Rick Wakeman

Since 1949

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Upcoming shows

Fri Oct 30 Blackpool, United Kingdom · Pavilion Theatre Tickets
Wed Nov 4 Tower Of London, United Kingdom · Rough Trade East London Tickets
Wed Dec 2 London, United Kingdom · Royal Albert HallBob Harris · with Paul Weller Tickets
Thu Dec 3 London, United Kingdom · Royal Albert HallBob Harris · with Paul Weller Tickets
Sun Dec 6 Portsmouth, United Kingdom · Portsmouth Guildhall Tickets
Wed Feb 17 Brighton, United Kingdom · Brighton Dome Tickets
Thu Feb 18 Poole, United Kingdom · Lighthouse Tickets
Fri Feb 19 Bristol, United Kingdom · Bristol Beacon Tickets
Sun Feb 21 Cardiff, United Kingdom · New Theatre Cardiff Tickets
Mon Feb 22 Ipswich, United Kingdom · Ipswich Regent Theatre Tickets
Wed Feb 24 Manchester, United Kingdom · Opera House Manchester Tickets
Thu Feb 25 Edinburgh, United Kingdom · Usher Hall Tickets
Fri Feb 26 Gateshead, United Kingdom · The Glasshouse International Centre for Music Tickets
Sun Feb 28 Sheffield, United Kingdom · Sheffield City Hall Tickets
Mon Mar 1 Liverpool, United Kingdom · Liverpool Philharmonic Hall Tickets
Wed Mar 3 Folkestone, United Kingdom · Leas Cliff Hall Tickets
Thu Mar 4 Oxford, United Kingdom · New Theatre Oxford Tickets
Fri Mar 5 Southend-on-sea, United Kingdom · Cliffs Pavilion Tickets
Sun Mar 7 London, United Kingdom · London Coliseum Tickets
Mon Mar 8 Birmingham, United Kingdom · Symphony Hall Tickets
Tue Mar 9 Reading, United Kingdom · The Hexagon Tickets
Thu Mar 11 York, United Kingdom · York Barbican Tickets
Fri Mar 12 Leicester, United Kingdom · De Montfort Hall Tickets

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Tour dates elsewhere: Bandsintown · Songkick

About

Richard Christopher Wakeman (born 18 May 1949) is an English keyboardist and composer best known for his multiple tenures in the progressive rock band Yes and for his prolific solo career, which has spanned six decades. His most successful and acclaimed albums are his first three progressive rock concept albums–The Six Wives of Henry VIII (1973), the UK number-one Journey to the Centre of the Earth (1974), and The Myths and Legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table (1975). AllMusic describes Wakeman as a "classically trained keyboardist extraordinaire who plied his trade with Yes and developed his own brand of live spectacular in a solo act."

Born and raised in West London, Wakeman intended to become a concert pianist but quit the Royal College of Music in 1969 and became a sought after session musician. Amongst the estimated 2,000 sessions he did, he played on "Space Oddity" and "Life on Mars?" for David Bowie, "Morning Has Broken" by Cat Stevens, and on tracks for Elton John, Marc Bolan, and Lou Reed. After a brief stint in the folk rock group the Strawbs, during which he received national press attention, he joined Yes in 1971, playing on seminal albums such as Fragile (1971), Close to the Edge (1972) and Tales From Topographic Oceans (1973). His technical virtuosity on keyboards such as the Hammond organ, Moog synthesizer, and Mellotron, combined with his flamboyant stage presence and trademark capes, made him an iconic figure in 1970s progressive rock. In 1974, he formed his touring and recording band, the English Rock Ensemble, and in the following year, expanded into soundtrack work for Ken Russell's feature film Lisztomania (1975).

Wakeman's subsequent career is characterised by its vast productivity and stylistic diversity, with a discography exceeding 100 solo albums. During the 1980s and 1990s, amidst shifting musical trends and personal financial strain, he transitioned toward low-budget albums for niche markets while maintaining a consistent presence as a live performer through band-led tours and one-man shows featuring music and anecdotal storytelling. This period saw Wakeman diversify into broadcasting and record label management, and pursued new musical directions with his first new-age and Christian music albums, Country Airs (1986) and The Gospels (1987), respectively. A commercial resurgence began with Return to the Centre of the Earth (1999), his first release to reach the UK Top 40 in 18 years, followed by a revisit of his three best-selling concept albums with new and expanded arrangements. His piano album Piano Portraits (2017) was his first UK Top 10 in 42 years. Throughout this time, Wakeman completed a total of five stints with Yes until 2004 and mostly recently performed in the offshoot band Yes Featuring Jon Anderson, Trevor Rabin, and Rick Wakeman from 2016 to 2020.

In addition to music, Wakeman is a well-known media personality, recognised for his appearances on television shows such as Live at Jonguleurs, Countdown and Watchdog, and as a regular on the BBC comedy series Grumpy Old Men. He has published three books, presented a Saturday morning radio show on Planet Rock from 2005 to 2010, and has a podcast. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Yes in 2017, and was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for his services to music and broadcasting in 2021.

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Also in Français

Rick Wakeman, né le 18 mai 1949 à Perivale, est un claviériste et compositeur britannique. Par son jeu de scène flamboyant (et sa fameuse cape), il s'est fait connaître au sein des groupes Strawbs et Yes (dont il a été membre à cinq reprises), et poursuit depuis le début des années 1970 une carrière solo prolifique comptant près de 120 albums.

Il est aussi animateur radio et télé, acteur et auteur.

Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0