Bill Bruford (b.17th May 1949)
Following the dissolution of King Crimson in 1974 Bruford mixed numerous session appearances and live work with a diverse group of artists that included Gong, Roy Harper, Genesis and National Health. In 1978 he released his first solo, Feels Good To Me and joined John Wetton, Eddie Jobson and Allan Holdsworth in forming U.K. releasing their self-titled debut album that same year. Musical differences saw Bruford and Holdsworth quit and form his own band, Bruford, releasing One Of A Kind (1979) and Gradually Going Tornado (1980).
In 1981 he joined Fripp, Belew and Levin in Discipline/King Crimson until 1984 where he played and record with Patrick Moraz and his new band, Earthworks with whom he released three albums. In 1989 he formed Anderson, Bruford, Wakeman and Howe, which in turn led to him rejoining an expanded Yes with whom he released Union in 1991. Bill's last date with the Double Trio incarnation of King Crimson was at The Mann Centre, Philadelphia on 26th August 1996 and he played the last of ProjeKct One’s four-night residency at Camden’s Jazz Café on 4th December 1997. With a second incarnation of his Earthworks group recording and touring, and other collaborations most notably with Ralph Towner and Michiel Borstlap, in 2001 he launched his own Summerfold label providing a home for his acoustic work, while sister label Winterfold focussed on archive electric/rock-orientated outings. In 2009 he published Bill Bruford: The Autobiography. Yes, King Crimson, Earthworks and More, which also coincided with his decision to retire from live performance. In 2011, Bruford enrolled in the Faculty of Arts and Human Sciences at Surrey University where he gained his doctorate in 2017. The same year he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with other members of Yes and released a Bruford band archive set, Seems Like A Lifetime Ago, which included new stereo and surround sound mixes for Feels Good To Me and One Of A Kind by Jakko Jakszyk. In 2018, the University of Michigan Press published, Uncharted: Creativity And The Expert Drummer, a more accessible account of the research undertaken for his Ph.D. and in 2022 released the career-spanning 6CD set, Making a Song and Dance. Bill Bruford with King Crimson Larks’ Tongues In Aspic (1973) Starless and Bible Black (1974) Red (1974) Discipline (1981) Beat (1982) Three Of A Perfect Pair (1984) THRAK (1995)
