Where are they now? - Rick Wakeman

This page last updated: 14 Feb 2025

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

Talking about his experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown in his Jul 2020 GORR, Wakeman said, "the bright spot has been being able to sit at the piano for long periods and it has been very inspirational as regards writing music and I have accumulated quite a lot already to sift through when the time is right." In a Jul 2020 interview, Wakeman said much the same, saying he has "bundles of manuscript papers" of music he's written. In an Apr 2024 interview in Spanish about his final solo tour, Wakeman is quoted explaining, "Este año quiero terminar lo que comencé el año pasado: despedirme de los conciertos solistas tocando en la mayor cantidad posible de ciudades y después dedicarme a la composición, la producción, la colaboración con otros artistas y sobre todo a mi banda[.] Hace muchos años me prometí que antes de cumplir los 75 –el 18 de mayo– dejaría las giras en solitario, porque quiero tocar más con mi banda, hacer música con ellos, y ya no puedo hacer ambas cosas. Hice conciertos solo en los últimos 45 años, y bueno, es tiempo de hacer los últimos ahora y recuperar mi tiempo para crear". Translated, this said: "This year [2024], I want to finish what I started last year [2023]: say goodbye to solo concerts playing in as many cities as possible and then dedicate myself to composing, producing, collaborating with other artists and, above all, my band. Many years ago I promised myself that before I turned 75 – on May 18 – I would stop touring solo, because I want to play more with my band, make music with them, and I can't do both anymore. I only did concerts in the last 45 years, and well, it's time to do the last ones now and get my time back to create."

In Aug 2023, Wakeman tweeted: "I'm going to a playback of 2 very special albums today that hopefully will be available later this year [2023], along with 2 others, so all in all a 4 album set which may sell separately as well. Can't say anymore at the moment except that my great friend Roger Dean is doing the cover." It is unknown which albums these were.

Wakeman was voted the 7th best keyboardist of 2024 by Prog magazine's readers.
 

Solo releases
In his Oct 2024 GORR, Wakeman described "a new album of piano recordings which will be recorded at the Granary in January [2025] all being well." In May 2024, he had said on social media that he was "going into The Granary and will be sitting at my favourite Steinway Model D piano to record YESSONATA [see next paragraph] and 3 other new pieces for release later in the year [2024]."

Wakeman released a limited edition LP on 4 Oct 2024 entitled Yessonata (Fragile Records/Esoteric Antenna, FRLP1010). A CD release followed 8 Nov. A limited edition green vinyl LP comes 28 Feb 2025. Side 1 is "Yessonata" (20:24), his Yes medley covering >30 "musical fragments of YES music that Rick was a part of", as he has been playing live on his solo tour in 2024 (and which grew out of "The Yes Suite" from 2023 English Rock Ensemble shows). Themes include, in order, from "Awaken", "Parallels", "Long Distance Runaround", "Close to the Edge", "South Side of the Sky", "Siberian Khatru", "Wonderous Stories", "Awaken" again, "And You and I", "Close to the Edge" again, "Roundabout", "The Meeting", "Heart of the Sunrise", "South Side of the Sky" again, "Awaken" again, "And You and I" again, and "The Revealing Science of God". Side 2 is "The King Arthur Piano Suite" (20:04). Both pieces were recorded solo by Wakeman on a Steinway Model D Concert Grand at The Old Granary in Suffolk. The cover is by Roger Dean. The album was produced by Wakeman and Erik Jordan, with recording and editing by Jordan. Brian Lane executive produced. The album has both sides as being written and arranged by Wakeman, although clearly that is not true of the title track. While the album didn't make the main UK album chart, it did make #71 in album sales, #68 in physical sales, #35 in vinyl, #9 in rock & metal (sic), and #29 in independent releases, all in the 17 Oct chart. It also made #14 in the Nov 2024 prog album chart, falling to #18 in the Dec chart.

