This page last updated: 2 Dec 2023

YES and projects with several Yesmen	Jon Anderson	Steve Howe	Geoff Downes	Chris Squire Alan White
Billy Sherwood	Jon Davison	Rick Wakeman	Patrick Moraz	Trevor Rabin
Trevor Horn	Tony Kaye	Oliver Wakeman Jay Schellen	Igor Khoroshev	Bill Bruford
Peter Banks Benoît David	Asia	Arc of Life CIRCA:	Yes ft. Anderson Rabin Wakeman	Others associated with the band

On this page: Solo projects - Collaborations - Re-releases/archival releases - Media appearances, charity work etc.

On other pages: The Anderson Wakeman Project - Anderson Rabin Wakeman

Rick Wakeman's official site: Rick Wakeman's Communication Centre; Twitter; Facebook; Instagram; YouTube

I thought, “It’s time to do a new album.” [...] normally I have a concept of things to go with how the music is [...]

But it was really weird, sitting at the piano, and writing and playing was quite different this time around. For some unknown reason, music was flowing, which was great. But [...] all of the pieces were incredibly different, unlike Red Planet, where they all sort of belonged to the same group of music and the same sounds.

[...] There were obviously songs that I could hear [...] I kept hearing [Sanderson's] voice for a song called “This Is Good for Them.” There were other pieces that were just piano-based. Then there were some that were very prog-rock-y. I thought, “[...] I’ve got an album coming together here of so many different kinds of music, so how do I hold them all together?” A good friend of mine, we were talking about going to an art gallery [...] I suddenly had this idea, if you go to an art gallery, the pieces aren’t all of the same. [...]

I started thinking about having an album based on [a] gallery, like a music gallery. So it’s called A Gallery of the Imagination. [...] what you hope people will do when they listen, is to paint their own pictures. Obviously, there will be titles to help, but they’ll paint their own pictures as to what they see. One of the things we want to do is we’re going to encourage people to perhaps produce a painting as they see it [...] Then at some juncture we want to hold an exhibition of everything.

he recording has finished......probably!

Erik [Jordan] is now heavily engrossed in the mixing and I will be going to his studio to listen as things progress and if there is something that I hear that needs replacing or something extra required, I will record it there..... but I think we are certainly 99% there.

There are already enquiries coming in as regards live performances of The Red Planet but a lot will depend on how well, (or not as the case may be), the album does and is received. Certainly it is something I would love to happen but would need serious additional players with me...2 more keyboard players for a start, (first choices would be Oliver and Adam) and additional percussion.

Wakeman appeared with his Green Dolphin Trio at the Cheltenham Jazz Festival on 29 Apr 2017, tickets selling out. Wakeman formed The Green Dolphin Trio in 1966 for club work; the band lasted about a year. He revived the name for this performance, a line-up with Dave Colquhoun and Matt Pegg. The set included "Merlin the Magician", "Eleanor Rigby", excerpts from The Six Wives of Henry VIII, "Georgia on My Mind", "Sweet Georgia Brown" and "Baby Face" (with a 50 strong audience choir). Edited highlights were to be released on CD: this was expected late 2017, but then did not appear.

Previously, Wakeman has talked of working an instrumental prog album along similar lines to The Six Wives of Henry VIII. He has also talked of a new piano album with son Adam.

In his Apr 2011 GORR, Wakeman said:

I am finishing off writing the music for a double CD of piano which we will be recording at The Granary on my favourite piano. 70% of the music has been recorded so we’re on the last stages now. Hopefully this will see the light of day around summertime.

He continued in his May 2011 GORR: "Quite a bit of recording going on as well in May with Erik Jordan engineering for me as always, whilst we finish off two piano albums that we have been working on, (off and on), for nearly two years now. These will be recorded at The Granary on my all time favourite Steinway concert grand piano." In the Jun 2011 GORR, describing activity for that month: "Jordan and myself will be finishing off the piano recordings we have been doing at The Granary with my favourite piano." And in the Aug GORR, Wakeman described finishing recording on what is now three piano albums, saying, "It's possible they will be released in time for Xmas." It is unclear what has happened to these.

