170 Facts About Rick Wakeman

Richard Christopher Wakeman was born on 18 May 1949 and is an English keyboardist and composer best known as a former member of the progressive rock band Yes across five tenures between 1971 and 2004, and for his solo albums released in the 1970s.

In 1970 Rick Wakeman joined the folk rock group The Strawbs, during which his virtuosity gained national press coverage.

Rick Wakeman left in 1971 to join Yes, with whom he played on some of their most influential albums across two stints until 1980.

Rick Wakeman had uneven success in the next two decades following a change in musical fashion and financial issues from two divorces.

Rick Wakeman expanded into other areas such as hosting the television show Gastank, composing for television and film, forming record labels, and producing his first New-age, ambient, and Christian music with Country Airs and The Gospels, respectively.

Rick Wakeman continues to record albums and perform concerts worldwide in various capacities; his most recent album is A Gallery of the Imagination.

Rick Wakeman's discography includes over 90 solo albums spanning a range of musical styles.

Rick Wakeman has gained notoriety for his appearances on the television programs Live at Jongleurs, Countdown, Grumpy Old Men, and Watchdog, and for his radio show on Planet Rock that aired from 2005 to 2010.

Rick Wakeman was awarded a CBE for his services to music and broadcasting in 2021.

Rick Wakeman was born on 18 May 1949 in Perivale, Middlesex.

The only child of Cyril Frank Rick Wakeman and Mildred Helen Rick Wakeman, the three lived in Wood End Gardens in nearby Northolt.

Rick Wakeman attended Drayton Manor Grammar School in Hanwell, in 1959.

When Rick Wakeman turned seven, his father paid for weekly piano lessons with Dorothy Symes which lasted for eleven years.

Rick Wakeman recalled that Wakeman "passed everything with a distinction" and was an "enjoyable pupil to teach, full of fun and with a good sense of humour", but noted his lack of self-discipline when it came to practising.

Rick Wakeman then took up the clarinet at age twelve and in his teenage years, attended church and learned the church organ, became a Sunday school teacher, and chose to be baptised at eighteen.

In 1961, during his time at Drayton Manor school, Rick Wakeman played in his first band, the trad jazz outfit Brother Rick Wakeman and the Clergymen, with a uniform of the school shirt put on the wrong way round.

In 1963, at fourteen, Rick Wakeman joined the Atlantic Blues, a local blues group that secured a year's residency at a mental health rehabilitation club in Neasden.

Two years later, Rick Wakeman passed his O Levels in English, maths, art and music, and went on to study music, art, and British constitution at A-level.

Rick Wakeman used the money earned from their gigs to buy a Hohner Pianet, his first electronic instrument.

The band were unpaid after Rick Wakeman lost control of his car and drove across the headmaster's rose garden at the front of the school, thereby forfeiting their performance fee to pay for the damage.

In 1967, Rick Wakeman began a tenure with the Ronnie Smith Band, a dance group based at the Top Rank ballroom in Watford.

Rick Wakeman was sacked in the following year after not taking the dance music seriously enough, but was reinstated and performed in Reading.

In 1968, Rick Wakeman secured a place at the Royal College of Music in London, studying the piano, clarinet, orchestration, and modern music, with the intention of becoming a concert pianist.

Rick Wakeman put in the effort following a ten shilling bet with his music teacher who believed he would not succeed, and refusing his father's offer to work with him.

Rick Wakeman became a full-time session musician, playing keyboards and arranging music for various artists between fifteen and eighteen times a week.

Rick Wakeman went on to play on several tracks on Bowie's second album, David Bowie, and organ and piano on American singer Tucker Zimmerman's only single, "Red Wind".

Rick Wakeman left the Ronnie Smith group and, for several months, played in a band named Spinning Wheel in a pub in Ilford for seven nights a week.

Rick Wakeman got the gig from an advert in Melody Maker.

In 1970, Rick Wakeman performed on Seasons by Magna Carta, and records by Brotherhood of Man, Paper Bubble, Shawn Phillips, and White Plains.

Rick Wakeman soon became disillusioned with session work, despite being paid well, because he was not involved in the songwriting.

Rick Wakeman's prominence rose during his tenure with the folk rock group The Strawbs.

Rick Wakeman had played the piano as a session musician on Dragonfly, which was the first album released with Wakeman's name on its credits, and joined the band as a full-time member in March 1970.

The piece originated from improvisations when the band would lose power during a show, leaving Rick Wakeman to fill time by playing the piano.

The concert and album led to Rick Wakeman being named "pop find of 1970" and was featured on the front page of Melody Maker for the first time, where he was named "tomorrow's superstar".

