John Kenneth Wetton (12 June 1949 – 31 January 2017) was an English musician, singer, and songwriter. Although he was left-handed, he was known for his skilled right-handed

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Wood * Bass or basswood, the wood of the tilia americana tree Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in th ...

playing as well as his booming

baritone A baritone is a type of classical music, classical male singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the bass (voice type), bass and the tenor voice type, voice-types. It is the most common male voice. The term originates from the ...

voice. He was a member of the band

Family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

in 1971 for a short time, before joining

King Crimson King Crimson were an English progressive rock band formed in London in 1968 by Robert Fripp, Michael Giles, Greg Lake, Ian McDonald (musician), Ian McDonald and Peter Sinfield. Guitarist Fripp remained the only constant member throughout the ...

in 1972. After the breakup of King Crimson at the end of 1974, Wetton played in a number of

progressive rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog) is a broad genre of rock music that primarily developed in the United Kingdom through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early-to-mid-1970s. Initially termed " progressive pop", the ...

and

hard rock Hard rock or heavy rock is a heavier subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and Distortion (music), distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the Garage rock, garage, Psychedelic rock, psychedelic and blues ...

bands, including

Roxy Music Roxy Music are an English rock music, rock band formed in 1970 by Bryan Ferry (lead vocals/keyboards/principal songwriter) and Graham Simpson (musician), Graham Simpson (bass). By the time the band recorded their Roxy Music (album), first albu ...

(1974–1975), Uriah Heep (1975–1976), U.K. (1977–1980), and

Wishbone Ash Wishbone Ash are a British Rock music, rock band who achieved success in the early to mid-1970s. Their albums include ''Wishbone Ash (album), Wishbone Ash'' (1970), ''Pilgrimage (Wishbone Ash album), Pilgrimage'' (1971), ''Argus (album), Argu ...

(1980–1981). In 1981, he co-founded

Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...

as lead vocalist and principal songwriter, which is considered to be a supergroup. Their debut, self-titled album was released in 1982, selling ten million copies worldwide and becoming ''Billboard'' magazine's number one album of 1982. Wetton later formed the duo Icon with his Asia bandmate and songwriting partner

Geoff Downes Geoffrey Downes (born 25 August 1952) is an English keyboardist who gained fame as a member of the new wave group the Buggles with Trevor Horn, the progressive rock band Yes, and the supergroup Asia. Born in Stockport, Downes moved to Lond ...

, and he also had a successful solo career.

Life and career

Early life and musical beginnings

Wetton was born in Willington, Derbyshire, and grew up in

Bournemouth Bournemouth ( ) is a coastal resort town in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole unitary authority area, in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. At the 2021 census, the built-up area had a population of 196,455, making it the largest ...

, Dorset, where he attended Bournemouth School. His elder brother Robert was a classical organist and choirmaster. While practising organ, Robert would have John play the bass parts on a piano, since their home organ did not have a pedalboard. John recalled that during the practices, "I got to like bass lines, because

Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (German: �joːhan zeˈbasti̯an baχ ( – 28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his prolific output across a variety of instruments and forms, including the or ...

bass line Bassline (also known as a bass line or bass part) is the term used in many styles of music, such as blues, jazz, funk, dub and electronic, traditional, and classical music, for the low-pitched instrumental part or line played (in jazz and ...

s are incredibly interesting. So I thought, this is good, I like bass lines, that's me." Though an enthusiast of classical music since childhood, he decided to explore rock music instead in order to avoid being compared to his brother. He played bass and sang in a number of bands with

Richard Palmer-James Richard William Palmer-James (born 11 June 1947) is an English guitarist, songwriter and lyricist. He may be best known as one of the founding members of Supertramp (playing guitar and songwriter); writing lyrics for several songs by the pro ...

