Wishbone Ash

Wishbone Ash

Wishbone Ash are a British rock group formed in Torquay in 1969 and active since then. The band becomes known for its harmony twin lead guitar style, with two lead guitarists sharing the front line rather than using the more usual lead-and-rhythm format.

Origins and early line-up

The group develops out of a trio called The Empty Vessels, which has earlier been known as The Torinoes and briefly as Tanglewood. Martin Turner leads the project from 1963 and plays lead vocals and bass guitar, while drummer Steve Upton joins in 1966. When Turner and Upton look for additional players, they choose both Andy Powell and Ted Turner after auditioning guitarists they cannot separate, creating the classic four-piece line-up with dual lead guitars. The name Wishbone Ash is formed by combining words picked from separate lists.

1970s success

The band supports Deep Purple in 1970, and Ritchie Blackmore recommends them to producer Derek Lawrence, which helps them secure a contract with Decca/MCA Records. Their debut album, Wishbone Ash, appears in 1970, followed by Pilgrimage in 1971. Argus (1972) becomes their most commercially successful album, reaching number 3 on the UK Albums Chart and receiving strong critical recognition, including being voted best rock album of the year by readers of Sounds and top British album by Melody Maker. During this period they build a growing reputation as a live act and begin headlining major venues.

In 1973 the group releases Wishbone Four, their first album without Derek Lawrence as producer, because they choose to self-produce it. Later that year they issue the double live album Live Dates. A radio-only promotional live recording, Wishbone Ash Live in Memphis, is also circulated. Ted Turner leaves in 1974 because of touring demands and Laurie Wisefield replaces him. The band then relocates to the United States and records There’s the Rub (1974).

Line-up changes and later albums

Locked In (1976), produced by Tom Dowd, moves towards a more US-oriented soft rock sound, and the band tours with Graham Maitland on keyboards. New England (1976) returns to a more established style, and Front Page News (1977) is their final US-recorded album of that era. No Smoke Without Fire (1978) revisits earlier influences and is the first album since Argus produced by Derek Lawrence. Just Testing follows in 1980 after a long recording period and increasing pressure from the record label for more commercially oriented material.

Martin Turner leaves shortly before Just Testing appears. John Wetton joins for Number the Brave (1981), leaving after the recording sessions and being replaced on tour by Trevor Bolder. Claire Hamill contributes backing vocals during this period. Twin Barrels Burning (1982) shows a heavier sound and reaches number 22 in the UK. Bolder leaves in 1983 and Mervyn Spence replaces him. Raw to the Bone (1985) does not chart, and Laurie Wisefield departs after eleven years with the band.

Reunion and later periods

In 1987 the original members reunite at the invitation of Miles Copeland III to record an instrumental project for the No Speak series. This leads to Nouveau Calls and a reunion tour in 1988, the first performances of the original line-up since 1974. The reunion continues with Here to Hear in 1989. Steve Upton retires from music in 1990, and later recordings use replacement drummers. Strange Affair follows in 1991, after which Martin Turner leaves. The band continues touring and releases the live album The Ash Live in Chicago in 1992.

Ted Turner leaves again in 1994, leaving Andy Powell as the only remaining founding member. From 1995 onwards Powell keeps the band going with changing line-ups. Roger Filgate, Tony Kishman and Mike Sturgis tour and record, with Kishman sometimes replaced by Martin Turner on the 1995 to 1996 touring cycle. Illuminations is released in 1996. Filgate, Kishman and Sturgis then leave, and Powell recruits Mark Birch, Bob Skeat and drummer Ray Weston. The band then explores electronic-influenced material on Trance Visionary and Psychic Terrorism, before issuing the acoustic album Bare Bones and documenting a 2000 anniversary tour on Live Dates 3 and a live DVD.

In the early 2000s, Mark Birch is replaced by Ben Granfelt, who leaves in 2004 and is succeeded by Muddy Manninen. The band releases Bona Fide in 2002 and tours widely, including dates in the United States with Savoy Brown. Clan Destiny appears in 2006. Ray Weston leaves in 2007 and Joe Crabtree replaces him for Power of Eternity later that year. Elegant Stealth follows in 2011 and Blue Horizon in 2014. By this stage the line-up of Powell, Manninen, Skeet and Crabtree is the longest-running in the band’s history. A legal dispute over the name “Martin Turner’s Wishbone Ash” is decided in favour of Andy Powell in 2013.

Mark Abrahams later joins on guitar, and the band signs to Steamhammer/SPV for Coat of Arms in 2020. The 2020s include several drummer changes, with Windsor McGilvray, Mike Sturgis and Mike Truscott among those involved across touring periods. In 2023 the band releases the live album Live Dates Live.

Style and influence

Wishbone Ash are associated with progressive rock, classic rock, hard rock, blues rock and rock, and the band is also listed with techno. Their twin-guitar approach is noted in press coverage and compared with earlier work by electric blues and rock musicians, including the Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page collaboration in the Yardbirds in 1966. Andy Powell and Ted Turner are described by Traffic magazine in 1989 as two of the ten most important guitarists in rock history, and in 1972 Melody Maker describes them as the most interesting two-guitar team since Beck and Page were in the Yardbirds. The band is cited as an influence by acts including the Eagles, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Van Halen, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Thin Lizzy, Metallica, Dream Theater, Overkill and Opeth.