Jim Yester

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".

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.

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.

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.

In 1966, Jim Yester was asked to join the group The Association after their original rhythm guitarist Bob Page left. The group rehearsed for six months and were eventually signed to Jubilee 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 group's other hits include "Windy", "Everything That Touches You", "Never My Love", and "Requiem for the Masses".

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).

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. 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 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.

James Yester (born November 24, 1939) is an American musician. He is a member of the sunshine pop group The Association, who had numerous hits on the Billboard charts including "Windy", "Cherish", "Never My Love" and "Along Comes Mary". He is the older brother of former Lovin' Spoonful member Jerry Yester.