, including the Corvettes, the Palmer-James Group, Tetrad, and Ginger Man. A key early band he was in was the jazzy Mogul Thrash. After live work with

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

, he joined

and also featured in various recording sessions. He credits

Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained global fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and the piano, and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John ...

and

Brian Wilson Brian Douglas Wilson (June 20, 1942 – June 11, 2025) was an American musician, songwriter, singer and record producer who co-founded the Beach Boys. Often Brian Wilson is a genius, called a genius for his novel approaches to pop compositio ...

as his first favorite rock bassists, and he has additionally cited

Jack Bruce John Symon Asher Bruce (14 May 1943 – 25 October 2014) was a Scottish musician. He gained popularity as the primary lead vocalist and ‍bassist ‍of Rock music, rock band Cream (band), Cream. After the group disbanded in 1968, he pursued a ...

, Harvey Brooks, Miroslav Vitouš, and

James Jamerson James Lee Jamerson (January 29, 1936 – August 2, 1983) was an American bassist. He was the uncredited bassist on most of the Motown Records hits in the 1960s and early 1970s (Motown did not list session musician credits on their releases un ...

as later influences on his playing.

King Crimson

Wetton's career as a professional musician began fully when his fellow Dorset native

Robert Fripp Robert Fripp (born 16 May 1946) is an English musician, composer, record producer, and author, best known as the guitarist, founder and longest-lasting member of the progressive rock band King Crimson. He has worked extensively as a session mu ...

invited him to join

in late 1972. The band's lineup also included violinist David Cross, former

Yes Yes or YES may refer to: * An affirmative particle in the English language; see yes and no Education * YES Prep Public Schools, Houston, Texas, US * Young Eisner Scholars, in Los Angeles, New York City, Chicago, and Appalachia, US * Young Ep ...

drummer

Bill Bruford William Scott Bruford (born 17 May 1949) is an English drummer and percussionist who first gained prominence as a founding member of the progressive rock band Yes. After leaving Yes in 1972, Bruford spent the rest of the 1970s recording and tou ...

, and percussionist

Jamie Muir William James Graham Muir (4 July 1945 – 17 February 2025) was a Scottish painter and musician, best known for his work as the percussionist in King Crimson from 1972 to 1973, appearing prominently on their fifth album '' Larks' Tongues in As ...

. Wetton also gained experience as the lead singer and songwriter. His friend Palmer-James also worked with the band as their primary lyricist. Wetton remained with King Crimson until Fripp unexpectedly disbanded the group in 1974. After the dissolution of King Crimson, Wetton continued to work on various projects, including a tour with

and two albums with Uriah Heep, for whom he occasionally provided vocals as well as bass parts—examples of his vocal style can be heard on the 1976 album '' High and Mighty''. While still with King Crimson, Wetton had been asked by Roxy Music to sit in on their auditions for a replacement bass player and give his recommendations. Dissatisfied with all the applicants, he offered to do the 1975 tour with the group himself so as to give them time to find a good bassist. In 1977, after failed attempts to reunite King Crimson and to create a new band with

Rick Wakeman Richard Christopher Wakeman (born 18 May 1949) is an English keyboardist and composer best known as a member of the progressive rock band Yes across five tenures between 1971 and 2004, and for his prolific solo career. AllMusic describes Wakema ...

, Wetton formed U.K. with Bill Bruford. Wetton recruited Curved Air and Roxy Music keyboardist/violinist Eddie Jobson; Bruford brought in guitarist

Allan Holdsworth Allan Holdsworth (6 August 1946 – 15 April 2017) was a British jazz and rock music, rock guitarist, violinist and composer. He contributed to numerous bands, including Soft Machine, U.K. (band), U.K., The Tony Williams Lifetime, Pierre Moerl ...

from his solo group.

First solo music; Asia

After U.K.'s breakup in 1980, Wetton released his first solo album, '' Caught in the Crossfire'', also in 1980. Later that year, he had a brief stint with

, appearing on their 1981 album, '' Number the Brave''. In late 1981, he had a meeting with

Geffen Records Geffen Records (formerly The David Geffen Company from 1980 to 1992 and Geffen Records Inc. from 1993 to 2004) is an American record label, founded in late 1980 by David Geffen. Originally a music subsidiary of the company known as Geffen Pi ...