A Gallery of the Imagination (YouTube trailer/samples) from Rick Wakeman and the English Rock Ensemble received a general release in Feb 2023, having been out in limited form from Dec 2022. Tracks: "Hidden Depths", "The Man in the Moon", "A Mirage in the Clouds", "The Creek", "My Moonlight Dream", "Only When I Cry", "Cuban Carnival", "Just a Memory", "The Dinner Party" (originally written for a musical with Tim Rice, but Rice felt it was great as an instrumental, so it was moved to this album), "A Day Spent on the Pier", "The Visitation", "The Eyes of a Child". These include 2 solo piano pieces, while other pieces are with the band, 8 with vocals and 2 instrumentals. The album was at #11 on the April 2023 UK Progressive albums chart, and #21 in May. It had also made #18 on the UK indie album chart, #37 on the physical albums chart, #39 on the album sales chart, and #97 on the paid download chart. It made #35 on the UK iTunes chart. Wakeman recorded with the band on The Red Planet of Lee Pomeroy (works with ELO, worked with Yes featuring ARW; bass), Dave Colquhoun (worked with John Lodge, Downes Braide Association; guitar) and Ash Soan (Trevor Horn Band/Producers, Downes Braide Association, worked with Dua Lipa, Adele, Will Young, Seal; drums), with vocals from frequent collaborator Hayley Sanderson (Trevor Horn Band, Strictly Come Dancing). Each musician recorded in their own studio. The album was produced by Wakeman and Erik Jordan, and executive produced by Rob Ayling. The album was mastered by Simon Heyworth (worked with Steve Howe, King Crimson).

He first revealed plans for the album in his Mar 2021 GORR, saying it will feature the Hammond M102 and Hammond L122. In a Jun 2021 update, Wakeman had said, "the new album's finally taking shape [...] Three tracks done. A load more to go. [...] 60-70% of the album is song orientated". He tweeted on 9 Jul, "Had a tremendously productive day in the studio yesterday ....half the album back tracks completed now ....really happy". In his Aug 2021 GORR, Wakeman said, "7 of the 13 tracks are likely to be songs." He described the album: "it certainly has elements of The Red Planet and Piano Portraits too… so it has a pretty wide spectrum… just as a gallery would have." He also said, "The percussion, bass and guitar parts will be added at the end of this month and into September with the vocals being recorded soon after that." In a 31 Aug 2021 tweet, Wakeman described "finishing the lyrical arrangements" for the album, while on 1 Sep, he tweeted, "another day of lyric writing and arranging". After breaking for live work, Wakeman returned to album recording in May 2022. He tweeted 25 May: "Had a great couple of days in the studio working on the album....I hadn't heard what I had already recorded for a few months and what I heard after such a long time put a real smile on my face . A few more weeks of recording and we're there ." In his Sep 2022 GORR, he said the album had been recorded and was being mixed by Jordan, a process which would hopefully be finished by the end of the month. The album was being mastered during early Nov 2022.

He talked more about the album in a Dec 2021 interview:
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.

In an interview for Prog published Jan 2023 (issue #137), Wakeman said he has "still got loads of things to accomplish. There's a project that involves children of all ages, and I've got to organise and tidy up my sheet music. It would take me 30 years to do that".
On 1-3 Mar 2018, Wakeman played 3 concerts with orchestra and choir (Guy Protheroe conducting) in Buenos Aries, Argentina. The 2 Mar show was almost sold out, while the 3 Mar show was a free event. Wakeman announced his planned set (subject to change) as "Life on Mars" (solo piano), "Suite from Myths and Legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table", "After the Ball", "Cathering of Aragon" (solo piano)/"Catherine Howard", "Gone But Not Forgotten", "And You and I/Wonderous Stories" (solo piano), "Help/Eleanor Rigby", "Dance of a Thousand Lights", "Sea Horses", "Suite from Journey to the Centre of the Earth", encore: "Merlin the Magician", "The Jig". The show in the Teatro Colón opera house was recorded. Wakeman said in his Apr 2018 GORR that "hopefully it should see the light of day in the not too distant future as part of a special limited edition collection." It was mixed in Jun 2018 and was announced as being due out around mid-2019.

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 was 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. This didn't happen, however.

