There may be some among you who never heard of Rick Wakeman. Take it from an old geezer, in the 70s and 80s Rick was one of the keyboard wizards that every rock and roll fan knew. He’s another classically trained English musician who honed his skills in a variety of bands and studio sessions before joining prog rock superstars Yes.

Richard Christopher Wakeman was born in Perivale, a west London suburb in England, on this date in 1949. Some of his earliest memories are of family “jam sessions” on Sunday afternoons. He began piano lessons at age 7, advanced rapidly and within 5 years was winning nearly every competition around. He then started lessons on the clarinet and the church organ. Rick also developed a life-long love affair with football. At 12, he formed his first band, a traditional jazz group called Brother Wakeman and the Clergymen. The following year, he joined The Atlantic Blues band. In 1966, Rick started his first rock band, Curdled Milk (a play on Clapton’s Cream), a dance band, The Green Dolphin Trio, and played his first BBC sessions.

When he turned 18, Rick was admitted to the Royal College of Music, and joined the Ronnie Smith Band. After two years, Rick left the college, joined a pub band called Spinning Wheel, and started doing session work. He played on David Bowie’s “Space Oddity” and with The Strawbs, a folk rock group. In 1970, he became a member of The Strawbs, cut his first album with them, and after a London concert appearance featuring his piano solo, was dubbed “Tomorrow’s Superstar” by Melody Maker. The demand for his session time took off, and he played over 2,000 sessions with a diverse set of artists including Black Sabbath, Cat Stevens (“Morning Has Broken”), Elton John, T. Rex (“Bang a Gong”), David Bowie (“Oh, You Pretty Things””Changes” and “Life on Mars”), Lou Reed, Al Stewart, Harry Nilsson, and others.

Recording Fragile

In 1971, Rick joined Yes, choosing a band job over Bowie’s offer of touring with the Spiders from Mars. With Yes, Rick recorded Fragile, followed by Close to the Edge, and Tales from Topographic Oceans. Rick has been a member of Yes six times off and on from 1971 until 2005. At the same time, he built a solo career famous for full orchestra productions of his epic compositions: The Six Wives of Henry VIII, Journey to the Center of the Earth, The Myths and Legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, and the soundtrack to Lisztomania, as well as many other soundtracks and albums. His discography counts 136 albums.

When not engaged in one of his major project tours, Rick tours as an acoustic duo, or with his favorite band, the English Rock Ensemble. In the UK, he’s also well known for his television appearances on Grumpy Old Men, Countdown and Have I Got News for You. Rick is also the author of two hilarious collections of anecdotes about his life on tour: Grumpy Old Rockstar and Other Wondrous Stories, and Further Adventures of a Grumpy Old Rockstar.

In his spare time, Rick loves to play golf and is active in several charitable organizations. He was the King Rat of the Grand Order of Water Rats in 2014.

Happy Birthday to Rick Wakeman!

From the Jon Lord tribute, 2014