Editing Rick Wakeman

{{Short description|English keyboardist (b. 1949)}}
{{Distinguish|Ric Wake}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2022}}
{{EngvarB|date=October 2022}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = Rick Wakeman
| honorific_suffix   = {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100|CBE}}
| image              = Rick Wakeman - July 2017 (cropped).jpg
| alt                = Wakeman playing two keyboards
| caption            = Wakeman performing in 2017
| birth_name         = Richard Christopher Wakeman
| birth_date         = {{Birth date and age|1949|5|18|df=yes}}
| birth_place        = [[Perivale]], [[Middlesex]]<!--Middlesex pre-1965-->, England
| occupation         = {{Flatlist|
* Keyboardist
* songwriter
* producer
* television and radio presenter
* author
}}
| years_active       = 1969–present
| spouse             = {{plainlist|
* {{marriage|Rosaline Woolford|1970|1977|end=divorced}}
* {{marriage|Danielle Corminboeuf|1980|1980|end=divorced}}
* {{marriage|[[Nina Carter]]|1984|2004|end=divorced}}
* {{marriage|Rachel Kaufman|2011}}
}}
| children           = 6, including [[Oliver Wakeman|Oliver]] and [[Adam Wakeman|Adam]]
| module             = {{Infobox musical artist
   | embed          = yes
   | background     = solo_singer
   | instrument     = {{Flatlist|
* Keyboards 
}}
| genre          = {{Flatlist|
* [[Progressive rock]]
* [[classical music|classical]]
* [[Ambient music|ambient]]
* [[New-age music|new-age]]
* [[Christian music|Christian]]
* [[instrumental rock]]
}}
| past_member_of = {{Flatlist|
* [[Strawbs|The Strawbs]]
* [[Yes (band)|Yes]]
* [[Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe]]
* [[Yes Featuring Jon Anderson, Trevor Rabin, Rick Wakeman]]
}}
| label = {{Flatlist|
* [[A&M Records|A&M]]
* [[Charisma Records|Charisma]]
* Moon
* [[Griffin Music|Griffin]]
* [[President Records|President]]
* Coda
* Stylus
* Ambient
* Asaph
* Hope
* Music Fusion
* [[Castle Communications]]
* Pinnacle
* RPM
* [[EMI Classics|EMI]]
* [[Voiceprint Records|Voiceprint]]
* Legends
* Classic Pictures
* [[Eagle Records|Eagle]]
* Gonzo
* [[Universal Music Group]]
* [[Sony Classical]]
* R&D
* Madfish
}}
| website = {{URL|rwcc.com}}
}}
}}
'''Richard Christopher Wakeman''' (born 18 May 1949) is an English keyboardist and composer best known as a member of the [[progressive rock]] band [[Yes (band)|Yes]] across five tenures between 1971 and 2004, and for his prolific solo career. [[AllMusic]] describes Wakeman as a "classically trained keyboardist extraordinaire who plied his trade with Yes and developed his own brand of live spectacular in a solo act."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/rick-wakeman-mn0000300245/biography|title=Rick Wakeman: Biography|first=Bruce|last=Eder|website=AllMusic|access-date=11 January 2023}}</ref>

Born and raised in [[West London (sub region)|West London]], Wakeman quit his studies at the [[Royal College of Music]] in 1969 to become a full-time [[session musician]]. His early sessions included "[[Space Oddity]]", among other tracks, for [[David Bowie]], and songs by [[Elton John]], [[Marc Bolan]], [[Cat Stevens]], and [[Lou Reed]]. In 1970, Wakeman joined the folk rock group [[Strawbs|the Strawbs]], during which his virtuosity gained national press coverage. He left in 1971 to join Yes, with whom he played on some of their most influential albums across two stints until 1980. During this time Wakeman began a solo career in 1973 and became an iconic and prominent figure in progressive rock. His highest-selling and most acclaimed albums were ''[[The Six Wives of Henry VIII (album)|The Six Wives of Henry VIII]]'' (1973), the UK number-one ''[[Journey to the Centre of the Earth (album)|Journey to the Centre of the Earth]]'' (1974), and ''[[The Myths and Legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table]]'' (1975), all [[concept albums]]. In 1974, he formed his band the English Rock Ensemble, with which he toured worldwide and continues to perform, and went on to score his first major film, ''[[Lisztomania (film)|Lisztomania]]'' (1975).

