List of Wishbone Ash members

Wishbone Ash are an English hard rock band from Torquay, Devon. Formed in October 1969, the group originally included bassist and lead vocalist Martin Turner, guitarists and vocalists Andy Powell and Ted Turner, and drummer Steve Upton.[1] Their first lineup change came in the spring of 1974, when Ted Turner was replaced by former Home guitarist Laurie Wisefield.[2][3][4] Martin Turner had also left by 1980, with John Wetton replacing him for the 1981 album Number the Brave.[5] After Wetton left to form Asia in early 1981, Trevor Bolder joined Wishbone Ash and remained until 1983, when he returned to his previous band Uriah Heep.[6] Bolder was replaced by former Trapeze bassist and vocalist Mervyn Spence.[7] Wisefield was replaced by Jamie Crompton in late 1985,[8] and Andy Pyle replaced Spence in 1986.[9]

Three lineups of Wishbone Ash in 1972 (top), 2006 (middle) and 2015 (bottom).

In 1987, Martin and Ted Turner returned as part of an original lineup reformation for former manager Miles Copeland's I.R.S. No Speak instrumental album series, to which they contributed Nouveau Calls at the end of the year.[10][11] Powell was left as the sole remaining constant member of Wishbone Ash by mid-1990, when Upton left the group and retired from the music business.[12] He was replaced briefly by Robbie France and later in the year by Ray Weston, both of whom featured on the 1991 release Strange Affair.[13][14] Shortly after the album's release, Martin Turner was fired from the group on 1 October 1991, with Pyle returning to take his place.[15] Ted Turner was the final original member of the band to leave in early 1994,[16] with bassist Pyle and drummer Weston following him in leaving the group shortly after.[9][14]

Powell rebuilt the band with the addition of guitarist Roger Filgate, bassist Tony Kishman and drummer Mike Sturgis.[17][18][19] Martin Turner briefly returned for the group's 25th anniversary tour in 1995 and began working on new material, before leaving for a third and final time.[15] After the release and touring of Illuminations, Filgate, Kishman and Sturgis were replaced by Mark Birch, Bob Skeat and Weston, respectively.[20] Birch remained until 2001, when he was replaced by Finnish guitarist Ben Granfelt.[21] After the studio album Bona Fide and live release Almighty Blues: London & Beyond, Granfelt left in 2004 after playing his final show on 30 October.[22] He was replaced by another Finnish guitarist, Jyrki "Muddy" Manninen.[23] Long-term drummer Weston left for a second time in early 2007 due to tiring of touring, with Joe Crabtree taking his place.[24] The band's latest change in personnel came on 9 May 2017, when Mark Abrahams replaced Manninen as their ninth guitarist.[25]

Members

Current

Image	Name	Years active	Instruments	Release contributions
	Andy Powell	1969–present	guitar vocals mandolin	all Wishbone Ash releases
	Bob Skeat	1997–present	bass backing vocals occasional keyboards	all Wishbone Ash releases from Trance Visionary (1997) onwards
	Joe Crabtree	2007–present	drums percussion backing vocals	all Wishbone Ash releases from The Power of Eternity (2007) onwards
	Mark Abrahams	2017–present	guitar	Coat of Arms (2020)