With the English Rock Ensemble
Wakeman and the English Rock Ensemble play 14 UK dates in Oct 2025. The set will be: [SPOILERS—highlight to read] Act 1—The Six Wives of Henry VIII; Act 2—The Myths and Legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. The band consists of Dave Colquhoun (worked with John Lodge, DBA; guitars, backing vocals), Adam Falkner (drums), Lee Pomeroy (ELO, ex-Yes ft ARW; bass, backing vocals), Mollie Marriott (daughter of Steve Marriott; lead vocals), Adam Wakeman (keys, guitar, backing vocals) and three additional backing vocals.

Wakeman played 2 sold out dates 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 Colquhoun, Falkner, Pomeroy, Hayley Sanderson (worked with Trevor Horn; vocals), A Wakeman, plus Ed Scull (percussion), the English Chamber Choir and pre-recorded narration by Peter Egan and Ian Lavender.​ These shows were 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 album made #4 in the UK Progressive album chart for Mar 2024 and was at #30 in the Apr 2024 chart.

The band returned for a 9-date UK tour 15-28 Feb 2024. This was with the 23 Feb 2023 set, "Classic Yes" followed by Journey; encore: "Starship Trooper". The band is R Wakeman, A Wakeman, Colquhoun, Falkner, Pomeroy and lead vocals/additional percussion by Marriott. Sanderson was initially announced, but withdrew for personal reasons and recommended Marriott. There were also three backing vocalists. The band also headlined the first night of the 2024 Cropredy Festival on 8 Aug 2024; they played Journey and then "Starship Trooper". In two Mar 2023 interviews, Wakeman talked of bringing these shows to the US in 2024. In his May 2024 Rick's Ramblings, he hoped to bring them to South America in 2025.

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 toured the Americas Mar/Apr 2024, with what he billed as his "Final solo tour: an evening of Yes music and other favorites" (see more below on his plans to changes in touring). This was an an all-new solo show on piano and keys, including a 30-minute medley of Yes themes called "Yessonata". There were 9 US dates 19-29 Mar 2024. The 23 Mar Collingswood, NJ show had support from Annie Haslam (Renaissance, worked with Steve Howe). Wakeman played a set of around 90 minutes. The opening night set was: [SPOILERS—highlight to read] material from The 6 Wives of Henry VIII ("Jane Seymour/Catherine Howard", also including excerpts of "Catherine Parr" and "Catherine of Aragon"), "Space Oddity/Life on Mars?", a 20 minute suite from The Myths and Legends of King Arthur... ("King Arthur/Guinevere/Merlin the Magician/The Last Battle"), "A Glimpse of Heaven/Morning has Broken", "Yessonata" (including excerpts from "Awaken", "Close to the Edge", "Siberian Khatru", "South Side of the Sky" and "Heart of the Sunrise", "The Meeting"; the piece could vary from night to night), "Help!/Eleanor Rigby". "A Glimpse of Heaven/Morning has Broken" was dropped subsequently, while an encore of "The Dance of a Thousand Lights" was added on the next two shows. However, "The Dance of a Thousand Lights" was then dropped from later shows.

The tour continued to Mexico on 3 Apr, Chile on 6 Apr, Argentina on 9 Apr and then 4 Brazilian dates 11-15 Apr. He explained on Twitter (23 Jan 2024): "The main bulk of shows will be in October & November [2024] & if demand is there, may carry on into 2025." A second US leg followed with 19 shows 3 Oct-3 Nov 2024. Al Stewart was in support on 3 Nov. 4 Oct set: material from The 6 Wives of Henry VIII, "Space Oddity/Life on Mars?", suite from The Myths and Legends of King Arthur..., "Yessonata", "Help! (in the style of Saint-Saëns)/Eleanor Rigby (in the style of Prokofiev)", excerpts from Journey... (~10 minutes). A third leg sees 11 shows in the eastern US 27 Mar-17 Apr, plus appearing on the 2025 Cruise to the Edge, 4-9 Apr 2025. He then plays 4 Dutch dates 13-17 May 2025.

