye. It was Banks, who died of heart failure in 2013, who suggested Yes as the group’s name.
The ceremony will begin at 11:30 a.m. local time. The site currently houses the Wildwood Restaurant.
Yes currently is winding down the North American leg of their 50th anniversary tour, which comes to a close with a show in Atlanta this Saturday, July 28. Kaye has joined the group’s lineup as a special guest for the trek.
Here are all of Yes’ upcoming shows:
7/26 — Clearwater, FL, Capitol Theatre
7/27 — Orlando, FL, The Plaza Live
7/28 — Atlanta, GA, Atlanta Symphony Hall
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