' president John Kalodner, who took him to task for playing bass in

Bryan Ferry Bryan Ferry (born 26 September 1945) is an English singer and songwriter. He became known as the frontman of the band Roxy Music and also launched a solo career. His voice has been described as an "elegant, seductive croon". He also established ...

backing band A backup band or backing band is a Band (music), musical ensemble that typically Accompaniment, accompanies a single artist who is the featured performer. The situation may be a live performance or in a Studio recording, recording session, and the ...

, feeling he should be fronting a group himself. At Kalodner's insistence, Wetton started writing with former Yes guitarist Steve Howe, with a view to forming their own band. Joined by keyboardist

and drummer

Carl Palmer Carl Frederick Kendall Palmer (born 20 March 1950) is an English drummer. He was a founding member of the supergroups Emerson, Lake & Palmer and Asia, a touring drummer for The Crazy World of Arthur Brown and a founding member of Atomic Roost ...

(of

Emerson, Lake & Palmer Emerson, Lake & Palmer (informally known as ELP) were an English progressive rock Supergroup (music), supergroup formed in London in 1970. The band consisted of Keith Emerson (keyboards) of The Nice, Greg Lake (vocals, bass, guitars, producer) ...

), the band became

. Their self-titled, debut album sold over ten million copies worldwide, making them a household name. Wetton worked with Asia until 1983, when he was fired (at the insistence of Geffen Records) for then-unknown reasons, but at least in part due to lower-than-expected sales of 1983's ''

Alpha Alpha (uppercase , lowercase ) is the first letter of the Greek alphabet. In the system of Greek numerals, it has a value of one. Alpha is derived from the Phoenician letter ''aleph'' , whose name comes from the West Semitic word for ' ...

''. He returned to Asia in 1985 (with

Mandy Meyer Armand "Mandy" Meyer (born 29 August 1960) is a Swiss guitarist best known for being a member of the hard rock band Gotthard (band), Gotthard, the progressive rock band Asia (band), Asia, and the heavy metal music, heavy metal band Krokus (band), ...

replacing Steve Howe on guitar), completing the band's third album, '' Astra''. In 1986, a collaboration between Wetton and Roxy Music guitarist

Phil Manzanera Phillip Geoffrey Targett-Adams (born 31 January 1951), known professionally as Phil Manzanera, is an English musician, songwriter and record producer. He is the lead guitarist with Roxy Music, and was the lead guitarist with 801 and Quiet Sun. ...

was released as '' Wetton/Manzanera''. Around that time, Wetton began working with Downes and Palmer to restart Asia. Some of the material they recorded was featured on 1990's '' Then & Now'', including the radio hit "Days Like These".

Return to solo work

In the 1990s, Wetton focused on his solo career and colaborations. He featured on the Phil Manzanera solo album ''Southern Cross'', released in 1990. In 1995, he released his second solo album, ''Battlelines'', which had previously been issued as ''Voicemail'' (1994) in Japan only. In 1999, an aborted attempt to reform Asia resulted in Wetton and Palmer forming a short-lived progressive group dubbed Qango, with John Young and Dave Kilminster. Qango performed several shows in the UK and recorded a live album, ''Live in the Hood'', before disbanding. John Wetton and Geoff Downes 7070

In the early 2000s, Wetton reunited with Downes, and the duo released several albums. In 2006, a reunion of the original Asia lineup (Wetton, Downes, Howe, Palmer) finally occurred. A studio album titled '' Phoenix'', the original band's first since 1983's ''Alpha'', was released in April 2008 and peaked at No. 73 on the

Billboard 200 The ''Billboard'' 200 is a record chart ranking the 200 most popular music albums and EPs in the United States. It is published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists. Sometimes, a rec ...

albums chart in the United States. They issued two more studio albums, ''

Omega Omega (, ; uppercase Ω, lowercase ω; Ancient Greek ὦ, later ὦ μέγα, Modern Greek ωμέγα) is the twenty-fourth and last letter in the Greek alphabet. In the Greek numerals, Greek numeric system/isopsephy (gematria), it has a value ...