Wakeman had uneven success in the next two decades following a change in musical fashion and financial issues from two divorces. His most popular album was the conceptual rocker [[1984 (Rick Wakeman album)|''1984'']] (1981), which was followed by the minor pop hit single "Glory Boys" from ''[[Silent Nights]]'' (1985). He expanded into other areas such as hosting the television show ''[[GasTank]]'', composing for television and film, forming record labels, and producing his first [[New-age music|new-age]], [[ambient music|ambient]], and [[Christian music]] with ''[[Country Airs]]'' (1986) and ''The Gospels'' (1987), respectively. In 1989, he reunited with former Yes bandmates for [[Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe]], which led to his third period in the group until 1992. Wakeman's most significant album of the 1990s was ''[[Return to the Centre of the Earth]]'' (1999), his first UK top 40 album in 18 years, and his piano album ''[[Piano Portraits]]'' (2017) produced his first UK top 10 album since 1975. Starting in 2009, Wakeman revisited his three hit albums of the 1970s by performing them live with new and expanded arrangements. From 2016 to 2020, Wakeman was a member of [[Yes Featuring Jon Anderson, Trevor Rabin, Rick Wakeman]]. He continues to record albums and perform concerts worldwide in various capacities. His most recent album was ''Yessonata'', released October 2024.

Wakeman's [[Rick Wakeman discography|discography]] includes over 100 solo albums{{efn|Wakeman's 2017 album ''Piano Portraits'' was marketed as his 100th solo album.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.classicfm.com/discover-music/album-reviews/new-releases-vienna-new-year/|title=New Releases: Vienna Philharmonic New Year's Concert 2017 and 100th solo album from Rick Wakeman|date=9 January 2017|publisher=Classic FM|access-date=5 September 2024}}</ref> The 2018 tour programme for his following album, ''Piano Odyssey'', lists 108 albums.<ref name=Odyssey2018/> }} spanning a range of musical styles. He has also gained notoriety for his appearances on the television programs ''Live at Jongleurs'', ''[[Countdown (game show)|Countdown]]'', ''[[Grumpy Old Men (TV series)|Grumpy Old Men]]'', and ''[[Watchdog (TV programme)|Watchdog]]'', and for his radio show on [[Planet Rock (radio station)|Planet Rock]] that aired from 2005 to 2010. Wakeman has written an autobiography and two memoirs. In 2017, he was inducted into the [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]] as a member of [[Yes (band)|Yes]].<ref name="rrhofyes">{{cite web|title=Inductees: Yes|url=https://www.rockhall.com/inductees/yes|website=Rock & Roll Hall of Fame|access-date=20 December 2016}}</ref> He was awarded a [[CBE]] for his services to music and broadcasting in 2021.

==Early life==
Richard Christopher Wakeman was born in [[Perivale]], Middlesex on 18 May 1949. The only child of Cyril and Mildred Wakeman (née Eastment), the three lived in Wood End Gardens in nearby [[Northolt]].{{sfn|Wooding|1979|p=23}}{{sfn|Wooding|1979|p=46}} Cyril worked at a [[Building material|building suppliers]] which he joined as an office boy at age fourteen, and worked his way up to become one of its directors.<ref name=telegraph2014/> He was a pianist in [[Ted Heath (bandleader)|Ted Heath]]'s big band while he was in the [[British Army]].{{sfn|Wooding|1979|p=23}} Mildred worked at a removals firm.<ref name=telegraph2014>{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/fameandfortune/10804471/Rick-Wakeman-David-Bowies-advice-made-me-millions.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140504203826/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/fameandfortune/10804471/Rick-Wakeman-David-Bowies-advice-made-me-millions.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=4 May 2014|title=Rick Wakeman: 'David Bowie's advice made me millions'|first=Lorraine|last=McBride|date=4 May 2014|work=The Daily Telegraph|access-date=22 November 2016}}</ref> Wakeman attended [[Drayton Manor High School|Drayton Manor Grammar School]] in [[Hanwell]], in 1959. The family spent their summer holidays in [[Exmouth]].<ref name=1991tourbook>{{cite book|url=http://www.rwcc.com/programmes/1992ClassicalConnection2.pdf|title=Rick Wakeman: The Classical Connections II Tour|type=Tour programme|date=1991|publisher=Unknown|access-date=15 December 2016}}</ref>

