| Geoff Downes  AKA Geoffrey Downes
Born: 25-Aug-1952
Birthplace: Stockport, Cheshire, England
Gender: Male
Race or Ethnicity: White
Occupation: Musician Nationality: England
Executive summary: Keyboardist for The Buggles and Asia Geoff Downes first became widely known as half of The Buggles, a band he had founded in 1979 with Trevor Horn. The group's greatest notoriety stems from the fact that the video from their single Video Killed the Radio Star was the first thing to air on MTV when it began broadcasting in 1981. Not far into its existence, The Buggles team became integrated into Yes, participating in the album Drama and its accompanying tour. The lineup proved a controversial one -- not being entirely welcomed by the Yes fanbase -- and Downes and Horn soon skiddadled and returned to work as The Buggles.
After his brief tenure with Yes, Downes joined up with former bandmate Steve Howe, ex-King Crimson frontman John Wetton and drummer Carl Palmer to create his most successful project, Asia. The eponymous first release was enormously popular, but constant internal squabbles and changes in public taste steadily pushed the band into the margins. Downes has remained the one constant member, which continues to tour and record in sporadic fits and starts.
During a period of inactivity with Asia, Geoff Downes participated in another Asia-style (but extremely short-lived) "supergroup", again with Steve Howe but also featuring ex-Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett. GTR managed one record and one tour and then evaporated. Downes has also maintained an occasional solo career since 1986. University: Leeds School of Music, Leeds, England
The Buggles Keyboardist (1979-81)
Yes Keyboardist (1980-81)
Asia Keyboardist (1981-)
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