'' (2010) and '' XXX'' (2012), before Howe departed in January 2013 to focus on Yes. With new guitarist Sam Coulson, Asia released ''

Gravitas () was one of the ancient Roman virtues that denoted "seriousness". It is also translated variously as weight, dignity, and importance and connotes restraint and moral rigor. It also conveys a sense of responsibility and commitment to the task ...

'' in March 2014. In 2013, Wetton guested on the album '' Grandine il vento'' by Renaissance, with whom he had played live 42 years before. In the same year, he toured with ''

American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American Music competition, singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle (company), Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It a ...

'' finalist Leslie Hunt's group District 97, based in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the King Crimson album '' Larks' Tongues in Aspic''. Wetton also worked extensively as a

session musician A session musician (also known as studio musician or backing musician) is a musician hired to perform in a recording session or a live performance. The term sideman is also used in the case of live performances, such as accompanying a reco ...

with musicians including

Brian Eno Brian Peter George Jean-Baptiste de la Salle Eno (, born 15 May 1948), also mononymously known as Eno, is an English musician, songwriter, record producer, visual artist, and activist. He is best known for his pioneering contributions to ambien ...

( appearing on ''

Here Come the Warm Jets ''Here Come the Warm Jets'' is the debut solo studio album by English musician Brian Eno (mononymously credited as "''Eno''"), released on Island Records on 8 February 1974. It was recorded and produced by Eno following his departure from Roxy ...

''),

, and

Ayreon Ayreon is a musical project by Dutch songwriter, singer, musician and record producer Arjen Anthony Lucassen. Ayreon's music is described as progressive rock, progressive metal and power metal sometimes combined with genres such as folk music, f ...

Death

Wetton died in his sleep from complications of

colorectal cancer Colorectal cancer (CRC), also known as bowel cancer, colon cancer, or rectal cancer, is the development of cancer from the Colon (anatomy), colon or rectum (parts of the large intestine). Signs and symptoms may include Lower gastrointestinal ...

at the Macmillan Unit of Christchurch Hospital in Christchurch, Dorset, on 31 January 2017, at the age of 67. He was surrounded by his wife, son, brother, and mother. Geoff Downes: Billy Sherwood, who was Wetton's producer, co-songwriter, and co-performer on his 2011 solo album, '' Raised in Captivity'', replaced him in Asia. On 17 June 2017, Asia performed a special concert in Wetton's memory, titled ''An Extraordinary Life'' (full title: ''An Extraordinary Life – An Interactive Celebration of the Life & Music of John Wetton''), in reference to the eponymous song from the 2008 Asia album, '' Phoenix''; fan-submitted performances were shown on a large video screen above the stage. Some King Crimson songs were also performed at the event. Asteroid 72802 Wetton, discovered by

Marc Buie Marc William Buie (; born September 17, 1958) is an American astronomer and prolific discoverer of minor planets who works at the Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, Colorado in the Space Science Department. Formerly he worked at the Lowel ...

Kitt Peak National Observatory The Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO) is a United States astronomy, astronomical observatory located on Kitt Peak of the Quinlan Mountains in the Arizona-Sonoran Desert on the Tohono Oʼodham Nation, west-southwest of Tucson, Arizona. With ...

in Arizona in 2001, was named in his memory. The official was published by the

Minor Planet Center The Minor Planet Center (MPC) is the official body for observing and reporting on minor planets under the auspices of the International Astronomical Union (IAU). Founded in 1947, it operates at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory. Funct ...

on 18 May 2019 ().

