Sky

The ensemble Sky originated in 1979, directly inspired by classical guitarist John Williams and his 1971 album Changes, marking his initial foray into soft rock territory. The project's aim was to fuse classical traditions with rock-based instrumentals, yielding results comparable to Chip Davis's Fresh Aire series in the United States.

Williams had tracked Changes in 1971 specifically to place his classical guitar technique within soft rock frameworks. Bassist Herbie Flowers, then a member of Blue Mink, keyboardist Francis Monkman, then affiliated with Curved Air, and drummer Tristan Fry, who balanced session duties with percussion roles in the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, all contributed to those sessions. Williams retained this core group of players for subsequent work, which prompted Williams and Flowers, while recording the 1978 album Travelling, to commit to forming a band. Fry and Monkman joined promptly, after which Australian guitarist Kevin Peek completed the lineup. Following selection of a name and recording of demos, the group secured a deal with Ariola after repeated rejections from other labels.

Sky adhered to a consistent approach that paired classical arrangements with original compositions from Monkman, Peek, and Flowers, achieving rapid commercial success across Europe and Australia, including platinum certification in England. Early live dates drew capacity crowds, even as certain reviewers struggled to grasp the band's vigorous approach.

Sky 2, issued as a double album, arrived soon afterward and highlighted Monkman's extended work "Fifo" spanning an entire side, alongside Herbie Flowers's whimsical tuba piece "Tuba Smarties," a track later joined on Sky Five Live by "The Bathroom Song." The release sustained the debut's momentum. Francis Monkman departed after its appearance and was succeeded by Steve Gray, whose contrasting approach reshaped the ensemble's overall texture.

Further albums emerged at steady intervals, among them Sky 3, Sky 4: Forthcoming, and Sky Five Live, which kept the group prominent on the European circuit through 1983. Additional visibility came from their 1981 benefit concert for Amnesty International, later issued by BBC Video.

Cadmium appeared in late 1983 and met with uneven reception. John Williams exited in early 1984 to concentrate fully on his classical career, prompting Ariola, which had relied on his prominence for sales, to release the band from its roster. Sky continued for a period as a quartet, engaging guest musicians for the fifth position during shows; both Rick Wakeman and Nicky Hopkins performed with them in the latter half of the 1980s, though violinist Paul Hart ultimately became the regular onstage replacement. This reduced configuration recorded The Great Balloon Race for Epic in 1985 and the 1987 project Mozart with the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields. While Mozart achieved solid U.S. sales, it underperformed in Europe.

Following a lengthy hiatus, Kevin Peek announced his exit to pursue business interests in Australia. Guitarist Richard Durrant was chosen as his successor. This final configuration has issued no recordings and has remained inactive since 1994.