Peter Banks, best known as the original guitarist of Yes, died last Thursday in his London home from heart failure. He was 65. Banks was reportedly found after failing to show up for a recording session.
After playing with bassist Chris Squire in the Syn, Banks and Squire helped form Yes in 1968. Banks played with Yes through their first two albums, 1969's "Yes" and 1970's "Time and a Word," but disagreements over the direction of "Time and a Word" led to Banks' dismissal from Yes before the album's release.
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After Yes, Banks formed Flash and released three studio albums with the group: 1972's "Flash" and "In the Can" and 1973's "Out of Our Hands." He then formed Empire, releasing "Mark I" in 1973, "Mark II" in 1974 and "Mark III" in 1979. Banks also explored solo recordings, releasing his first solo album, "Two Sides of Peter Banks," in 1973. He followed up with three more solo works in the '90s with "Instinct" in 1994, "Self-Contained" in 1995 and "Reduction" in 1997. He was working on the live collection "Flash -- In Public" at the time of his death.
Funeral plans have yet to be announced. A revamped Yes are currently touring behind three of their classic albums, playing "Close to the Edge," "Going for the One" and "The Yes Album" in their entirety.
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