Also in July 1970, Rick Wakeman launched a folk music night at the White Hart in Acton called the Booze Droop.

Rick Wakeman bought a Minimoog synthesiser at half price from actor Jack Wild, who thought that it was defective because it only played one note at a time.

Rick Wakeman played the piano on "Morning Has Broken" by Cat Stevens for his 1971 album, Teaser and the Firecat.

Rick Wakeman was omitted from the credits, and for many years, was not paid; Stevens later apologised and compensated Wakeman for the error.

Rick Wakeman agreed to meet Yes as they rehearsed for their fourth album, Fragile, and during his first tryout with the band, the basis of "Heart of the Sunrise" and "Roundabout" were put together.

Rick Wakeman reappeared on the front cover of Melody Maker, his second in a year, regarding his arrival in Yes.

The album features a solo track written by each member; Rick Wakeman's track, "Cans and Brahms", is an adaptation of the third movement of Symphony No 4 by Johannes Brahms played on electronic keyboards.

Rick Wakeman claimed he was never credited for his contributions on Fragile, including piano sections on "Heart of the Sunrise" and "South Side of the Sky", despite being told that management would sort the issue.

Rick Wakeman enjoyed the music too much to cause further rifts.

Fragile reached the top ten in the UK and the US, and the Fragile Tour marked Rick Wakeman's first visit to North America.

The commercial success of Fragile allowed Rick Wakeman to buy a new home in Gerrards Cross and start a car collection, which he rented out through his new business, the Fragile Carriage Company.

In late 1971, Rick Wakeman played two notable sessions, on "It Ain't Easy" on Bowie's album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars and on Orange by Al Stewart.

That year, Yes followed Fragile with Close to the Edge which is considered a landmark progressive rock album and features Rick Wakeman playing a church organ and harpsichord.

Rick Wakeman is credited on the final track, "Siberian Khatru".

Rick Wakeman then had his own made; the first was made of sequins and cost US$300.

Rick Wakeman is featured on the concert film Yessongs, filmed in 1972 at the Rainbow Theatre which features his solo spot in the show.

Also that month at the venue, Rick Wakeman was a guest musician at The Who's orchestral performances of Tommy.

In January 1973, Rick Wakeman released his debut solo album, The Six Wives of Henry VIII.

The album was previewed with Rick Wakeman performing excerpts on the BBC television show, The Old Grey Whistle Test.

At the Melody Maker readers poll awards in September 1973, Rick Wakeman came out first in the top keyboardist category.

Rick Wakeman had doubts about its esoteric concept, and felt a lot of its music was too experimental which required further rehearsal.

Rick Wakeman distanced himself from the group, and spent time in the bar at Morgan Studios and played on "Sabbra Caddabra" on Sabbath Bloody Sabbath by Black Sabbath in the adjacent studio.

Rick Wakeman openly criticised the album to the press, and his growing frustrations culminated in an incident whereby he ate a curry on stage during a show in Manchester.

Rick Wakeman came up with the idea in 1971, but shelved the project until The Six Wives of Henry VIII was complete.

Two concerts were held at London's Royal Festival Hall on 18 January 1974 with the London Symphony Orchestra, the English Chamber Choir, actor David Hemmings as narrator, and a five-piece band formed of musicians that Rick Wakeman played with in a west London pub: vocalists Ashley Holt and Gary Pickford-Hopkins, drummer Barney James, bassist Roger Newell, and guitarist Mike Egan.

Rick Wakeman heard early ideas for Yes's next album, felt he could no longer contribute to the style of music they were making, and confirmed his departure from the band on his twenty-fifth birthday.

On 27 July 1974, Rick Wakeman headlined the Crystal Palace Garden Party concert, performing selections from Six Wives and Journey in its entirety.

Under doctors' orders, Rick Wakeman was required to pass a heart monitor test before each performance.

The album was promoted with three sold-out shows at Wembley Arena with Rick Wakeman performing with an orchestra, choir, and his rock band to a total of 27,000 people.

Rick Wakeman toured King Arthur with an augmented formation of the English Rock Ensemble for three months from October 1975, across North and South America.

In 1975, Rick Wakeman composed the soundtrack for Lisztomania, a biography film about composer Franz Liszt written and directed by Ken Russell.

Rick Wakeman appears in the film as Thor, the god of thunder.

Rick Wakeman wrote the album without playing any of its music beforehand, and summarised it in the liner notes: "A futuristic, autobiographical look at music, the part it plays in our pre-earth, human and after life".

Rick Wakeman toured the album worldwide for seven weeks, which featured a scaled down stage production compared to his previous tours.