Another piano album of Yes music performed in a classical manner was also announced as forthcoming but has yet to appear.

Christus
The New Gospels was a 1995 album by Rick Wakeman with the late tenor Ramon Remedios, a setting of the Biblical Gospels to music. The piece had begun as a live performance around 1992, before being recorded. In his May 2023 GORR, Wakeman said he had had meetings in May 2023 about a live performance of the piece, which "with a few small re-writes and musical additions" will "re-appear under the new title of Christus". (I am unclear if this is implying a new album release as well.) Details are yet to be confirmed, but the plan is for a 1 Apr 2024 (Easter Sunday) show in Norfolk or Suffolk, England, with R Wakeman, son Oliver Wakeman (keys), a tenor, a narrator, a guitarist, a percussionist, a choir and some orchestral musicians.

With the English Rock Ensemble
Wakeman played 2 sold out dates, 22-3 Feb 2023, in London with different sets. 22 Feb was The Six Wives of Henry VIII (played in chronological order of the wives rather than the album order), followed by The Myths and Legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table (with "Merlin the Magician" moved to the end as an encore). 23 Feb had a first set called Classic Yes and a second set for Journey to the Centre of the Earth. Performing with Wakeman were the English Rock Ensemble, consisting of Dave Colquhoun (guitars and backing vocals), Adam Falkner (drums), Lee Pomeroy (bass, backing vocals), Hayley Sanderson (worked with Trevor Horn; vocals), Adam Wakeman (keys, guitars, backing vocals), plus Ed Scull (percussion), the English Chamber Choir and pre-recorded narration by Peter Egan and Ian Lavender.​ These shows are being released as the 4CD Live at the London Palladium 2023 (Fragile Records, FRCD4BOX1940) on 16 Feb 2024. Tracks—CD1 (The Six Wives of Henry VIII):

1. "Catherine of Aragon"
2. "Anne Boleyn"
3. "Jane Seymour"
4. "Anne of Cleves"
5. "Catherine Howard"
6. "Catherine Parr"
   

CD2 (The Myths and Legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table):

1. "King Arthur"
2. "Lady of the Lake"
3. "Guinevere"
4. "Lancelot and the Black Knight"
5. "The Best Knight"
6. "Sir Galahad"
7. "Excalibur"
8. "The Last Battle"
9. "Encore: The King of Merlins"
10. "Encore: Merlin the Magician"
    

CD3 (Classic Yes):

1. "Roundabout"
2. "The YES Suite (part A – The Meeting)"
3. "The YES Suite (part B – Wonderous Stories)"
4. "The YES Suite (part C – Southside of the Sky)"
5. "And You and I"
6. "Starship Trooper / Wurm"

CD4 (Journey to the Centre of the Earth):

1. "The Preface"
2. "The Journey Overture"
3. "Journeys Dawn"
4. "Crystals / The Gothic Cathedral / A Quest for Water"
5. "The Hansbach / Fervent Prayer"
6. "The Recollection / Lost and Found"
7. "Echoes / 4 Miles"
8. "The Reunion"
9. "A New Vista"
10. "A World Within a World"
11. "The Raft"
12. "The Battle"
13. "Cumulous Clouds"
14. "The Storm"
15. "The Cemetery"
16. "Quaternary Man"
17. "Mastodons"
18. "The Forest"
19. "Ages of Man"
20. "The Tunnel"
21. "Hall of the Mountain King / Mount Etna"
    

The band return for a 9-date UK tour 15-28 Feb 2024. This will be with the 23 Feb 2023 set, "Classic Yes" followed by Journey. The band is R Wakeman, A Wakeman, Colquhoun, Falkner, Pomeroy and Sanderson. In two Mar 2023 interviews, Wakeman talked of bringing these shows to the US in 2024.