While that is his stated end of US solo tours, Wakeman said on his website on 29 Jan 2024, "The one-man shows will also continue as final tours in other countries through until 2027" and clarified he "will also continue to appear in America at one-off events whenever invited [...] I will still continue to perform shows with the English Rock Ensemble whenever possible, and also any one-off ventures that might come along, including another rock cruise and joint projects with other artists."

He plays 3 piano and keyboard solo shows at Trading Boundaries, East Sussex on 6-8 Feb 2025.

He appeared at the Starmus festival in Slovakia in May 2024, including performing a new musical piece with orchestra to honour Jane Goodall. Later in the month, he performed at a piano festival in Milan, Italy. He had 3 Italian shows later in 2024 as well, with 5 more due Feb-Mar 2025.

Wakeman performed UK piano and keyboard shows on 7 Dec 2023 (in Hunstanton), 8-9 Feb 2024 in East Sussex, and on 1 Mar 2024 (with Oliver Wakeman in the audience). The 1 Mar show was described as his final ever UK one-man show.

He has announced The Rick Wakeman Yuletide Christmas Show 2024, a 19-date English tour 23 Nov-20 Dec. This will be a trio with Adam Wakeman (keys) and Mollie Marriott (vocals), both of whom were on the 2024 English Rock Ensemble tour.

Wakeman was due to appear at the Mach 24 festival in Wales on 24 May as a trio with Dave Colquhoun (English Rock Ensemble, worked with Downes Braide Association) and Hayley Sanderson. The show was expected to be about 90 minutes of music. Wakeman played a 2-hour show on 21 Jul 2023 as part of the Marylebone Music Festival, with Adam Wakeman and Sanderson.

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. He 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 2023 that there would be a "2nd leg of this tour in October & November which will signal the end of the one man shows in America". 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 the longer, one man tour above.

On 26 May 2024, he performed as part of a fundraising concert for Saving Strays at Burgh House, London, UK. Wakeman previously headlined 2 shows raising money for Saving Strays. The first was on 24 Nov 2023 at Guildford Cathedral, while the second was on 23 Dec 2023 in Ipswich. These shows were with Peter Egan, Triple Cream, Mim Grey, Nicola Olsen and others. He appeared at a 4 Feb 2024 Water Rats variety show in Great Yarmouth.

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 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.

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 [which has since evovled to a separate tour leg in early 2024] [...] 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:

I still intend to keep the live performances to a sensible amount and so long spells of touring are still not on the agenda and to be honest, won't be again. [...] with fewer performances each one became special and had a little something unique.

An Aug 2010 article said:

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.

Archival releases and the Collector Club
The Prog Years 1973-1977 (trailer) is a limited edition boxset from the Rick Wakeman Emporium, available in various formats. It was originally released through Wakeman's online store in Jun 2023, with a general release following a few months later. It is a 32 disc box (CDs and DVDs, with some material repeated on DVD and CD) covering The Six Wives of Henry VIII, The Myths and Legends of King Arthur..., Journey to the Centre of the Earth, Lisztomania, No Earthly Connection and White Rock. Each album is represented by 4 discs: the original album plus live material, demos, alternative mixes and live film footage. This includes both previously released and previously unreleased material. Discs:
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
The box also contains replica press packs for albums in the period covered, tour programmes, posters, and a 60-page hardback book with memorabilia (unboxing video). There is also a 10LP set (180g), with a limited edition of 100 units in coloured vinyl and then another 150 units in black vinyl. I've seen some alternate track listings, so this may be another release where the contents evolved after the initial advertising.

Due 30 Jun 2023 from the online Rick Wakeman Emporium was a box set entitled Rick Wakeman at Lincoln Cathedral, which combines the previous limited edition At Lincoln Cathedral live album recorded in 2001 on CD with the 2018 Live Portraits release on CD/DVD. The same day also sees from the online Rick Wakeman Emporium a re-release of Wakeman's 1997 Tribute to the Beatles.

The Caped Crusader Collector Club was a subscription service. Members got various exclusive content, including a welcome letter signed by Wakeman and a yearbook of photos etc. There were 4 albums planned, while early sign-ups also got She - Music from the Original Soundtrack and More, a previously unreleased 54-track album of 1:02:51 duration. This was the music for the 1984 film (loosely) based on H. Rider Haggard's 1887 novel "She: A History of Adventure". It included contributions from Motorhead and Justin Hayward. She subsequently received a standalone release on 21 Jul 2023.