Rick Wakeman took up work recording the soundtrack to White Rock, a documentary film about the 1976 Winter Olympics directed by Tony Maylam.

The track "After the Ball" was one that Rick Wakeman forgot to write; he proceeded to play it as a completely improvised single take, rather than confessing to the producers.

Rick Wakeman's fortunes changed when he was invited to join Yes in Montreux, Switzerland, as they were working on new songs for Going for the One, in November 1976.

Rick Wakeman subsequently agreed to rejoin the band full-time, but noticed the new edition of Melody Maker had printed the headline "Rick Wakeman rejoins Yes" hours after he agreed.

Rick Wakeman then learned that Lane had informed the press of his return without consulting him.

Rick Wakeman described Going for the One as "the album Yes should have made instead of Topographic Oceans", and considered the 15-minute track "Awaken" as one of the group's best.

Tormato features Rick Wakeman playing a Birotron, a tape replay keyboard that used 8-track tape cartridges and contributed funds to its development.

Rick Wakeman is reported to have given the album its name by throwing a tomato at a showing of the art used for the album's cover.

Rick Wakeman's Criminal Record is an instrumental rock album similar to The Six Wives of Henry VIII but loosely based on criminality, and features Yes bandmates Chris Squire on bass and Alan White on drums, with Frank Ricotti on percussion.

Rhapsodies was recorded in Montreux and released as a double album, with Rick Wakeman playing shorter tracks of varied musical styles.

In 1980, after a four-year hiatus, Rick Wakeman reformed the English Rock Ensemble for a European tour.

For several months of 1980 Rick Wakeman was homeless due to his financial difficulties and second divorce, and resorted to sleeping on benches in Kensington Gardens until a former roadie let him sleep at his house.

In July 1981, Rick Wakeman performed Journey to the Centre of the Earth for two shows in Durban, South Africa.

Rick Wakeman hosted the Channel 4 music show Gastank with Tony Ashton that aired in January and February 1983.

Rick Wakeman then released a second album for Charisma, Cost of Living, a mixture of instrumental and rock tracks with Rice on vocals, which failed to impact the chart and "did nothing" to improve his finances.

Rick Wakeman wrote the soundtrack for the film She with assistance from Justin Hayward and Maggie Bell, and his second Russell feature, Crimes of Passion, with Bell on vocals, Fernandez on drums, and past Strawbs bandmate Chas Cronk on bass.

Rick Wakeman based the music around the themes of Symphony No 9 by Antonin Dvorak.

Rick Wakeman spent early 1983 writing the score to the ballet Killing Games, but problems during its development led to the project being shelved, along with a potential double album of its music.

In early 1984, Rick Wakeman contributed three songs to the soundtrack of BC Rock.

In 1984, Rick Wakeman signed with the independent label President Records in an association that would last until 2007, for which he would produce almost 40 albums.

In March 1985, Rick Wakeman finished work on his part of the soundtrack to the comedy film Playing for Keeps, which was followed by a tour of the UK, North America, and Australia to promote Silent Nights.

In September 1985, during the tour's Australian leg, Rick Wakeman fell ill from his alcoholism and has been teetotal since.

Rick Wakeman reunited with David Bowie to play the piano on his 1986 single "Absolute Beginners".

Rick Wakeman followed this with a tour of the Far East, and soundtrack work for Hero, the film to the 1986 World Cup, and the BBC film The Day After the Fair.

In 1987, Rick Wakeman joined the rock band Sky as a guest musician for an Australian tour, and released The Family Album consisting of new age tracks dedicated to each of his family members and pets.

The original pressing included music Rick Wakeman wrote for the TV film The Day After the Fair and the feature documentary Mackintosh.

Also in 1987, Rick Wakeman put out his first of several Christian music albums titled The Gospels, a double album based on the four Gospels that features tenor vocalist Ramon Remedios, actor Robert Powell as narrator, and the Eton College Chapel Choir.

Rick Wakeman played the album with Remedios and his band in at the Royal Albert Hall in London and in the following year, in Caesarea, Israel.

Rick Wakeman returned to rock with Time Machine, loosely based on the science fiction novel by H G Wells and featuring Roy Wood and Tracy Ackerman as guest vocalists.

The 24-track studio was built as Rick Wakeman had lost several opportunities to score films due to the high cost of renting large, professional studios, so he built his own as a compromise.

Rick Wakeman donated 50p from every sale of the Aspirant album trilogy to CPRE, The Countryside Charity.

Rick Wakeman befriended fellow Isle of Man resident Norman Wisdom, and the two made an album together.