As a youngster Wakeman heard his parents, uncle, and aunts play the piano and sing songs from his upstairs bedroom, which made him want to take up the instrument.<ref name=UG2019>{{cite web|url=https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/yes_rick_wakeman_nearly_half_my_dads_income_went_on_paying_for_my_piano_lessons.html|title=Yes' Rick Wakeman: Nearly Half My Dad's Income Went on Paying for My Piano Lessons|date=27 December 2019|website=Ultimate Guitar|access-date=27 August 2024}}</ref> His father took him to a concert performance of [[Sergei Prokofiev]]{{'s}} ''[[Peter and the Wolf]]'', which greatly influenced him and has since named Prokofiev as a musical hero.<ref name=Pianist2017/> At seven, Wakeman began weekly piano lessons with Dorothy Symes paid for by his father, who spent almost half of his income on tuition.<ref name=UG2019/> Lessons with Symes lasted for eleven years; she recalled Wakeman "passed everything with a distinction", was an "enjoyable pupil to teach, full of fun and with a good sense of humour", but lacked discipline when it came to practising.{{sfn|Wooding|1979|p=24}} Wakeman's first ever recital was "See a Monkey on a Stick", a piece of thirteen notes that he performed on stage in adult life.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/leisure/reviews/11794375.rick-wakeman-lighthouse-poole/|title=Rick Wakeman - Lighthouse, Poole|first=Cliff|last=Moore|date=14 February 2015|website=Bournemouth Echo|access-date=26 August 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.somersetcountygazette.co.uk/news/10733922.quartz-arts-fest-review-intimate-evening-rick-wakeman/|title=Quartz Arts Fest Review: A Very Intimate Evening with Rick Wakeman|first=Daisy|last=Blacklock|date=11 October 2013|website=Somerset County Gazette|access-date=26 August 2024}}</ref> In 1960, Symes entered Wakeman in his first music competition and he went on to win many awards, certificates, and cups in contests around London.<ref name=1991tourbook/>{{sfn|Wooding|1979|p=25}}{{sfn|Wooding|1979|p=28}} Wakeman's first keyboard was a reed organ from [[Woolworths (United Kingdom)|Woolworths]] that he said cost £4.<ref name=LouderQA2014>{{cite web|url=https://www.loudersound.com/features/q-a-rick-wakeman|title=Q&A: Rick Wakeman|date=9 May 2014|first=Jerry|last=Ewing|publisher=Loudersound|access-date=24 August 2024}}</ref> At twelve he took up the clarinet.<ref name=1991tourbook/> In his teenage years, he learned to play the [[church organ]], became a [[Sunday school]] teacher, and chose to be baptised at eighteen.{{sfn|Wooding|1979|p=26}}<ref name=contemporarykeyboard1976>{{Cite journal|journal=Contemporary Keyboard|title=Rick Wakeman: Rock Powerhouse|date=March 1976|first=Dominic|last=Milano|url=http://zenponies.com/yitp/1976/mar/marxx_76.html}}</ref>

