Jim Yester

Jim Yester was born in Birmingham, Alabama and is the older brother of musician Jerry Yester. Yester's family moved to Burbank, California when he was three because his father wanted to get involved in the film industry. His father played the part of a band member in the film Fort Apache.[1] The first concert Jim attended was a Fats Domino concert at the Olive Recreation Center.

Growing up, Yester attended Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, California and was a member of the Falconry club there.[2] He learned how to play the harmonica and piano. He played the piano in a club when he was 13. Jim enlisted in the army in 1961 and was discharged in 1964. In Los Angeles, Jim and his brother Jerry performed as a folk duo called The Yester Brothers and were managed by Martin "Mutt" Cohen, who owned the Unicorn Coffee House.[3]

In 1966, Jim was asked to join the group The Association after their original rhythm guitarist Bob Page left. Jim spoke about his invitation to the Association:[4]

I’d gotten an audition at the Troubadour and played Wednesday nights at the Ice House. Bob Stane, the owner, pulled me aside and said, ‘Good news, these guys have put together a new group’ – which was The Association, who had only been together for two weeks – ‘and they want you to call them.’ They were looking to replace one of the guys; he was a banjo player with a bit of an attitude. Then, I sang for them, and they sang for me. Jules told me, ‘Come back in three days and you can move in’. So, I moved in, and that was my beginning with the band.

The group rehearsed for six months[4] and were eventually signed to Jubilee Records.

Before we started performing anywhere, we would spend six months of the year just on our act. We rehearsed, wrote, and worked on choreography. To make money during that time, musicians would play on demo sessions for other people. After seeing which roles worked best for each member, Jules ended up playing bass on what would become ‘Along Comes Mary.’ We tried that out one night, and the next day, we put the song in our act. It’s a killer song with a great sound.

During their short tenure with Jubilee Records, they recorded their first single Babe I’m Gonna Leave You (a song originally recorded by Joan Baez, later popularized by Led Zeppelin) and then recorded One Too Many Mornings (originally recorded by Bob Dylan in 1964), which was produced by Valiant's owner, Barry De Vorzon, at Gold Star Studios soon after. After a few months, they were given to Valiant Records.

Their debut album And Then... Along Comes the Association was released in July. Two of the songs from the album, "Along Comes Mary" and "Cherish" charted on the Billboard Hot 100, with "Cherish" reaching number one. Yester sang lead on "Along Comes Mary", a controversial song reputedly about marijuana. The band managed to convince Valiant to let Curt Boettcher produce the album for them.[4]

The group's other hits in the following years included "Windy", "Everything That Touches You", "Never My Love", and "Requiem for the Masses".

Yester (top left) with The Association in 1967

In 1967, the band were the lead-off act at the Monterey International Pop Festival. The Association were regular guests on the variety show The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. The band is known for their harmonies and multiple lead vocalists. Mostly, Yester sang the higher vocals that can be heard on "Cherish". He composed the title song for the movie Goodbye Columbus, which earned the Association a nomination for Best Original Song at the 1969 Golden Globe Awards.[5]

Yester left the Association in 1973. He returned a year later and stayed with the band for three years. In 1983 he left the Association again after returning to them in 1979. In 1988, Yester joined the Modern Folk Quartet.[6]

Yester returned to the Association in 2007, and has been touring with founding member Jules Alexander since then. The Association are one of many acts that perform on the Happy Together tour, a tour of famous 1960s pop and folk groups such as The Turtles, Gary Puckett & The Union Gap and The Cowsills. In 2003, the Association were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame, where the then-surviving members performed "Along Comes Mary" and "Windy". Three songs by the Association have sold over one million copies and have been certified platinum discs: "Cherish", "Windy", and "Never My Love".[7]

The current lineup of the group consists of Yester (rhythm and lead guitar; 1965–1973, 1974–1977, 1979–1983, 2007-present), Jules Alexander (lead and rhythm guitar; 1965–1967, 1969–1974, 1979–1989, since 2012), Bruce Pictor (drums since 1985), Paul Holland (bass 1988-1999; rhythm and lead guitar since 2014), Del Ramos (brother of Association member Larry Ramos; bass since 1999) and Jordan Cole (son of Association member Brian Cole, keyboard since 1999).

In 1991, Jim briefly joined his brother in the reunited Lovin’ Spoonful, a group known for hits such as "Do You Believe in Magic", "Summer in the City" and "Darlin' Be Home Soon". Jim later joined with Bruce Belland of The Four Preps, and The Diamonds' Dave Somerville, to form YBS, who also bill themselves as the Three Tenors of Rock.[8]

Jim has two brothers; Ted and Jerry.

He currently resides in Galloway Township, New Jersey and has a daughter.

• Jim Yester discography at Discogs
• Jim Yester at IMDb