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How rock legend Taylor Hawkins helped a former Yes tribute singer join the real band

The musicians had been close friends since childhood.

yes, taylor hawkins, jon davison, foo fighters, rock bands

Taylor Hawkins helped Jon Davison go from Yes tribute singer to joining the actual band.

Photo credit: Steve Knight via Wikimedia Commons, Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic, cropped (left) / 606kiwis via Wikimedia Commons, Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0, cropped (right)
Ryan Reed
By Ryan ReedJul 10, 2025
Ryan Reed
Ryan Reed is a contributing writer for GOOD residing in Knoxville, Tennessee. He has contributed to Rolling Stone, Relix, Revolver, SPIN and The New York Times.
See Full Bio

In a sense, and without realizing it, Jon Davison was training to be the singer of Yes his whole career. The musician, a native of Laguna Beach, California, grew up obsessed with vintage prog-rock—a passion he developed in high school alongside childhood friend and collaborator Taylor Hawkins. "[W]e heard Rush and flipped out on our discovery of progressive rock!" he told interviewer Barry Nothstine in 2010. "I would read these Bass Player magazine articles with Geddy Lee, describing his influences at the time, and discovered through him other progressive bands like Yes and Genesis. I was completely taken by Yes in particular, and from that time on, they have been my favorite group and greatest musical influence."

As Davison's career blossomed within the prog world, he landed multiple gigs—including one as the singer of a Yes tribute band, Roundabout. And when the real Yes found themselves looking for a new vocalist in 2012, Hawkins—now a longtime member of Foo Fighters and a friend of Yes bassist Chris Squire—put in a good word for his longtime pal. "Taylor was instrumental in helping me get the gig with Yes," Davison told Classic Rock in 2022. "I’d decided to pursue lead vocals, and he was really supportive of me doing that. He pushed Chris to take a listen to what I was doing when they needed a new singer. ...I’m eternally grateful to Taylor for being so instrumental in that. He helped give me a second chance at a musical career after I thought it was all behind me."

  - YouTube  www.youtube.com  

It's been a fruitful musical partnership. As of this writing, Davison has been in Yes for 13 years, contributing vocals, guitar, and songwriting to three studio albums: 2014's Heaven & Earth, 2021's The Quest, and 2023's Mirror to the Sky.

"He was in kind of heavier bands. But when he got into a Yes tribute band, people said: 'This is made for you, man,'" Yes guitarist Steve Howe told Something Else! in 2013. "And I think he realized that this was a home for him. When we picked him out, he didn’t fall over himself in a hurry to get here. He just kind of casually said, 'OK, I can do this. I can come along.' What we’ve learned about him, though, is that this was the magic moment for him—when Yes asked him to sing. He’s done it in a very sophisticated, very kind of calm way that shows his inner preparation. You know, if you rush into something, and get your ass over your head, that doesn’t look too good. That’s just one of the great things about him."

  - YouTube  www.youtube.com  

In 2014, Davison spoke to Prog about the surreal arc of his career journey, saying, "It’s never become the norm, but you do get more familiar with one another. Then sometimes we have time off and I have to pinch myself. They’ll always be heroes to me."

Sadly, Hawkins died in March 2022 at age 50, though he left behind a formidable legacy as both a musician and a friend. In the same Classic Rock interview, Davison talked about the closeness of their bond: "We always finished our lengthy conversations by each saying to each other, 'I love you,'" he said. "And those were his last words to me: 'I love you.' I can't really ask for anything more, all things considered."

  - YouTube  www.youtube.com  

friendshipjon davisontaylor hawkinsrock historysingingprogressive rocktribute bandschris squireyesmusic

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