Book Rick Wakeman

Rick Wakeman is the English keyboardist and composer famous for his several spells with progressive rock band Yes and a solo career that has stretched across six decades. Born in West London in May 1949, he trained to be a concert pianist but left the Royal College of Music in 1969 to become one of the busiest session players of the era, appearing on David Bowie's "Space Oddity" and "Life on Mars?", Cat Stevens's "Morning Has Broken" and recordings by Lou Reed, Marc Bolan and Elton John. After a short time in the folk-rock band the Strawbs, he joined Yes in 1971 and played on Fragile, Close to the Edge and Tales From Topographic Oceans. Surrounded by a wall of Hammond organ, Moog and Mellotron, and wearing his trademark capes, he became a symbol of 1970s progressive rock. His solo concept albums The Six Wives of Henry VIII, Journey to the Centre of the Earth and The Myths and Legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table remain his best-loved works. He also formed the English Rock Ensemble, scored Ken Russell's Lisztomania, and has a solo catalogue running past 100 albums.