The second release (counting She as #1) is The Silly Programme, a 26:38 minute unused show for radio in which Wakeman did linking sections around clips of Kenneth Williams and Tony Hancock comedy sketches. There is no music by Wakeman.

The third release was delayed from an initial plan of 30 Apr 2022, but shipped late Jul 2022. Unreleased Demos Volume 1 (RWFC003CD) covers 14 demos from Wakeman's 1990s work, including a demo of Return to the Centre of the Earth's "Never is a Long, Long Time" with Trevor Rabin, plus has two live extracts of Wakeman playing on Yes's 1991 Union tour. Details in Yescography. Release 4 was The Missing Hammersmith Recording 1985 (RWFC004CD) and shipped 28 Oct 2022. The album is a companion piece to Wakeman's 1985 concert album, Live at Hammersmith. Details in Yescography.

Release 5, Rehearsals and Demos, arrived from mid-Dec 2022. This consisted of further demos, mostly from African Bach and No Expense Spared. Also included was another version of "Never is a Long, Long Time" with Trevor Rabin vocals. The decision has now been taken to discontinue the Club.

Wakeman's Music Emporium is available through Glue Music. (When first announced, the "Exclusive Emporium Collection" was announced as consisting of 2 new solo albums (a reduction from an original plan of 6 albums). Movements, a synth album, was due Apr 2016, but never appeared. The second was announced as due Nov 2016, and  also didn't appear. It is unclear what has happened with these plans.)

Rick's Plaice and Wakeman Web TV
Wakeman launched Rick's Plaice, a 6-episode, pay-per-view, streaming video series with, as Wakeman describes, "live music performances, guided tours around my equipment, facts about musicians I have worked with, and even a quiz". A 2020 Xmas special, a 2021 new year's special (with Lee Pomeroy and Dave Colquhoun) and second series followed. Filming on the second series started when COVID-19 restrictions allow. On 2 May 2021, Wakeman tweeted, "filming all week with Hayley "Strictly" Sanderson .....6 rarely performed songs especially for Rick's Plaice Series 2".

Wakeman also has a new YouTube channel that includes some full albums and other material. He has now launched Rick Wakeman Web TV, a pay per view service for live shows, TV work etc. Season 2 of Rick's Plaice will be available there.
Other solo work
In his Jun 2021 GORR, Wakeman described doing the soundtrack for a short film entitled "Final Sunset". He then also said, "I have also been working in the studio on a really lovely project scheduled for a Boxing Day television viewing. I can't say any more at this juncture but it is really enjoyable to work on and "right up my street" as the expression goes!"

In an Oct 2021 interview, Wakeman described how he had recorded a trilogy of pieces about cats, called "Cathedral Cats":
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
In an Apr 2021 update, Wakeman implied there would be some more archival releases coming.



In an Aug 2007 interview, he said, "I'm currently involved in a stage musical, two other films and a stage juggling show!" In a May 2005 report, Wakeman says that after ending live work in 2006, he "will concentrate on recording and writing for films wherever and whenever possible." In recent years, Wakeman has been doing some soundtrack work. He has been director of the music division at Write Good Films. IMDB.com report that Wakeman is doing the music for a UK film currently in production called "Out of Reach". In an Apr 2004 interview, he says, "I've got this soundtrack thing coming up", but no details were given. In his Christmas 2004 Newsletter, he says he hopes to do more film and TV work. In Apr 2005, Wakeman said he was doing music for an animated children's feature about Noah. He had previously said that he would finish recording of his "Noah" project (performed live with the English Chamber Choir in 1997), but I am unclear whether this is connected or not. In the Nov interview, he said he would like "to do more work with orchestras and choirs and also some more film scoring which I really enjoy."

Wakeman had been working on a follow-up to Hopesongs with music for weddings and funerals, presumably again with Howard Prior.