Rick Wakeman and the English Rock Ensemble played 5 UK dates in 2022: regular shows 30 Mar-3 Apr, plus headlining HRH Prog XII on 2 Apr in Sheffield. The band had various different support acts at different dates, including Carl Palmer's ELP Legacy on 31 Mar. The line-up was R Wakeman (keys), A Wakeman (keys, guitars, backing vocals), Pomeroy (bass, backing vocals), Colquhoun (guitars, backing vocals) and Sanderson (Strictly Come Dancing; vocals, tambourine). Tony Fernandez was initially announced on drums and percussion, but travel restrictions (he lives in Portugal) meant he was unavailable; he was replaced by Falkner (Headspace, ex-The Strawbs, worked with Dido). (Wakeman and the English Rock Ensemble were to be one of the headliners for HRH Prog 9 in Sheffield and London, Mar 2020, with a line-up of R Wakeman, A Wakeman, Fernandez, Pomeroy, Colquhoun and Ashley Holt (lead vocals, percussion). However, the event was postponed due to COVID-19. Likewise, Wakeman was to headline HRH Prog XI on 3-4 Apr 2021 in Leeds, but that also did not happen.) Programming for the tour was by Erik Jordan. Rehearsals began in Mar. Rick has said he would like them to play more dates in the UK and beyond, if there is promoter interest.

Wakeman had said the set would include material from The Six Wives of Henry VIII, Journey... and Return to the Centre of the Earth, The Time Machine, The Myths and Legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, Softsword and The Red Planet, plus at least one Yes song. The band played a 95 minute set of: Journey to the Centre of the Earth (abridged, ~35 minutes), 1984 Medley ("Hymn"/"Julia"/"Robot Man"/"Hymn (reprise)"), "Catherine Parr", "Merlin the Magician", "The Rest of Arthur" medley ("Arthur"/"Guinevere"/"Sir Lancelot and the Black Knight"/"The Last Battle"); encore: "Starship Trooper".

Further live shows
Wakeman has UK piano and keyboard shows on 7 Dec 2023 (in Hunstanton) and 1 Mar 2024.

Wakeman is also headlining 2 shows raising money for Saving Strays. The first was on 24 Nov 2023 at Guildford Cathedral, while the second is on 23 Dec 2023 in Ipswich. These shows are with Peter Egan, Triple Cream, Mim Grey, Nicola Olsen and others.

Wakeman played a 2-hour show on 21 Jul 2023 as part of the Marylebone Music Festival, with Adam Wakeman and Hayley Sanderson.

Rick Wakeman, Oliver Wakeman, Gordon Giltrap (worked with Rick Wakeman, Oliver Wakeman) and Carrie Martin (worked with Oliver Wakeman) played a charity concert on 6 May 2023 in Tewkesbury, UK, entitled The 'Other' Coronation Concert. Oliver's son, Arthur, also joined Oliver for one song. The event raised money for Milestone and Cleeve Schools and nearly sold out. It may become an annual event. Rick also had his annual charity concert in Apr 2023 for Animals Asia, with Peter Egan, at the Mill in Sonning.

Wakeman had a US east coast solo tour, An Evening With Rick Wakeman: His Music and Stories, with 17 dates 15 Mar-15 Apr 2023. Wakeman performed on grand piano and keys (or keys alone at some venues when the piano provided was poor). Set: "Just a Memory" (from A Gallery of the Imagination), "Morning has Broken", "Jane Seymour", "And You and I/Wonderous Stories" (on piano), "Merlin the Magician", "The Dance of a Thousand Lights", "Catherine Howard", "Sea Horses", "Space Oddity/Life on Mars"; encore: "Help!/Eleanor Rigby". The tour was booked around Wakeman's appearance on the '70s Rock & Romance Cruise, sailing Mar 2023 from Miami, FL. (Jon Davison was also on the cruise.) Wakeman tweeted on 13 Apr that there will be a "2nd leg of this tour in October & November which will signal the end of the one man shows in America"; see more below on his plans to changes in touring. The leg was to be called The Final Grump Tour. However, in his Jul 2023 GORR, he announced that this leg was now off, to be replaced by a longer, coast to coast, one man tour in 2024.

