Editing Steve Howe (section)

=== 1970–1981: Joining Yes and start of solo career ===
In April 1970, the rock band [[Yes (band)|Yes]] sought a new guitarist following the departure of [[Peter Banks]]. Howe was invited to a try out session with the group in Fulham, which consisted of [[Jon Anderson]], [[Chris Squire]], [[Bill Bruford]], and [[Tony Kaye (musician)|Tony Kaye]]; he was successful and became a member in June.{{sfn|Welch|2008|p=87}} By this time, Yes had recorded their second album ''[[Time and a Word]]'' (1970) but it was not yet released. A photograph of Howe with the band was used on its cover for the American release despite his not playing on it. After several gigs, Yes retreated to [[Devon]] to rehearse and develop new material for ''[[The Yes Album]]'' (1971). Howe went on to buy Langley Farm, where the group had stayed. Howe's proficiency with a wide range of guitars, and his strong contributions to the songwriting, made him a prolific member who was an essential part of the band's change in musical direction towards [[progressive rock]]. ''The Yes Album'' and ''[[Fragile (Yes album)|Fragile]]'' (1971) include his solo acoustic pieces "Clap" and "Mood for a Day", and writing credits for the popular tracks "[[Yours Is No Disgrace]]", "[[Starship Trooper]]", and "[[Roundabout (Yes song)|Roundabout]]".<ref>{{cite AV media notes|first=Bill|last=Martin|year=2003|title=The Yes Album|publisher=Rhino|id=8122-73788-2|p=14}}</ref> The latter earned Howe and Anderson a [[BMI Award]] for writing the song.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GgkEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA12|title=Davis & Screen Gems Top 99 '72 BMI Writer/Pub. Awards|magazine=Billboard|date=16 June 1973|page=12|issn=0006-2510|access-date=31 December 2016}}</ref>

In 1971, Wakeman and Howe had contributed to the recording of [[Lou Reed]]'s [[Lou Reed (album)|self-titled debut album]] as session musicians, working together for the first time on this occasion. In the summer of 1972, Howe performed one gig with [[Stone the Crows]] at the Great Western Festival in Lincoln while they sought a replacement following the death of [[Leslie Harvey]].{{sfn|Munro|2011|p=60}}

To his already-formidable assortment of electric and acoustic guitar sounds, Howe added a unique approach to [[lap steel guitar]] in the next album, ''[[Close to the Edge (Yes album)|Close to the Edge]]'', released in 1972. His penchant for ongoing experimentation helped produce a playing style unique among rock musicians, while the group as a whole took a position as a leading progressive rock band.<ref name=Bio1970s>{{cite web|title=Biography - 1970s|url=http://stevehowe.com/biography/1970s/|website=Steve Howe official website|access-date=30 November 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211122080417/https://stevehowe.com/biography/1970s/|archive-date=22 November 2021}}</ref> Following ''Close to the Edge'', Howe played on ''[[Tales from Topographic Oceans]]'', ''[[Relayer]]'', ''[[Going for the One]]'' and ''[[Tormato]]'', with Yes becoming one of the most successful bands of the decade. Two of these five albums achieved platinum certification in the US, and the other three were certified gold.

[[File:Steve howe en 1975.jpg|thumb|left|150px|Howe in 1975]]
In 1975, Yes took an extended break for each member to release a solo album. Howe recorded a mixture of solo and group performed tracks for ''[[Beginnings (Steve Howe album)|Beginnings]]'' at [[Morgan Studios|Morgan]] and [[Advision Studios]] with producer [[Eddy Offord]] and performances from Bruford, [[Alan White (Yes drummer)|Alan White]] and [[Patrick Moraz]].  The album was released in October 1975 by [[Atlantic Records]] and reached No. 22 in the UK and No. 63 in the US. His second solo album, ''[[The Steve Howe Album]],'' was released in November 1979<ref name=Bio1970s/> and included a performance by singer [[Claire Hamill]].<ref name=Bio1970s/>

[[File:Steve howe.jpg|thumb|170px|Howe playing with Yes in 1977]]
In early 1980, Anderson and Wakeman left the group and were replaced a few weeks later by [[Trevor Horn]] and [[Geoff Downes]].<ref name=Bio1980s>{{cite web|title=Biography - 1980s|url=http://stevehowe.com/biography/1980s/|website=Steve Howe official website|access-date=30 November 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211122122658/https://stevehowe.com/biography/1980s/|archive-date=22 November 2021}}</ref> 1980's ''Drama'' saw a stylistic change for Yes, incorporating elements of [[New wave music|new wave]] into their progressive rock blend. Howe continued with the band until Yes officially split up in early 1981.{{efn|According to Howe, Horn believed he had to fulfill Buggles' remaining contractual obligations, of which Downes was less certain. Squire and White decided to devote their attentions to a project with former [[Led Zeppelin]] guitarist [[Jimmy Page]] that never came to fruition. That left Howe and Downes, neither of whom wanted to take on the challenge of replacing three band members, so they decided it was time to dissolve Yes.{{sfn|Howe|2021|p=144–45}}}} Although the group was back together less than a year later, Howe was not included in the new line-up.