The band Sky was formed in London in 1978. The founding members are the Australian guitarist John Williams, the British bassist Herbie Flowers, the keyboardist Francis Monkman, the drummer Tristan Fry and the Australian guitarist Kevin Peek. Sky combines elements of rock, classical music and jazz to create a crossover style that attracts international attention in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The debut album Sky was released in 1979 and reached number 9 in the British album charts. Sky 2 followed in 1980, reaching number 1 in the UK charts. The band remained commercially successful with Sky 3 (1981) and Sky 4: Forthcoming (1982). Sky later released further albums such as Sky Five Live (1983), Cadmium (1983) and Mozart (1987). John Williams leaves the group in 1984, but remains associated as a guest musician. The band remained active until the early 1990s, shaping the progressive crossover genre with their mixture of rock and classical music. The early albums Sky and Sky 2 in particular achieved serious chart positions.
