Trevor Rabin

South African guitarist and film score producer, best known for his contributions to 90125 era Yes albums.

Trevor Charles Rabin (b. 13 January 1954) came from a respected family of classical musicians, in [Johannesburg], S.A. Educated in a Reformed Jewish school, Trevor took formal piano training before discovering the guitar at age 12. His parents encouraged his talents toward rock music, although Rabin would continue to demonstrate a certain level of classical virtuosity throughout his career.

Trevor Rabin's early rock influences included [Cliff Richards] and the Shadows, [the Beatles[, and [Jimi Hendrix]. However, he dabbled with progressive and heavy rock, as evidenced by his first bands, The Conglomeration and Freedom's Children. The latter were older musicians whose songs questioned the South African government, especially its pernicious racial policy of [apartheid].

Although it would be overstatement to portray Trevor Rabin as an activist musician, he seems to have had strong sympathies with civil rights. His cousin, the late [Donald Wood], represented [Steven Biko] in his tragic struggle for equality. Some of Rabin's more mature songs have expressed concerns for his homecountry. However, success in South Africa's music scene meant leaving the political message inthe background. And so it was, with Trevor Rabin's first major recording group, [Rabbitt] (1974-1978).

Rabbitt (principal members):

Neil Cloud: Drums, backing vocals. Duncan Faure: Keyboards, vocals. Trevor Rabin: Guitars, vocals, piano. Ronnie Robot: Bass guitar, backing vocals.

Rabbitt began just prior to Rabin's term of national service in 1974. The group's first single, a cover of Jethro Tull's "Locomotive Breath," later became a centerpiece of the first Rabbitt album, "Boys Will Be Boys," which, in turn, became an overnight success in 1975-76.

The band could be characterized as South Africa's answer to the Beatles. Others have made similar comparisons to [Badfinger] and [The Bay City Rollers], which Duncan Faure later joined. The four members of Rabbitt were considered handsome, and were often followed by teenage girls, in a "Rabbitt-mania," of sorts.

"A Croak and a Grunt in the Night" (1977) revealed slightly more ambitious compositions. Trevor Rabin also co-produced "Croak," winning a South African counterpart to the Grammy for his efforts. With this success, Rabin felt emboldened to tour abroad in the U.K. and the United States, where Rabbitt albums had trickled in.

Unfortunately, the South African government cancelled their plans, and the group experienced internal frictions over direction. Rabin parted amicably, but Rabbitt would not long survive without him. Subsequently, the guitarist recorded a solo album, "Beginnings," (1978) which debuted in England as "Trevor Rabin."

By 1979, Rabin himself moved to Britain, where he began his own career as producer and session player. Some of his prominent work included South African vocalist Margaret Singana ("Where Is The Love") and his fellow expatriate, [Manfred Mann] and his Earth Band. Rabin still found time to record "Face to Face," touring England in support of [Steve Hillage] in early 1980.

Neither "Trevor Rabin," nor its follow-up succeeded commercially, although they enhanced his reputation for versatile songwriting and tasteful guitar melodies. With the advent of [punk] in the late '70s, Trevor Rabin began looking for more fertile ground for what would be characterized in the U.S. as [AOR], album-oriented rock music.

With 1981's "Wolf," Rabin severed ties with Chrysalis Records. His third album featured some of his best guitar performances, and it benefited from the co-producer, [Ray Davies] of [The Kinks]. "Wolf" marked Rabin's collaboration with bassist [Jack Bruce] and drummer [Simon Phillips], whose presence underscored Rabin's potential within a band format. However, Rabin would try out for several unsatisfactory permutations in England and America, including the the supergroup, Asia, featuring former [Yes] members [Steve Howe] and [Geoffrey Downes].

However, Trevor Rabin met with bassist [Chris Squire] and drummer [Alan White], who had experienced their own difficulties following the apparent demise of Yes. They began recording as Cinema in 1982, enlisting original Yes keyboardist [Tony Kaye] to complement their live performances. Producer [Trevor Horn], lead vocalist on the last Yes album, [Drama], took charge of the principal recording.