Former

Image	Name	Years active	Instruments	Release contributions
	Steve Upton	1969–1990	drums percussion	all Wishbone Ash releases from Wishbone Ash (1970) to Here to Hear (1989)
	Martin Turner	1969–1980 1987–1991 1995–1996	bass vocals keyboards	all Wishbone Ash releases from Wishbone Ash (1970) to Live Dates 2 (1980) Hot Ash Live (1981) Nouveau Calls (1987) Here to Hear (1989) Strange Affair (1991)
	Ted Turner	1969–1974 1987–1994	guitar vocals banjo	all Wishbone Ash releases from Wishbone Ash (1970) to Live Dates (1973), and from Nouveau Calls (1987) to Live in Chicago (1992)
	Laurie Wisefield	1974–1985		all Wishbone Ash releases from There's the Rub (1974) to Raw to the Bone (1985)
	John Wetton	1980–1981 (died 2017)	bass vocals keyboards	Number the Brave (1981)
	Trevor Bolder	1981–1983 (died 2013)	bass vocals	Twin Barrels Burning (1982)
	Mervyn Spence	1983–1986		Raw to the Bone (1985)
	Jamie Crompton	1985–1987 1988 (touring)	guitar backing vocals	none
	Andy Pyle	1986–1987 1991–1994	bass vocals	Live in Chicago (1992)
	Robbie France	1990 (died 2012)	drums	Strange Affair (1991)
	Ray Weston	1990–1994 1997–2007	drums percussion	Strange Affair (1991) Live in Chicago (1992) all Wishbone Ash releases from Trance Visionary (1997) to Live in Hamburg (2007)
	Roger Filgate	1994–1997	guitar backing vocals bass keyboards (studio)	Live in Geneva (1995) Illuminations (1996)
	Mike Sturgis		drums
	Tony Kishman	1994–1995 1996–1997	bass vocals
	Mark Birch	1997–2001	guitar backing vocals	all Wishbone Ash releases from Trance Visionary (1997) to Live Dates 3 (2001)
	Ben Granfelt	2001–2004		Bona Fide (2002) Almighty Blues: London & Beyond (2004)
	Muddy Manninen	2004–2017		all Wishbone Ash releases from Live on XM Satellite Radio (2005) to Live at Metropolis 16/05/15 (2015)

Timeline

Lineups

Period	Members	Releases
October 1969 – June 1974	Martin Turner – lead vocals, bass Andy Powell – guitar, vocals Ted Turner – guitar, vocals Steve Upton – drums, percussion	Wishbone Ash (1970) Pilgrimage (1971) Argus (1972) Live from Memphis (1972) Wishbone Four (1973) Live Dates (1973) First Light (2007)
June 1974 – November 1980	Martin Turner – lead vocals, bass Andy Powell – guitar, vocals Laurie Wisefield – guitar, vocals Steve Upton – drums, percussion	There's the Rub (1974) Locked In (1976) New England (1976) Front Page News (1977) No Smoke Without Fire (1978) Live in Tokyo (1979) Just Testing (1980) Live Dates 2 (1980)
November 1980 – April 1981	Andy Powell – guitar, lead vocals Laurie Wisefield – guitar, vocals John Wetton – bass, keyboards, vocals Steve Upton – drums, percussion	Number the Brave (1981)
April 1981 – April 1983	Andy Powell – guitar, vocals Laurie Wisefield – guitar, lead vocals Trevor Bolder – bass, vocals Steve Upton – drums, percussion	Twin Barrels Burning (1982)
April 1983 – December 1985	Mervyn Spence – lead vocals, bass Andy Powell – guitar, vocals Laurie Wisefield – guitar, vocals Steve Upton – drums, percussion	Raw to the Bone (1985)
December 1985 – February 1986	Mervyn Spence – lead vocals, bass Andy Powell – guitar, vocals Jamie Crompton – guitar, backing vocals Steve Upton – drums, percussion	none
February 1986 – July 1987	Andy Powell – guitar, lead vocals Jamie Crompton – guitar, backing vocals Andy Pyle – bass Steve Upton – drums, percussion
July 1987 – July 1990	Martin Turner – lead vocals, bass, keyboards Andy Powell – guitar, vocals Ted Turner – guitar, lead vocals Steve Upton – drums, percussion	Nouveau Calls (1987) Here to Hear (1989)
July – November 1990	Martin Turner – lead vocals, bass, keyboards Andy Powell – guitar, lead vocals Ted Turner – guitar, lead vocals Robbie France – drums	Strange Affair (1991) – three tracks
November 1990 – October 1991	Martin Turner – lead vocals, bass, keyboards Andy Powell – guitar, lead vocals Ted Turner – guitar, lead vocals Ray Weston – drums, percussion	Strange Affair (1991)
October 1991 – January 1994	Andy Powell – guitar, lead vocals Ted Turner – guitar, lead vocals Andy Pyle – bass Ray Weston – drums, percussion	The Ash Live in Chicago (1992)
Early 1994 – October 1995	Tony Kishman – lead vocals, bass Andy Powell – guitar, vocals Roger Filgate – guitar Mike Sturgis – drums	Live in Geneva (1995)
October 1995 – January 1996	Martin Turner – lead vocals, bass Andy Powell – guitar, vocals Roger Filgate – guitar Mike Sturgis – drums	none
January 1996 – 1997	Tony Kishman – lead vocals, bass Andy Powell – guitar, vocals Roger Filgate – guitar Mike Sturgis – drums	Illuminations (1996)
1997 – May 2001	Andy Powell – guitar, lead vocals Mark Birch – guitar, vocals Bob Skeat – bass, backing vocals Ray Weston – drums, percussion	Trance Visionary (1998) Psychic Terrorism (1998) Bare Bones (1999) Live Dates 3 (2000)
May 2001 – October 2004	Andy Powell – guitar, lead vocals Ben Granfelt – guitar, vocals Bob Skeat – bass, backing vocals Ray Weston – drums, percussion	Bona Fide (2002) Almighty Blues: London & Beyond (2004)
October 2004 – April 2007	Andy Powell – guitar, lead vocals Muddy Manninen – guitar, backing vocals Bob Skeat – bass, backing vocals Ray Weston – drums, percussion	Live on XM Satellite Radio (2005) Clan Destiny (2006) Live in Hamburg (2007)
April 2007 – May 2017	Andy Powell – guitar, lead vocals Muddy Manninen – guitar, vocals Bob Skeat – bass, backing vocals Joe Crabtree – drums, percussion	Power of Eternity (2007) Argus "Then Again" Live (2008) Elegant Stealth (2011) Blue Horizon (2014)
May 2017 – present	Andy Powell – guitar, lead vocals Mark Abrahams – guitar Bob Skeat – bass, backing vocals Joe Crabtree – drums, percussion	Coat of Arms (2020)