Collaboration with Tim Rice and Alfie Boe
Wakeman and Sir Tim Rice (worked with Andrew Lloyd Webber, Björn Ulvaeus/Benny Andersson, Elton John), who previously collaborated on Wakeman's 1981 album 1984, are writing a musical together. In his Feb 2019 GORR, Wakeman wrote, "Plans are in place for a new collaboration with Sir Tim Rice and also Alfie Boe which all being well should come to fruition next year" [2020]. In a Dec 2020 interview on talkSPORT, Wakeman talked of currently working on the project ("been doing it for about a year and a half") and said, given the pandemic, it would likely appear in 2022. On 5 Mar 2020, Wakeman tweeted, "today I will be locking myself away and playing the piano all day and working on music that I have been preparing for over a year for a very special project with a very special collaborator.....(who's a big tease then) !" The next day, he tweeted, "work on the "special project" went incredibly well....more days to work on it coming up in readiness for my next meet up with my extremely special collaborator". This appears to be the project with Rice. In an Apr 2023 interview, Wakeman recounted how "The Dinner Party" on his solo album A Gallery of the Imagination was originally written for this project. Wakeman also said, "Tim Rice and I are putting a musical together with lots of music and different ideas."



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. Two older tracks with Wakeman are included on the Prog Collective's Dark Encounters, out Mar 2024.

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, 2017, 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.

From 21 Sep 2015 onwards, Wakeman (with Erik Jordan engineering) was recording piano and organ on tracks for Armando Peralta (Twitter).
 

Wakeman on piano and Italian soprano Valentina Blanca released the CD/DVD set Live from Elche on 26 Aug 2022. The set was filmed in 2018 in Elche, Alicante, Spain. DVD (106 minutes) tracks:
  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
CD tracks:
  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"
There were three digital singles in support in 2022: "Volano le Farfalle", "Le Sirene di Nettuno" and "Fantasmi". There was prior talk of Wakeman playing on all of an album to be called La Bambola di Pezza, a debut full studio album from Blanca. The album was largely written by Bruno Rubino (Fiaba) and arranged by Wakeman. Two digital singles were released, both as by Valentina Blanca and Rick Wakeman (written by Rubino, arranged by Wakeman). "La Bambola di Pezza" (4:30; with Blanca on vocals and Wakeman on piano) was released in Jan 2013, while "Volano le Farfalle" (4:32) followed Aug 2013. An album sampler is on her website and a video for "La Bambola di Pezza" is on YouTube (filmed & edited by Pierluigi Cavarra; directed by Cavarra & Rubino). Wakeman described working on a track for the project in Jan 2012 with engineer Erik Jordan. Cavarra said in Jan 2013 that a number of tracks had been recorded, but he did not know when the album was due. I presume the four bonus studio CD tracks on Live from Elche come from these prior plans.

Bespoke Editions are releasing a limited edition (100 copies), 2CD box set of Orchestral Tommy by The Who and the London Symphony Orchestra. CD1 is the original 1972 studio album by the London Symphony Orchestra and English Chamber Choir, starring Roger Daltrey. The second disc is reportedly a previously unreleased live recording from 12 December 1972, with Wakeman as the house band keyboardist, although the listing given contains errors and also gives details that relate to the 1973 performance.



Media work
Wakeman launched a podcast, "The Myths & Legends of Rick Wakeman", on 31 Jan 2025.

Early May 2023, Rick and son Oliver were both interviewed for a forthcoming documentary film about The Strawbs.

Other news
Wakeman had a speaking appearance on 10 Dec 2023 in Sheffield, UK. He played "Gone But Not Forgotten" at Dave Myers' memorial on 22 Apr 2024. He did a Q&A and performance at a school in Billericay on 22 May 2024.

Wakeman wrote the foreword for Carl Palmer's "Fanfare for the Common Man: An Autobiography".

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.

In Sep 2021, Wakeman and his wife Rachel became patrons of the Saving Suffering Strays charity, which helps stray dogs in the UK, Bosnia and the rest of Europe.


On to Alan White news
Return to Where are they now? front page
Return to alt.music.yes FAQ
 
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

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