During his searching period, Trevor Rabin had written a catchy riff-oriented song that might have stood out anywhere. Trevor Horn seized upon "Owner of a Lonely Heart" as a potential single, but questioned whether Rabin should sing it. Rabin's voice, although very pleasant, never possessed dynamic qualities such as those of [Jon Anderson], who was invited to reform Yes in 1983. Even so, Rabin's vocal harmonies remained an asset to the band's history, and he would share lead vocals with Anderson on several songs.

[90125], taken from the Atlantic Records catalog number, sold more copies than any previous Yes album. This success was helped by the number-one smash, "Owner of a Lonely Heart," a melancholy reading by Jon Anderson, backed by Rabin's Kinks-inspired guitar riffs. [MTV] rotation of "Owner," and its tuneful followup, "Leave It ," carried 90125 to six million sales between 1983-85. Yes also received a Grammy for the instrumental "Cinema, which proved their sterling musicianship also remained a priority.

The band also toured behind the album, in a series of well-received concerts. In England and North America, some die-hard fans expressed their dislike of Trevor Rabin, now just 30, as a replacement for the more traditional Steve Howe. But, for Rabin's part, he had been reluctant to reform Yes. Moreover, many younger fans were introduced to the earlier Yes catalog because of the accessible 90125 album. Finally, it can be argued that Yes would never have made a comeback in the 1980s without Trevor Rabin.

In 1986, Yes began recording their next album with Trevor Horn, but the production became bogged down with artistic differences. Eventually, the "Big Generator" album debuted in 1987, with Trevor Rabin assuming studio control. But the album suffered from uneven production, and the singles "Love Will Find a Way" and "Rhythm of Love" were modest chart hits compared to 90125. Still, this album is considered more 'progressive' by Yes standards, and did sell two million copies, in what would be the band's last commercial success in the rapidly changing musical climate.

While Yes members, old and new, quarreled over the Yes name in the [Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe] controversy, Trevor Rabin completed his fourth and last to date solo album, "Can't Look Away," released in 1989. It featured lead single "Something to Hold On To," which garnered a Grammy for Best Music Video. But, apart from sporadic airplay, neither "Something to Hold on To," nor the anti-apartheid ballad "Sorrow (Your Heart)" managed to crack the fickle American charts. However, Trevor Rabin toured in 1989 with keyboardist Mark Mancina, marking their first collaboration in professional music. This tour, one of Rabin's favorites, has since been documented by the 2003 "Live in L.A." album.

In 1991, Yes reformed with a short-lived eight-man lineup under the "Union" album. However, Atlantic Records dropped Yes in favor of Canadian prog-rock band [Rush]. Arista, the label responsible for ABWH, took on the project. During the prosperous tour, Trevor Rabin shared the stage with Steve Howe, albeit with some tensions between the two guitarists. "Union" had only four songs with Trevor Rabin's credits, including the failed hit singles "Lift Me Up" and "Saving My Heart." However, Rabin's best work is represented by the lyrical composition "Miracle of Life," which sounded as if it should have been included with "Big Generator."

1992 and 1993 marked a series of negotiations between the short-lived Victory label and the so-called Yes West. Phil Carson, responsible for [Emerson Lake & Palmer]'s comeback in 1992, invited the Yes 90125 lineup to record a third album. Because an outside producer fell outside of budget, Trevor Rabin took over production of "Talk," which used a revolutionary hard-disk recording method now in common use among recording studios.

"Talk" featured the collaboration between Rabin and Jon Anderson, who had completed the last few albums after the principal writing. With the exception of a couple filler tracks, the album represents a fusion between old and new Yes. Unfortunately, with the advent of on-line Yes fan networks, a strong anti-Rabin faction materialized in 1994-95. Despite the lineup's best performance on tour, the "Talk" album failed to sell as expected, because the AOR radio format had become moribund. "The Calling" failed to catch much interest, despite its vintage Yes stamp. Following the 1995 tour, Trevor Rabin resigned from Yes to become a soundtrack composer.

Trevor Rabin's film work includes work with Mark Mancina, such as the soundtrack for "Speed". On his own, Trevor Rabin has scored "Remember the Titans" as well as several Jerry Bruckheimer action vehicles. He is married to Shelley Rabin, and has one son, Ryan, who has begun career as a rock drummer in Los Angeles. Rabin has been a U.S. citizen since 1991.