Eddie Jobson was born April 28, 1955 in Billingham, United Kingdom.
As a piano and violin prodigy, he was awarded a Diploma of Distinction by London’s Royal Academy of Music at the age of 8, performing with his first professional orchestra at age 10.
In 1971, at age 16, he was appointed as the Young Persons’ Representative to the British Government’s Arts Council and, the same year, performed his debut concert at the University of Newcastle—one of the first live concerts to feature the electronic music synthesizer.
By age 17 he had acquired a worldwide record deal with Warner Bros. to record his first full album, playing violin, synthesizer and piano.
Eddie Jobson was well known as a teenage ‘rock prodigy’ with the early Roxy Music, and as Frank Zappa’s right-hand-man on both keyboards and electric violin – replacing both Jean Luc Ponty and George Duke at the age of 21.
A keyboardist and electric violinist, he was the co-founder, producer, and principal writer of the legendary progressive rock group UK (band). He formed it together with drummer Bill Bruford (Yes, Genesis, King Crimson), singer/bassist John Wetton (King Crimson), and then-unknown guitar phenom Allan Holdsworth.
In the 1980s, Eddie put rock music and concert touring aside and focused on electronic music and the innovative world of computer music. He created the first music video to feature CGI, as well as the world’s first album performed entirely on the Synclavier Music Computer. Featured in TIME magazine, this critically acclaimed album was one of the very first all-digital CD releases.
The 1990s saw Jobson move into the world of television and film scoring—an award-winning side career that culminated in him becoming choral director for Disney on two major movies and the soundtrack composer on numerous films, TV shows and 3D theme-park experiences.
Fascinated with all musical forms, he left the world of Hollywood in 2000 and formed a musicians’ label called Globe Music as a vehicle for producing a diverse array of jazz and world-music artists. This period also saw Eddie working with Tuvan throat singers, and composing for and conducting both the City of Prague Philharmonic and The Bulgarian Women’s Choir, while also functioning as the choir’s spokesperson at Harvard University and on multiple classical radio broadcasts.
After retiring from both studio and live performance for more than 20 years, he made an unannounced appearance in Russia with King Crimson.
Eddie Jobson formed two new projects based on his original ‘UK’ concept: ‘UKZ’ – a five-piece contemporary rock band and ‘U-Z Project’ – an instrumental band of extraordinary virtuosos from around the world, including Michael Jackson’s former guitarist Greg Howe; stick player Michael Bernier (Stick Men); and two world renowned drummers, German drumming sensation Marco Minnemann (UKZ), and British drum legend Simon Phillips (Peter Gabriel, Jeff Beck, Mick Jagger, Toto).
The Green Album/Theme of Secrets was reissued as a 3-disc set with two CDs and a DVD in 2019.
Discography:
Air Cut, with Curved Air ( Warner Bros. Records, 1973)
Stranded, with Roxy Music (Island Records, 1973)
Country Life, with Roxy Music (Island Records, 1974)
Siren, with Roxy Music (Island Records, 1975)
Viva!, with Roxy Music (Island Records, 1976)
Yesterday Boulevard b/w On a Still Night (1976)
Zappa in New York, with Frank Zappa (Reprise, 978)
UK, with U.K. (Polydor, 1978)
Danger Money, with U.K. (Polydor, 1979)
Night After Night, with U.K. (Polydor, 1979)
A, with Jethro Tull (1980)
The Green Album (Capitol Records, 1983)
Theme of Secrets (Private Music, 1985)
Lovechild, with Curved Air (1990)
Concert Classics, Vol. 4, with U.K. (1999)
Voices of Life, with The Bulgarian Women’s Choir—Angelite (2000)
Radiation, with UKZ (2009)
Philly ’76, with Frank Zappa (2009)
Ultimate Zero Tour – Live (Seven Seas, 2010)
Reunion – Live in Tokyo, with U.K. (2013)
Curtain Call, with U.K. (Ward Records, 2015)
Four Decades (2015)
1971-1979 The Band Years (Ward Records, 2018)