Wakeman described himself at school as "a horror ... I worked hard in the first year, then eased up".{{sfn|Wooding|1979|p=29}} In 1961, during his time at Drayton Manor school, Wakeman played in his first band, the [[trad jazz]] outfit Brother Wakeman and the Clergymen,<ref name=chorleyguardian2015>{{Cite news|url=http://www.chorley-guardian.co.uk/what-s-on/music/the-interview-rick-wakeman-1-7442858|title=The interview: Rick Wakeman|date=3 September 2015|first=Malcolm|last=Wyatt|publisher=Chorley Guardian|access-date=13 January 2016}}</ref> with a uniform of the school shirt put on the wrong way round.<ref name=1991tourbook/> In 1963, at fourteen, Wakeman joined the Atlantic Blues, a local blues group that secured a year's residency at a mental health rehabilitation club in [[Neasden]].<ref name=1991tourbook/>{{sfn|Wooding|1979|p=27}} Two years later, Wakeman passed his [[GCE Ordinary Level|O Levels]] in English, maths, art and music, and went on to study music, art, and British constitution at [[GCE Advanced Level (United Kingdom)|A-level]].<ref name=1991tourbook/> In 1966, he joined the Concordes, later known as the Concorde Quartet, playing dance and pop songs at local events with his cousin [[Alan Wakeman]] on saxophone and clarinet.{{sfn|Wooding|1979|p=28}} Wakeman used the money earned from their gigs to buy a [[Hohner Pianet]], his first electronic keyboard.{{sfn|Wooding|1979|p=28}}

That year he also formed a dance band called the Green Dolphin Trio, spending a year's residency at a social club in [[Alperton]], and Curdled Milk, a joke on "[[Strange Brew (song)|Strange Brew]]" by [[Cream (band)|Cream]], to play at the annual school dance.<ref name=1991tourbook/> The band were unpaid after Wakeman lost control of his car and drove across the headmaster's rose garden at the front of the school, thereby forfeiting their performance fee to pay for the damage.{{sfn|Wooding|1979|p=27}} In 1967, Wakeman began a tenure with the Ronnie Smith Band, a dance group based at the [[Top Rank Suite|Top Rank]] ballroom in [[Watford]]. He was sacked in the following year for not taking the dance music seriously enough, but was soon reinstated at the ballroom in [[Reading, Berkshire|Reading]]. Here he met singer Ashley Holt, who later sang on many of Wakeman's future albums and tours.<ref name=1991tourbook/> Around this time, Wakeman frequented the Red Lion pub in [[Brentford]] where he took part in jam sessions with several known musicians including [[John Entwistle]], [[James Royal]], [[Nick Simper]], and [[Mitch Mitchell]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://geirmykl.wordpress.com/2017/11/29/article-about-rick-wakeman-from-sounds-august-28-1971/|title=Just another Yes man...|date=28 August 1971|work=Sounds|first=Penny|last=Valentine|access-date=28 August 2024}}</ref>

[[File:Royal College of Music - April 2007.jpg|thumb|left|Wakeman quit the Royal College of Music to become a full-time session musician]]
In 1968, Wakeman acquired a scholarship at the [[Royal College of Music]] in London with the intention of becoming a concert pianist. To enter he needed to pass eight music exams to earn his [[A-level]] in the subject, which required him, as his mother remembered, "to do two years' work in ten months".{{sfn|Wooding|1979|p=29}} He put in the effort following a ten [[shilling]] bet with his music teacher who believed he would not succeed,{{sfn|Wooding|1979|p=29}} and refusing his father's offer to work with him at the building suppliers.{{sfn|Wooding|1979|p=30}} Wakeman entered the college on a performer's course with the piano as his first study, clarinet his second, and [[orchestration]] and modern music his third, but quickly found out that "everyone else there was at least as good as me; and a lot of them much better", and switched to a teacher's course.<ref name=1976tourbook/> His orchestration professor, [[Philip Cannon (composer)|Philip Cannon]], had a long-lasting influence on his compositional skills.<ref name=Odyssey2018>{{cite web|url=https://www.rwcc.com/programmes/2018PianoOdyssey.pdf|title=Rick Wakeman: Piano Odyssey Tour – 2018 Programme|website=Rick Wakeman's Communication Centre|year=2018|access-date=27 August 2024}}</ref>