Wakeman performed "Life on Mars" at the Aug 2023 memorial concert for John Wetton: see main page for details.

There was a 17-date UK Grumpy Christmas Stocking Tour 24 Nov-21 Dec 2022, mixing music and anecdote. On 7 Dec, Wakeman's keyboards and other equipment were stolen during the tour, so the 8 Dec Birmingham show was just done on piano. Numerous musicians offered help, with Wakeman tweeting a thanks, including to Geoff Downes and Yes's management. Downes drove from Wales with some specialist replacement kit. Wakeman wrote more in his Jan 2023 GORR:

I had so many calls from musicians and other people offering to loan me anything I needed if they had it, which was really unbelievably kind, and there was one piece of equipment, a Sycologic, which is virtually impossible to replace, but I really have to thank Geoff Downes for coming to the rescue as he had one that he has kindly loaned us and I am so grateful to him as I am not sure how the Palladium could have gone ahead without this piece of equipment

The 30 Nov 2022 set list was "In the Bleak Midwinter", "Amazing Grace/A Carol/Morning has Broken", "Just a Memory", "Jane Seymour/Catherine Parr", "Deck the Halls/Ding Dong Merrily on High/And You and I/Wonderous Stories", "Merlin the Magician/Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer", interval, "The Dance of a Thousand Lights", "Away in a Manger", "Gone but Not Forgotten", "Sea Horses", "The Creek", "Space Oddity/Life on Mars"", "Help!/Eleanor Rigby", encore: "Silent Night", "Clair de Lune". "Just a Memory" and "The Creek" are from A Gallery of the Imagination.

Wakeman was a guest at Tim Rice's Carols of Light event at Durham Cathedral on 15 Dec 2022, which is raising money for Foundation of Light, Sunderland football club's charity. Other guests include TV presenter Alexander Armstrong, Alan Price (ex-The Animals), Kathryn Tickell, Marty & Roxanne Wilde, Kiki Dee (worked with Patrick Moraz, Elton John) & Carmelo, George Clarke, Olympian Steve Cram, the Right Reverend Paul Butler, the Bishop of Durham, the Salvation Army Band, Durham Cathedral Adult Choir and St Mary's Primary School Choir.

There was a charity event on 30 Oct 2022 in London, UK, raising money for Saving Suffering Strays. This Evening with Rick Wakeman & Friends entails a performance by Wakeman and an auction. The event will be hosted by actor Peter Egan.

He played 2 shows in Norfolk, UK on 11-12 Oct 2022 with himself (piano), son Adam Wakeman (Challen piano) and Hayley Sanderson (vocals). On 12 Oct, they played: first set: "The Hymn", "Make Me a Woman", "Catherine Howard", "Mr Slow", "Space Oddity" (instrumental)/"Life on Mars"; second set: "And You And I" (dedicated to Alan White; instrumental), "Julia", "After Prayers", "The Winter Palace" (Adam Wakeman solo), "Morning has Broken" (instrumental)/"Amazing Grace", "Help"/"Eleanor Rigby"; encore: "Merlin the Magician". They previously played 27-29 Jul 2021 at Ronnie Scott's in London. Billed as Strictly Wakeman with Wakeman, the line-up was Rick (piano, keys), Adam Wakeman (Jazz Sabbath, Tony Hadley, Headspace; keys, guitar) and Hayley Sanderson (Strictly Come Dancing; vocals). That set included material from The Six Wives of Henry VIII, 1984 and songs by David Bowie and The Beatles.

Wakeman was at Starmus 2022 in Yerevan, Armenia, 5-10 Sep. In his Sep 2022 GORR, he said he would be playing "the theme music with the orchestra which I wrote for Starmus some years ago as well as playing the piano on Space Oddity for Chris Hadfield" (the astronaut).

