UAWIL #190: Harry Whitley of Asia (and John Mitchell)

The Ugly American Werewolf in London Rock Podcast

Our long-time listeners know that The Wolf & Action Jackson have a special place in their hearts for the music of 80s pop/rock supergroup Asia. Asia's eponymous debut album was the top selling album in the US in 1982 and spent 9 weeks at the top of the chart thanks to hits like Sole Survivor, Only Time Will Tell and the #1 smash Heat Of The Moment. With John Wetton on bass & vocals, Steve Howe on guitar, Geoff Downes on keyboards and Carl Palmer on drums, Asia achieved great success and would go onto have many incarnations over the years. And though the original band did reunite for their 25th anniversary and release more albums, the death of John Wetton in 2017 left Asia in an uncertain place for the band and its fans.

However, thanks to YouTube, Geoff Downes came across the talent of Harry Whitley - a Welsh multi-instrumentalist who put up some Asia performances from his home which really captured the spirit of John Wetton. From there, Geoff invited Harry to perform at the tribute to John Wetton at Trading Boundaries in the summer of 2023. The songs went down so well that Geoff eventually invited Harry to join Asia on a tour of the US in 2024. We tracked down Harry in New Jersey between gigs and talked to him about all of these amazing steps that led to him becoming the new lead singer of Asia, what it means to sing John's songs and how he's enjoying his first real trip to the US. We think you'll find Harry to be an open and down-to-earth young man who was candid in his answers. And as a bonus, guitarist John Mitchell also participated on the call as he was waiting for his room to be readied and he provided some fun comic relief.

We cover as much as we could, including having Harry answer the question of a 10 year old Asia fan and if you stick around long enough, you might hear a bit of bonus material that had everyone laughing. The bottomline is if you have the chance to see this incarnation of Asia, don't miss it as we know any Asia fan will love it!

Check out Asia's 2024 Tour Dates: www.originalasia.com

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