He adopted a more relaxed attitude to his studies, spending much of his time drinking in pubs and hanging out with the staff at the Musical Bargain Centre, a music shop in [[Ealing]].{{sfn|Wakeman|1995|p=61}} Wakeman's first booking as a [[session musician]], and his first time in a recording studio, occurred when guitarist [[Chas Cronk]] entered the shop in need of an organist and brass arranger for members of the [[Ike & Tina Turner|Ike & Tina Turner Revue]].{{sfn|Wakeman|1995|p=62}} The shop owner suggested Wakeman, who attended the session at [[Olympic Studios]] where he met producers [[Denny Cordell]], [[Gus Dudgeon]], and [[Tony Visconti]], and engineer [[Keith Grant]].{{sfn|Wakeman|1995|p=64, 66}} Cordell was impressed with Wakeman's skills and offered him more session work for artists at [[Regal Zonophone Records]]. Wakeman accepted the additional income to compensate the small grant he had received to study, and began skipping classes in favour of the more lucrative sessions which was frowned upon at the college.{{sfn|Wakeman|1995|p=69}}<ref name=1976tourbook/><ref name=MS2019>{{cite web|url=https://blog.musoscribe.com/index.php/2019/10/09/a-session-with-the-session-man-rick-wakeman-part-two/|title=A Session with the Session Man: Rick Wakeman (Part Two)|first=Bill|last=Kopp|date=9 October 2019|publisher=MUSOscribe|access-date=28 August 2024}}</ref> After a year Wakeman dropped out with the encouragement from his clarinet professor Basil Tschaikov.<ref name=Pianist2017>{{cite magazine|url=http://forgotten-yesterdays.com/_graphics/memorabilia/first_love_-_rick_wakeman_interview_-_erica_worth_-_piano_-_aprilmay_2017_34607.pdf|magazine=Pianist|issue=95|title=First Love|first=Erica|last=Love|date=April 2017|pages=12–14}}</ref>

==Career==
===1969–1971: Session work, the Strawbs, and joining Yes===
[[File:David-Bowie Chicago 2002-08-08 photoby Adam-Bielawski-cropped.jpg|thumb|upright|Among Wakeman's first sessions were for [[David Bowie]]]]
Wakeman became a full-time session musician, performing and arranging music for other musicians, films, and television and radio jingles as often as eighteen times in a week. He estimated to have participated in around 2,000 sessions in his career.<ref name=contemporarykeyboard1976/><ref name=1991tourbook/><ref name=MS2019/> His ability to produce what was needed in a short time led to his nickname, One Take Wakeman.{{sfn|Welch|2008|p=112}} Among his first sessions were playing on ''Battersea Power Station'' by [[Junior's Eyes]] and, in June 1969, the [[Mellotron]] on "[[Space Oddity]]" by [[David Bowie]] for a £9 fee after Dudgeon needed a player, as neither knew much about the instrument.{{sfn|Wooding|1979|p=34, 37}} Wakeman went on to play on several tracks on Bowie's second album, ''[[David Bowie (1969 album)|David Bowie]]'', and organ and piano on American singer [[Tucker Zimmerman]]'s only single, "Red Wind".<ref>{{cite web|last=Marchese |first=Joe |url=http://theseconddisc.com/2015/11/10/rpm-reissues-lost-album-by-david-bowie-favorite-tucker-zimmerman-collects-australian-dream-babes/ |title=RPM Reissues Lost Album By David Bowie Favorite Tucker Zimmerman, Collects Australian "Dream Babes" |publisher=The Second Disc |date=10 November 2015 |access-date=21 November 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tuckerzimmerman.org/discography/ |archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20131021182828/http://www.tuckerzimmerman.org/discography |url-status=dead |archive-date=21 October 2013 |title=Discography |publisher=Tucker Zimmerman |access-date=21 November 2015 }}</ref> 