Influence

Artists who have cited Wetton as an influence or have expressed their admiration for him include Billy Sheehan, Juan Alderete of

the Mars Volta The Mars Volta is an American Rock music, rock band formed in 2001. The band's only constant members are Omar Rodríguez-López (guitar, producer, direction) and Cedric Bixler-Zavala (vocals, lyrics), whose partnership forms the core of the ban ...

and Racer X, Michael Sweet of

Stryper Stryper is an American Christian metal and heavy metal music, heavy metal band from La Mirada, California. The group's lineup consists of Michael Sweet (lead vocals, guitar), Oz Fox (guitar), Perry Richardson (bass), and Robert Sweet (musician), ...

, Ron Anderson, and Joseph D. Rowland of Pallbearer. After Wetton's death,

Eric Clapton Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English Rock music, rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s l ...

published a short instrumental tribute entitled "For John W."

Band timeline

* Mogul Thrash (1971) * Gordon Haskell (1971) *

(1971–1972) * Larry Norman (1972) *

(1972–1974) *

(1974–1975) * Uriah Heep (1975–1976) *

(1976–1977) * U.K. (1977–1980; 2011–2015) * Jack-Knife (1979) *

(1980) * Solo (1980–2017, ''his death'') *

(1981–1983; 1984–1986; 1989–1991; 2006–2017, ''his death'') * Qango (1999–2000) * Wetton Downes (2002; 2005–2009)

Discography

Solo

Studio albums Live albums Compilations

As band member

Session work

; with Gordon Haskell * ''It Is and It Isn't'' (1971) Wetton plays organ, bass, keyboards, vocals, classical guitar, and vocal harmony. ; with Larry Norman * '' Only Visiting This Planet'' (1972) ; with Malcolm and Alwyn * ''Fool's Wisdom'' (1973) ; with

Peter Banks Peter William Brockbanks (15 July 1947 – 7 March 2013), known professionally as Peter Banks, was an English guitarist. He was the original guitarist in the rock bands Yes (band), Yes, Flash (band), Flash, and Empire; he was also a guitarist f ...

* '' Two Sides of Peter Banks'' (1973): Wetton plays bass on track 5 ("Knights") with album covers crediting "John Whetton" ; with

* ''

'' (1973): Wetton plays bass on track 3 ("Baby's on Fire") and track 5 ("Driving Me Backwards") ; with

Peter Sinfield Peter John Sinfield (27 December 1943 – 14 November 2024) was an English poet and songwriter. He was best known as a co-founder and lyricist of King Crimson. Their debut album '' In the Court of the Crimson King'' is considered one of the fi ...

* ''

Still A still is an apparatus used to distillation, distill liquid mixtures by heating to selectively Boiling, boil and then cooling to Condensation, condense the vapor. A still uses the same concepts as a basic Distillation#Laboratory_procedures, ...

'' (1973) Also with

Greg Lake Gregory Stuart Lake (10 November 1947 – 7 December 2016) was an English musician, singer, and songwriter. He gained prominence as a founding member of the progressive rock bands King Crimson and Emerson, Lake & Palmer (ELP). Born and b ...

, Gordon Haskell,

Mel Collins Melvyn Desmond Collins (born 5 September 1947, Isle of Man) is a British saxophonist, flautist and session musician. Collins has played in several progressive rock groups, having been a member of King Crimson on two occasions (the first from ...

, etc. ; with

* '' Another Time, Another Place'' (1974) * '' Let's Stick Together'' (1976) * '' In Your Mind'' (1977) * '' The Bride Stripped Bare'' (1978) * ''Live at the Royal Albert Hall 1974'' (2020) ; with

* '' Diamond Head'' (1975) * '' K-Scope'' (1978) * "Round in Circles" / "Talk to Me" (singles) (Limited Edition vinyl) (2020) ; with Duncan Mackay * '' Score'' (1977) ; with

Atoll An atoll () is a ring-shaped island, including a coral rim that encircles a lagoon. There may be coral islands or cays on the rim. Atolls are located in warm tropical or subtropical parts of the oceans and seas where corals can develop. Most ...