The Grumpy Old Rock Star Tour covered 22 dates in the US and Canada in Sep/Oct 2019. The format was a solo grand piano show by Wakeman with music (including solo, by Yes, early Bowie and The Beatles) and chat. He then played 11 English dates in Dec 2019 with a Xmas show. Following pandemic disruption, Wakeman announced the Even Grumpier Old Xmas Show with 17 UK dates in 2020, but these were disrupted by the pandemic. 16 dates were postponed to 28 Nov-21 Dec 2021, now under the title The Not Quite As Grumpy As Last Xmas Tour. The set list for 9 Dec was "When a Child is Born", "After the Ball", "Morning has Broken", "Gone But Not Forgotten", "Jane Seymour", "And You and I", "The Last Battle", "Merlin the Magician", interval, "The Dance of a Thousand Lights", "Sea Horses", "Space Oddity", "Life on Mars", "Catherine of Aragon", "Catherine Howard", "Help!", "Eleanor Rigby", "Silent Night".

He was then on a US tour with dates in the same format, entitled The Even Grumpier Old Rock Star Tour. Dates were scheduled 14 Oct-19 Nov 2021, but some later dates on the tour were re-scheduled to Feb/Mar 2022 so that the team could avoid flying during the pandemic. (Three dates could not be re-scheduled and were cancelled.) There were thus 19 dates 13 Oct-1 Nov, then 13 dates 22 Feb-14 Mar. (A Toronto date was cancelled "due to the difficulties with truckers and other political demonstrations", Wakeman explained in his Mar 2022 GORR.) In an Oct 2021 interview, Wakeman said that, as well as stories, he'd be playing music from his solo career, Yes, work with Cat Stevens, and with David Bowie. He was playing on piano and keyboards, until his keyboard was stolen in California during the second leg, requiring sets to be re-thought for piano only. Sets on the first leg included "Seahorses", "Jane Seymour", his versions of The Beatles' "Help!" and "Eleanor Rigby", "Space Oddity"/"Life on Mars", and a Yes medley of "The Meeting", "And You and I" and "Wonderous Stories".

Over the last few years, Wakeman had talked about reducing his workload and a changed emphasis in what he does as a consequence of his age. He stopped doing more substantial solo tours and is focusing more on TV and radio work (see below), shorter tours and one-off performances, although Anderson, Rabin & Wakeman saw a more significant commitment to touring. A Feb 2023 interview described Wakeman as having "arthritis in his hands and feet, type two diabetes, and macular degeneration in his left eye." Wakeman said, "I'll keep playing until it hurts too much, but there's going to come a time I'll have to stop. I'd never want to walk on stage and hear someone say, 'he used to be good'." In his May 2023 GORR, Wakeman explained:

the second leg of the piano and keyboard one man show in America later in the year [...] is likely to be the last one man show there [...] The reason is that the arthritic hands can't take the battering that the one-man show requires anymore. I can still get through okay but back in the dressing room at the end, the hands are plunged into an ice bucket of ice and ice-cold water in order to get some relief and so in future I am looking at touring with other musicians in order to share the load… this will mainly be with the English Rock Ensemble or members of the band.
I will still continue to do the odd one man show, but these will be one offs and mainly for the charities I support. I have a beautiful music room at the new house and so I will be spending a lot of time putting together various projects that I have been planning for the last few years.

There is really so much musically still to do that I want to make sure happens and so life will be just as busy, but just in a different way.

In an Oct 2019 interview, he was asked why ARW's next tour (in 2020) would be a farewell tour. Wakeman replied:

a mixture of honesty and then you can read into it what you will. None of us are getting any younger health-wise [...] It’s not the playing, though that does get a bit difficult at times. There’s the traveling and everything that goes with it. [...]

I have been diagnosed with arthritis in both my hands. It’s controllable at the moment. I don’t take anything for it, pills or drugs, but I do exercises. I have creams and special gloves and things that keep me going. I know I have to practice really hard to keep my fingers supple. I always said that I never want to walk onstage and not play to the standard I want to. [...] there comes a time to stop.