In late 1988, Rick Wakeman got together with former Yes bandmates Jon Anderson, Bill Bruford, and Steve Howe to form a new group, Anderson Bruford Rick Wakeman Howe.

Tracks originally put down for a second album were added to an in-progress Yes album and released as Union in 1991, which transformed Yes into an eight-piece formation with Rick Wakeman sharing keyboards with original Yes member Tony Kaye.

Rick Wakeman has openly stated his dislike for Union, partly due to the fact that session musicians were brought in to re-write and perform parts that he and Howe had already put down.

Rick Wakeman confirmed his exit from the group in 1993 following managerial disputes with the band's and his own.

Rick Wakeman continued with his solo career in parallel; in 1990 he revived his English Rock Ensemble with Holt, Fernandez, and Paton for a European tour and recorded a new rock score for a colourised re-release of The Phantom of the Opera, featuring Chrissie Hammond on vocals, put out as Phantom Power in 1991.

Rick Wakeman embarked on two UK tours supporting his two The Classical Connection albums with himself and Paton in a stripped back stage production.

In 1994, Rick Wakeman completed the Simply Acoustic Tour, a series of solo piano concerts in the US in aid of ASSIST.

Rick Wakeman formed Hope Records to release this new Christian music, and decided to use the royalty payments to fund the production of more albums for the label.

In October 1992, Rick Wakeman embarked on a world tour with a four-piece group of Fernandez, guitarist and bassist Alan Thomson, and his son Adam Rick Wakeman on additional keyboards.

The tour lasted until 1994, and was organised as Rick Wakeman wished to tour with a second keyboardist to "free [him] up to do more things" on stage.

In mid-1995, Rick Wakeman became involved with Phillip Gandey's family circus entertainment project Cirque Surreal, writing and recording "timeless" pieces to enhance the show's various characters.

Around the same time, Rick Wakeman scored the soundtrack to Bullet to Beijing, a made-for-television film starring Michael Caine and Jason Connery.

Also in 1995, Rick Wakeman played keyboards on Ozzy Osbourne's album Ozzmosis.

In March 1997, Rick Wakeman staged the North American premiere of The New Gospels for five dates after it was reworked and extended into a two-hour oratorio with a 30-piece choir, in 1994.

Rick Wakeman left Yes in May 1997 before he could tour with them, due to scheduling conflicts and lack of coordination between the artists' management.

In June 1997, Rick Wakeman became the host of the stand-up comedy television show Live at Jongleurs.

Rick Wakeman performed the piece with the choir once more in 2011.

In December 1998, Rick Wakeman was featured on an episode of This Is Your Life.

Rick Wakeman accepted an invitation to revive his English Rock Ensemble for a South American tour in September 2000, following a renewed interest in progressive rock there.

Later that year, Rick Wakeman entered discussions with Keith Emerson regarding a potential music project, but the idea was shelved.

In 2001, Rick Wakeman performed in his first pantomime role as Abanazar in a production of Aladdin in Truro, for the Christmas season.

Rick Wakeman made a cameo appearance in the 2002 thriller horror film Alone as a hospital patient.

In 2003, Rick Wakeman starred in the BBC television show Grumpy Old Men, and stayed on as a regular until the show ended in 2006.

Cuban leader Fidel Castro greeted Rick Wakeman, thanking him for his humanitarian support.

Rick Wakeman received some criticism following the visit, which upset him personally and made him consider retiring from live performance.

Rick Wakeman addressed the false accusations on his website, clarifying that the visit was not staged for political reasons.

Rick Wakeman later revealed that Castro gave him some earth surrounding Che Guevara's grave.

In June 2006, Rick Wakeman toured the US with a solo piano tour.

Rick Wakeman toured the UK in 2007 with a new production, the Grumpy Old Picture Show.

The initial run of 14 dates were so successful, Rick Wakeman completed a further 24 dates in the following year.

In May 2009, Rick Wakeman performed his debut album The Six Wives of Henry VIII in its entirety for the first time at Hampton Court Palace, as part of the 500th anniversary celebrations of Henry VIII's assesion to the throne.

Rick Wakeman had originally asked to perform there in 1973, but was declined until he was invited 36 years later.

In 2010, Rick Wakeman was awarded the Spirit of Prog Award at the annual Classic Rock Roll of Honour Awards.

In 2012, Rick Wakeman recorded a new and extended version of Journey to the Centre of the Earth, following the discovery of the original conductor's score three years prior which was considered lost.

The re-recording of Journey became the catalyst for a new and expanded version of King Arthur, following a request from a South American concert promoter, for which Rick Wakeman wrote new music based on additional Arthurian legends.