* ''Rock Puzzle'' (1979) ; with Roger Chapman * '' Mail Order Magic'' (1980) * '' Hyenas Only Laugh for Fun'' (1981) ; with

Phenomena A phenomenon ( phenomena), sometimes spelled phaenomenon, is an observable Event (philosophy), event. The term came into its modern Philosophy, philosophical usage through Immanuel Kant, who contrasted it with the noumenon, which ''cannot'' be ...

* "Did It All for Love" (single) (1987) ; with David Cross * ''Exiles'' (1997) ; with

Steve Hackett Stephen Richard Hackett (born 12 February 1950) is an English guitarist who gained prominence as the lead guitarist of the progressive rock band Genesis (band), Genesis from 1971 to 1977. Hackett contributed to six Genesis studio albums, three l ...

* '' Genesis Revisited'' (1997): Wetton sings on tracks 1 ("Watcher of the Skies") and 5 ("Firth of Fifth") and also plays bass on track 5. * '' The Tokyo Tapes'' (1998) * '' Genesis Revisited II'' (2012): Wetton sings and plays guitar and bass on the track "Afterglow". * ''Genesis Revisited: Live at Hammersmith'' (2013): Wetton sings on the track "Afterglow". * ''Genesis Revisited: Live at the Royal Albert Hall'' (2014): Wetton sings on the track "Firth of Fifth". ; with Martin Orford * ''Classical Music and Popular Songs'' (2000): Wetton sings lead vocals on track 2 ("A Part of Me"). * ''The Old Road'' (2008): Wetton sings lead vocals on tracks 4 ("Take It to the Sun") and 8 ("The Time and the Season") and plays bass on tracks 4 and 6 ("The Old Road"). ; with Galahad * ''Year Zero'' (2002): joint lead vocals on "Belt Up" and "Take a Deep Breath and Hold on Tight" ; with Daniele Liverani * ''Genius A Rock Opera – Episode 1'' (2002) ; with Billy Sherwood * ''Back Against the Wall'' (2005): Wetton sings lead vocals on "Mother" and "Hey You". * ''Return to the Dark Side of the Moon'' (2006): Wetton sings lead vocals on "Us and Them". ; with Martin Turner's Wishbone Ash * ''Argus Through the Looking Glass'' (2008) ; with Alan Simon * '' Excalibur II: The Celtic Ring'' * ''Excalibur III'' ; with Eddie Jobson * '' Ultimate Zero – The Best of the U-Z Project Live'' (2010) * '' Four Decades'' (2015) ; with

* '' The Theory of Everything'' (2013) :

Keith Emerson Keith Noel Emerson (2 November 194411 March 2016) was an English keyboardist, songwriter, composer and record producer. He played keyboards in a number of bands before finding his first commercial success with the Nice in the late 1960s. He be ...

, and Steve Hackett also play on this album. ; with

* '' Grandine il vento'' (2013)

Writing

; with

David Cassidy David Bruce Cassidy (April 12, 1950 – November 21, 2017) was an American actor and musician. He was best known for his role as Keith Partridge in the 1970s musical-sitcom ''The Partridge Family''. After completing high school, Cassidy purs ...

* ''

'' (1990)

Notes

References

External links

John Wetton's credits
at

Discogs Discogs ( ; short for " discographies") is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. Database contents are user-generated, and described in ''T ...

.com
''Bournmouth Beatboom'' article on Wetton's early years
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wetton, John 1949 births 2017 deaths English rock bass guitarists English male bass guitarists English baritones English operatic baritones English rock singers Asia (band) members King Crimson members Uriah Heep (band) members Wishbone Ash members Family (band) members Musicians from Bournemouth People from Willington, Derbyshire Metal Mind Productions artists Deaths from colorectal cancer in England Progressive rock musicians Progressive rock bass guitarists Renaissance (band) members U.K. (band) members Qango (band) members Roxy Music members Frontiers Records artists