[...] I might be wrong. I might have a few more days than I think. I do have some days where they seize up quite a lot, but at the moment I can still play. The dexterity is still there. When I do the right exercises I am fine.

I reckon I have until probably the beginning to the end of 2022 and then I think I won’t be able to do it anymore. I’ll still be able to play, but not [up to] the standard live that I do now. I’ll still be able to record and do music and the odd concert, but they will be different concerts. That’s my reason why I voted along with everyone, actually, that we’ll do a farewell/thank-you tour to the fans when you can still do the best you do

In the RWCC Winter Newsletter 2007, Wakeman explained:

After 40 years of concert tours [...] he has called it quits.

Don't panic! Wakeman simply means no more touring, no more traipsing from gig to gig, giving the same concert night after night, sometimes as many as 140 in a year. He is not retiring.

"I wanted to do a lot more (musically). I want to be more (diverse) in the concerts I do," he told Reuters [...]

What that means is cutting back to maybe 40 appearances a year.

His Sep 2011 GORR had this: "Although I have set a date of May 2014 to cut right back and not work 18 hours a day minimum 7 days a week anymore, (It'll be 4/5 days a week instead), the next two years are going to be more manic than ever, especially if most of what's in the pipeline comes to fruition." And the Oct GORR began:

I’m about to head into one of the busiest travelling periods I’ve had for years and it is highly unlikely ever to happen again either! Much as I love performing on stage, my love of hotel rooms and airplanes dissipated about five years ago, but sometimes things happen that means that personal rules have to be broken and the next couple of months are such a period.

The Six Wives of Henry VIII: original album; alternative versions; The Three Wives – Radio Session 27th Feb 1973; DVD: Live in Melbourne 4th Feb 1975
Journey to the Centre of the Earth: original album; The Other Half; The Three Wives – Radio Session 27th Feb 1973; Live in Melbourne 4th Feb 1975 part 1; Live in Melbourne 4th Feb 1975 part 1
The Myths and Legends of King Arthur...: original album; King Arthur on Ice - Live at Wembley 1975 + Koseinenkin Hall, Osaka, Japan January 21st 1975 part 1; Koseinenkin Hall, Osaka, Japan January 21st 1975 part 2; DVD: King Arthur on Ice - Live at Wembley 1975
White Rock: original album; original music and FX soundtrack; The 1974 Canadian Broadcast; DVD: "White Rock" film
Lisztomania: original album; The Real Lisztomania; Live from the Winterland Ballroom 11th Feb 1975; DVD: "Lisztomania" film
No Earthly Connection: original album; Live at the Maltings 1976; The Apollo Theatre, Glasgow, Scotland May 7, 1976; DVD: Live at the Maltings 1976
The 1976 Concert: Live at Hammersmith 1976; Christmas in Rio Live December 21st 1975; Missing Pieces and Interviews; DVD: Live at Hammersmith 1976 (quad mix) + Success Story, The Story of Journey and other TV extras
And the Rest...: Live in Anaheim 11th November 1975 live part 1, Live in Anaheim 11th November 1975 live part 2, Reflections of Winter (White Rock Sessions) part 1, Reflections of Winter (White Rock Sessions) part 2