In 2013, Rick Wakeman played on The Theory of Everything by Ayreon.

The reception from the single and YouTube video inspired Rick Wakeman to produce a solo piano album of tracks that he had played on in his career, plus original tunes and adaptations of classical pieces.

In 2018, Rick Wakeman released a follow-up album, Piano Odyssey, which reached No 7 in the UK.

In September and October 2019, Rick Wakeman embarked on his first solo tour of the US in 13 years, playing piano shows.

In 2020, Rick Wakeman returned to his progressive rock roots with The Red Planet, an instrumental album inspired by Mars and features his English Rock Ensemble.

In February 2023, Rick Wakeman performed two shows at the London Palladium which included performances of The Six Wives of Henry VIII, Journey to the Centre of the Earth, King Arthur, and songs he performed with Yes.

Rick Wakeman featured playing this instrument, to varying degrees, on the David Bowie track "Space Oddity", the Yes albums Fragile, Close to the Edge and Tales From Topographic Oceans, as well as the solo albums The Six Wives of Henry VIII and White Rock.

An urban legend claims that Rick Wakeman got so frustrated with one Mellotron that he poured petrol on it and set fire to it, which he denied in a 2010 interview, but confirmed in a 2016 interview.

Rick Wakeman subsequently worked with David Biro to develop the Birotron, which used the then popular 8-track cassette format rather than tape strips.

Rick Wakeman noted Wakeman's "brilliant" technique and wrote that his "mastery of electronic instruments only adds to his abilities".

Rick Wakeman has been married four times and has six children.

Rick Wakeman then married Swiss-born Danielle Corminboeuf, a recording studio secretary, in January 1980 in the West Indies and lived with her in Montreux.

In 2004, Rick Wakeman revealed that he had had an extramarital affair with American-born designer Denise Gandrup, who first met Rick Wakeman in 1972 and made several of his capes.

Rick Wakeman felt it best to keep the relationship and child secret to protect his family, but continued to financially support his daughter.

In 1985, Rick Wakeman's drinking led to cirrhosis of the liver and alcoholic hepatitis, and he has been teetotal since.

In 1999, Rick Wakeman collapsed on a golf course and was rushed to hospital, where he was diagnosed with a fatal case of double pneumonia, pleurisy, and showed signs of Legionnaire's disease.

In 2016, Rick Wakeman announced he has type-2 diabetes and in 2023, said his playing is affected by macular degeneration in his left eye and arthritis in his hands and feet.

Rick Wakeman has never used drugs, pills or cannabis, and believed he would have committed suicide at some point had he taken them, given his excesses with alcohol.

Rick Wakeman had a renewal of his Christian faith which began at around the time of his 1984 marriage to Carter.

Rick Wakeman is a supporter of the Conservative Party, saying he was "unique in [Yes] as a card-carrying Conservative".

In 1993, Rick Wakeman was invited to play the piano at the inauguration of US President Bill Clinton.

Rick Wakeman was one of the board of directors of the Performing Artists' Media Rights Association, a non-profit organisation committed to promoting musicians' rights and income.

In September 2005, Wakeman began a weekly three-hour radio show on Planet Rock called Rick's Place, broadcasting Saturday mornings.

In late 2020, Wakeman launched Rick's Plaice, a subscription-based video series based on the format of his former Planet Rock show.

In 2007, Rick Wakeman became a Freemason, joining the Chelsea Lodge No 3098 which is made up of entertainers.

Rick Wakeman's father was a member of the Brent Valley Lodge No 3940, and the support that Wakeman and his mother received from his friends at the Lodge following his death was a catalyst for Wakeman to learn more about Freemasonry.

In 2019, Rick Wakeman was elected as an honorary member of his late father's Lodge.

In 2011, Rick Wakeman joined the Knights Templar fraternity, and is a member of the Vaudeville Lodge.

Rick Wakeman hosted the Grumpy Old Rockstar's Chelsea Lodge Ladies Festival in the following year.

Rick Wakeman appears in his Masonic apron in the 2017 documentary series Inside the Freemasons.

Rick Wakeman is an honorary president of the Classic Rock Society, formed in Rotherham in 1991.

In October 1997, Rick Wakeman received a Golden Badge Award from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors, given for outstanding contributions to the British music and entertainment industry.

In 2008, Rick Wakeman gave a class to students of the London College of Music and later that year, received an honorary professorship from the college for his contributions to music.

In 2012, Rick Wakeman received an honorary fellowship of the Royal College of Music in a ceremony presented by HRH The Prince of Wales, the college's President.

Rick Wakeman was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 2021 Birthday Honours for services to music and broadcasting.