Where are they now? - Rick Wakeman
This page last updated: 20 May 2022
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;
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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.
| Rick Wakeman and the English Rock Ensemble's
The
Red Planet (R&D Media; 55:21 duration) was
released 19 Jun 2020. It was first announced for 3 Apr 2020,
but then delayed to May. Wakeman talked of a Jun release,
while his website then said, "the reality of the current
world situation is such that work on the project is affected
by manufacturing and logistical issues. Regrettably we're
therefore going to miss our April date and at this point
it's looking like it will be nearer to June realistically -
this also applies to download releases. Rest assured we will
be doing everything in our power to bring the date closer
especially the downloads." The initial release was through a
dedicated website, but a general release distributed through
Madfish came 28 Aug 2020, with a US release on Snapper.
Madfish did a 2-disc
release in May 2021 of the CD + DVD with 5.1 Surround
Sound and Hi-res stereo audio, plus 3 mini promo films and a
70 minute documentary, with a 16-page colour booklet. The instrumental album, produced by Wakeman and Erik Jordan, consists of 8 new pieces composed and arranged by Wakeman. With Wakeman (analogue and digital keys), the performers are Lee Pomeroy (works with ELO, worked with Yes featuring ARW; bass, fretless bass), Dave Colquhoun (Downes Braide Association; guitar) and Ash Soan (Trevor Horn Band/Producers, Downes Braide Association, worked with Dua Lipa, Adele, Will Young, Seal; drums), who had considerable leeway in coming up with their own parts. Jordan also engineered and mixed. There was a limited edition (2000 copies) CD, signed with a pop-up cover, and a limited edition (1000 copies) 180g red double 45rpm vinyl, signed with a pop-up album cover, and then regular CD and double 45rpm vinyl releases. Some versions come with an accompanying DVD "with surround sound, interviews, and other extras". The DVD shipped in Nov given delays in recording material due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Tracks:
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he recording has finished......probably!On 2 Mar 2020, he tweeted, "Only a few days of mixing left on The Red Planet album. Can't wait to hear what Erik has done and move on to the final mastering stage ."
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.In a video interview promoting the album, released Apr 2020, Colquhoun said, "I'd love to go out and play The Red Planet music live. We all did our bits in isolation. It would be really great to work at [...] getting the dynamic between the musicians, the interaction." (Pomeroy recorded a few parts at Colquhoun's studio before lockdown and that had been the plan for all the recordings.) He also talked of a possible set list including "classic Wakeman material", mentioning "Catherine Parr". Pomeroy said in a Jun 2020 interview that they'd been looking at doing live dates as a quartet (Wakeman, Colquhoun, Soan, Pomeroy) and they might still do so. In an interview with Aymeric Leroy for issue #110 of the French magazine Big Bang, Wakeman talked of playing 5 prog festivals in early Mar 2021, although those did not happen, again due to COVID-19. Instead, dates moved to 2022.
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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.
With the English Rock Ensemble
Rick Wakeman and the English Rock Ensemble played 5 UK dates:
regular shows on 30
Mar-3 Apr 2022, 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), Adam Wakeman
(keys, guitars, backing vocals), Lee Pomeroy (bass, backing
vocals), Dave Colquhoun (guitars, backing vocals) and Hayley
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 Adam 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. In his Mar 2022 GORR, he also talked about performing "music of mine sung by both Chaka Khan and Chrissie Hammond". The former would have to be "Wargames", "Julia" and/or "Robot Man" from 1984, while the latter could refer to multiple albums from Phantom Power onwards. In the end, 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 is playing a piano and keyboard solo
show on 3 Jun at St
George's in Beckenham, England.
Wakeman is booked on the '70s Rock &
Romance Cruise, sailing 16-23 Mar 2023 from Miami, FL.
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
Wakema
n 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".
Before then, he 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
(keys, guitar) and Hayley Sanderson (Strictly
Come Dancing; vocals). The set included material
from The Six Wives of Henry VIII, 1984 and songs
by David Bowie and The Beatles.
Wakeman appeared by video at the 6o Festival BB
Seguros de Blues e Jazz playing a solo piano set, viewable here
(go to about 5 hours in).
In his
Jul 2020 GORR, Wakeman said: "Lots of dates being
provisionally booked for prog concerts in the UK and hopefully
around Europe plus a US piano tour and some South American
keyboard shows, plus orchestral shows in Europe [...] I also have
some plans for some special charity concerts that I was hoping to
do this year [2020] but which the pandemic called a halt to. We
can't fix dates yet until we know the status of theatres and
venues for next year [2021], but they will happen for sure."
Over the last few years, Wakeman talked about
reducing his workload and a changed emphasis in what he does as a
consequence of his age. He has 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. The latest comments came in an
Oct
2019 interview where 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.
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 themIn an Apr 2021 update, Wakeman implied there would be some more archival releases coming.
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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 |
Further
collaborations & guest appearances
Wakeman and Trevor Rabin
had both mooted the possibility an album together at some point: see here for
details.
Wakeman guests with a Moog solo on Justin Swadling's
2021 single "Into the Light" (33Jazz Records, 6:07), released 14
May 2021. Swadling (worked with Captain Sensible,
Nik Kerhsaw, Bonnie Tyler, T'Pau, Tony Hadley) plays sax,
while also appearing are Mike Outram (guitar), Mike Gorman (organ)
and Liam Waugh (drums). Swadling wrote and produced the track.
In his Jun
2021 GORR, Wakeman described playing on a track entitled
"Magic Fly" for a Cleopatra Records project.
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.
Released digitally by Cleopatra Records was a
1-track single, "Come
and Get It" (2:24), by Badfinger & Rick Wakeman, a
remake of the 1969 song. It appears to be performed by Joey
Molland (Badfinger) and Wakeman,
although Wakeman tweeted
25 Sep 2020, "bit naughty to put my name on the cover
, I was only booked as a session player ." This is then
released on Badfinger's album No
Matter What - Revisiting the Hits
(duration 31:57). The US has a digital, CD and tricolour
vinyl release due 26 Mar 2021. The UK has the digital
release on 26 Mar 2021 and a vinyl release on 23 Apr. The
album features Joey Molland's Badfinger joined by various
guests. Tracks:
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Media
work 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 appeared on ITV's The Chase quiz show on 19 Nov 2021. Other news Wakeman curated the 60-track, 3CD compilation 70s Rock Down: The Ultimate Rock Anthems (Xploded), including his own "Catherine of Aragon" and Yes's "Wonderous Stories". It entered the UK compilation album chart at #3 (4 Dec 2020). The album was as high as #15 on UK Amazon (#2 in Box Sets; #3 in Compilations; 5 Dec 2020). He had an accompanying show on Absolute Classic Rock radio 28 Nov-19 Dec. In a Dec 2020 interview, he mooted there being a second volume. Wakeman was awarded the Musicians' Company Honorary Fellowship at the Royal College of Music, London, in May 2022. Wakeman has been supporting PRS's Emergency Relief Fund for PRS writer members facing financial hardship because of the COVID-19 pandemic. He sent a video message for their recent virtual gig, which raised over £2.1 million. |
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.
Wakeman is a columnist for Prog. 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 two record companies, Ambient Records and Hope
Records. Fintage Music have
announced a publishing and neighbouring rights administration deal
with Wakeman covering the administration of his rights outside of
North America, among other services.
Wakeman has been managed since approx. 2013 by Brian Lane (previously managed Yes, ABWH). Roger DeCourcey is Wakeman's agent for TV, radio and corporate work (but not music).
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.Any news, additions or corrections, please e-mail Henry Potts.
Thanks.