1. "Untitled Theme"
2. "She Chant"
3. "Torture"
4. "Sit Up and Do You Know the Way"
5. "Shot of World to She Choosing Man"
6. "She Arriving for Bundle"
7. "Bundle in Warehouse #1"
8. "Bundle in Warehouse #2"
9. "Bundle in Warehouse #3"
10. "She Scene"
11. "Into Sunset"
12. "Eternal Woman (End Credits)"
13. "Off to Norc Mountain and Pool"
14. "Harp and Swimming Pool"
15. "Off to Norc Mountain"
16. "Bundle with Werewolves"
17. "Off to Norc Mountains/Godan"
18. "Sets Girl Free"
19. "Axe in Stomach"
20. "Moody Forest"
21. "Ballet Dancer"
22. "From Smoke"
23. "First Bridge Scene"
24. "Leaving Banquet"
25. "Battle Bells"
26. "Preparing for Battle"
27. "Untitled"
28. "Rescue"
29. "Vocals"
30. "Wild Guitar"
31. "Wild Guitar"
32. "Wild Guitar"
33. "Motorhead"
34. "Wild Guitar"
35. "Battle/Motorhead"
36. "Motorhead"
37. "Untitled"
38. "Wild Creepy Strings"
39. "Wild Creepy Strings #2"
40. "Wild Choir Version #1"
41. "Wild Choir Version #2"
42. "Flashing Eyes (Various Bells Short Samples)"
43. "Flashing Eyes (Various Bells Short Samples)"
44. "Flashing Eyes (Various Bells Short Samples)"
45. "Flashing Eyes (Various Bells Short Samples)"
46. "Flashing Eyes (Various Bells Short Samples)"
47. "Flashing Eyes (Various Bells Short Samples)"
48. "Bubble Song"
49. "Wild Mandolins"
50. "Wild Mandolins"
51. "Wild Mandolins"
52. "Wild Mandolins"
53. "Wild Mandolins"
54. "Wild Bell Tree"

I’ve never done anything with it but i was thinking of adapting it and making it all of the animals that I am involved with [...] just talking to you I might just resurrect the “Cathedral Cats” thing and look at all the animals that I have been involved with over the years and then do pieces specifically for all of them

Further collaborations & guest appearances
Both Wakeman and Trevor Rabin are expected to guest on Jon Anderson's 1000 Hands: Chapter Two, expected in 2023: see under Anderson. Wakeman and Trevor Rabin had both mooted the possibility an album together at some point: see here for details.

Wakeman continues to guest regularly on Cleopatra Records projects. He is on Born to be Wild (Cleopatra Records), out 14 Apr 2023 from actor/singer Ann-Margret (Olsson). Ann-Margret was twice Oscar nominated, in 1972 for "Carnal Knowledge" and in 1975 for the rock-opera "Tommy". Her singing career goes back to 1961 (when she worked with Marty Paich) and includes a Grammy nomination in 1962. Tracks:

1. "Rock Around the Clock", with Joe Perry (Aerosmith), Jim McCarty (ex-The Yardbirds, ex-Renaissance)
   
2. "Bye Bye Love", with Pete Townshend (The Who), T.G. Sheppard
3. "Son of a Preacher Man", with Steve Cropper (The Blues Brothers, worked with Otis Redding, John Lennon, Rod Stewart), Brain Auger (worked with The Yardbirds, Rod Stewart, Mogul Thrash)
   
4. "Earth Angel", with the Oak Ridge Boys, Harvey Mandel (ex-Canned Heat, worked with John Mayall)
   
5. "Why Do Fools Fall in Love", with Robben Ford (ex-Yellowjackets, worked with Miles Davis, Joni Mitchell), Chip Z'nuff (Enuff Z'Nuff)
   
6. "The Great Pretender", with Paul Shaffer (ex-David Letterman Band), Danny B. Harvey (The Rockats), Adam Hamilton (LA Guns, worked with The Brian Jonestown Massacre)
   
7. "Can't Take My Eyes Off You", with Cliff Richard, Rick Braun (worked with Rod Stewart, Tina Turner, Crowded House)
   
8. "Born to be Wild", with the Fuzztones, released as a single in 2022
   
9. "Splish Splash", with the late Mickey Gilly, Linda Gail Lewis (Jerry Lee Lewis's sister), The Rockats
10. "Somebody's in My Orchard", with Don Randi (ex-The Wrecking Crew)
    
11. "Teach Me Tonight", with Wakeman, Pat Boone, Damiano Della Torre (worked with Joe Cocker, Tom Jones)
    