References

1. Eder, Bruce. "Wishbone Ash: Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
2. "Ted Turner Biography". Wishbone Ash. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
3. "Once Upon a Wishbone" (Scan). Cash Box. Vol. 39 no. 29. New York City, New York: Cash Box Publishing. 3 December 1977. p. 14. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
4. Cooper, Mike (14 June 1996). "Rock Almanac" (Scan). The Hard Report. No. 477. Medford, New Jersey: The Hard Report, Inc. p. 59. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
5. "John Wetton Biography". Wishbone Ash. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
6. Hill, Gary. "Trevor Bolder: Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
7. Hill, Gary. "Mervyn Spence: Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
8. "Jamie Crompton Biography". Wishbone Ash. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
9. "Andy Pyle Biography". Wishbone Ash. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
10. Bakker, Machgiel (12 March 1988). "No Speak – Music Too Good for Words" (Scan). Music & Media. Vol. 5 no. 11. London, England: European Music Report. p. 12. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
11. "First Releases from New Rock Instrumental Label" (Scan). FMQB Album Report. Cherry Hill, New Jersey: Friday Morning Quarterback Album Report Inc. 28 August 1987. p. 35. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
12. Hill, Gary. "Steve Upton: Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
13. "Robbie France Biography". Wishbone Ash. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
14. "Ray Weston Biography". Wishbone Ash. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
15. "Timeline: 1990s". Martin Turner. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
16. "Music: Birmingham guitarist Ted Turner reunites with Wishbone Ash". Birmingham Mail. Trinity Mirror. 30 July 2010. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
17. "Roger Filgate Biography". Wishbone Ash. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
18. "Tony Kishman Biography". Wishbone Ash. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
19. "Mike Sturgis Biography". Wishbone Ash. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
20. "Real Guitars Have Wings". Wishbone Ash. 25 January 1999. Archived from the original on 28 January 1999. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
21. "Ben Granfelt Biography". Wishbone Ash. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
22. "Ben Granfelt to Leave Wishbone Ash". Wishbone Ash. 12 September 2004. Archived from the original on 4 February 2005. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
23. "The Ash is getting Muddy!". Wishbone Ash. 6 October 2004. Archived from the original on 4 February 2005. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
24. Roberts, Guy (7 April 2007). "Ray Weston". Wishbone Ash. Archived from the original on 14 July 2007. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
25. "Wishbone Ash Hit Muddy Waters As Guitarist Departs". MetalTalk.net. 9 May 2017. Retrieved 5 December 2017.

External links

• Wishbone Ash official website