12. "Volare", with Lee Rocker (Stray Cats), Slim Jim Phantom (Stray Cats)
13. "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree", with Sonny Landreth (worked with John Mayall)
    

He has appeared on a series of Pink Floyd tribute albums led by Jürgen Engler, with the next one being Meddle Reimagined: see on main page for details. He covered Space's "Magic Fly" on Synthesizer Classics, also put together by Engler and out Aug 2022: see on main page for details. He guested on 3 tracks of Fernando Perdomo's Frost Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, out Sep 2022. He also appears on Perdomo's A Speedway on Saturn's Rings under The Fusion Syndicate moniker: see again the main page for details on both of those.

Wakeman guested with his son Adam's band, Jazz Sabbath, at their 26 Nov 2022 show, from which a live album is due. The line-up also included Dylan Howe (drums) and Justin Swadling (trombone). See details under Adam.

My Labrador Eats Poo (HaGaTaS) was a 2017 book of poetry by Charles Garland (worked on Blue Peter, Terry and June, Hi-De-Hi!, 'Allo 'Allo). The accompany audio book, read by Garland, also includes musical inserts by Wakeman. Wakeman said it was due Aug that year, but it doesn't appear to be out yet. Garland was also touring England with an evening of humour, including readings from the book and Wakeman's recorded music. There were 14 dates in 2017. Wakeman also appears to be involved in the publishing company, HaGaTaS.

1. "Pachelbel Canon in D"
2. "Morning has Broken"
3. "Catherine of Aragon/Catherine Howard"
4. "Amazing Grace"
5. "And You and I/Wonderous Stories"
6. "Oh My Beloved Father"
7. "Dance of a Thousand Lights"
8. "Julia"
9. "Help/Eleanor Rigby"
10. "The Hymn"
11. "Space Oddity/Life on Mars"
12. "Merlin the Magician"
13. "The Meeting/L'Incontro"
14. "After the Ball"
15. "La Bambola di Pezza", bonus track
    

1. "Amazing Grace"
2. "Julia"
3. "Merlin the Magician"
4. "Morning has Broken"
5. "Oh My Beloved Father"
6. "The Hymn"
7. "The Meeting - L'Incontro"
8. "La Bambloa di Pezza"; these last four are studio bonus tracks
   
9. "Le Sirene di Nettuno"
10. "Volano le Farfalle"
11. "Fantasmi"
    

Other news
Wakeman has a speaking appearance on 10 Dec 2023 in Sheffield, UK.

Wakeman has previously written "Grumpy Old Rockstar" and "Further Adventures of a Grumpy Old Rock Star". Some years back, he talked of working on a third volume. In his Jul 2011 GORR, he said he was close to finalising a deal for this third volume; and in the Oct 2011 GORR, this: "Whilst away on all overseas trips I like to keep myself occupied as I loathe hotel rooms and so the plan is to finish the third book in the Grumpy series which has a working title of "Rick Wakeman's Grumpy Old RockStar Rants". I've been working on it for most of this year [2011], (and some of last year [2010] too), and, like the first two, contains ludicrous stories but with added rants along the way!" In Nov 2012, he tweeted about the need to finish writing the book. However, no further news followed until a 7 Sep 2017 tweet in which he said, "Decided it's time for the 3rd Grumpy Old Rockstar book & have already started on it."

In the Jul 2005 interview, he said that he is going to write a book about Yes ("Grumpy Old Rockstar" only has a small amount of Yes content)—see details here.

In the RWCC Winter Newsletter 2007, Wakeman said, "I'm very much looking forward to producing various music books with duets for piano as well as music for other instruments accompanied by piano. This is very much a long-term project and hopefully by Easter , the first books will be available."

Wakeman has been managed since approx. 2013 by Brian Lane (previously managed Yes, Yes ft ARW, ABWH). Larry Magid (worked with Yes) is his agent in the US, with Kilimanjaro having that role in the UK.

Any news, additions or corrections, please e-mail Henry Potts. Thanks.