In one session, Visconti had Wakeman play a single bass note on the piano at the end of "[[I Walk on Guilded Splinters|Walk on Guilded Splinters]]" by [[Marsha Hunt (actress, born 1946)|Marsha Hunt]], so he could be paid the session fee.<ref name=holmes/> In 1970, Wakeman performed on ''Seasons'' by [[Magna Carta (band)|Magna Carta]],<ref name=contemporarykeyboard1976/> and records by [[Brotherhood of Man]], Paper Bubble, [[Shawn Phillips]], and [[White Plains (band)|White Plains]]. He took part in a one-off recording with Visconti and [[Marc Bolan]] that was released as a single under the pseudonym Dib Cochran and the Earwigs.<ref name=LoudersoundBB2012/> After a short return stint in the Ronnie Smith group, Wakeman spotted an advertisement in the ''Melody Maker'' for an organist in the Spinning Wheel, a pub band at The Greyhound in [[Chadwell Heath]], for seven nights a week. He got the job and moved there with his first wife.<ref name=1991tourbook/><ref name=MM70>{{cite web|url=http://forgotten-yesterdays.com/_graphics/memorabilia/_rick_pop_find_of_1970_rick_wakeman_interview_mark_plummer_melody_maker_1970_02_25_33510.jpg|title=Rick–pop find of 1970?|first=Mark|last=Plummer|work=Melody Maker|page=29|date=25 July 1970|access-date=28 September 2022}}</ref> Around this time Simper invited Wakeman to join his new band, [[Warhorse (British band)|Warhorse]], but he lacked commitment and had difficulty adapting to their [[hard rock]] sound. He left before their first demo was recorded.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://dmme.net/interviews/simper|title=Interview with Nick Simper|date=February 2008|publisher=Let it Rock|first=Dmitry|last=Epstein|access-date=30 December 2024}}</ref>

Wakeman's prominence rose during his tenure with the [[folk rock]] group [[Strawbs|the Strawbs]]. He had played the piano as a session musician on ''[[Dragonfly (Strawbs album)|Dragonfly]]'' (1970), which was the first album released with Wakeman's name on its credits.{{sfn|Wooding|1979|p=52}} During his stint in the Spinning Wheel, Strawbs frontman [[Dave Cousins]] invited him to join the band in March 1970.{{sfn|Wooding|1979|p=46}} The group went to [[Paris]] to perform at a rock circus with various bands backing the circus acts. During one show, and unbeknownst to Wakeman, he pushed [[Salvador Dalí]] off the stage as he made a special guest appearance during his piano solo: "I didn't know who he was. I thought, 'Silly old sod, coming on the stage waving his stick'."{{sfn|Wooding|1979|pp=54–55}}{{sfn|Wakeman|1995|p=94}} The Strawbs' first major concert, on 11 July 1970 at London's [[Queen Elizabeth Hall]], was recorded and released as ''[[Just a Collection of Antiques and Curios]]'', both of which brought Wakeman's virtuosity into the national spotlight. "Where is This Dream of Your Youth" features an extended organ solo and "Temperament of Mind", a solo piano piece that developed from improvisations when the band would lose power, received a standing ovation.{{sfn|Wooding|1979|pp=56–57}} Wakeman was featured on the front page of ''[[Melody Maker]]'' for the first time, calling him "tomorrow's superstar" and "pop find of 1970".{{sfn|Wooding|1979|p=58}}<ref name=MM70/> Also in July 1970, Wakeman launched a folk music night at the White Hart pub in Acton called the Booze Droop. It failed to make an impact and Wakeman owed the landlord money, so Bowie agreed to perform an acoustic set for £5 to help raise funds. The gig had around 12 attendees, as people thought the advertisements for the gig were a joke.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.aroundealing.com/history/bowie/|title=Bowie: A Starman in Acton|publisher=Around Ealing|first=Steven|last=Mandich|date=2 January 2021|access-date=23 May 2022}}</ref>

The income that Wakeman earned in sessions and the Strawbs allowed him to buy a home in [[West Harrow]].{{sfn|Wakeman|1995|p=103}} Despite being paid well, Wakeman soon became disillusioned with session work because he was not involved in the songwriting.<ref name=contemporarykeyboard1976/> He bought a [[Minimoog]] synthesiser at half price from actor [[Jack Wild]], who thought that it was defective because it only played [[Monophony|one note at a time]].<ref name="interview_2009">{{cite web|last=Wright |first=Jeb |title=Henry at the Hampton: An Exclusive Interview with Rick Wakeman |publisher=Classic Rock Revisited |year=2009 |url=http://www.classicrockrevisited.com/interviewrickwakeman.htm |access-date=26 October 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091116190637/http://www.classicrockrevisited.com/interviewrickwakeman.htm |archive-date=16 November 2009 }}</ref> Wakeman was involved in several notable sessions in 1971. He arranged and played the piano on "[[Morning Has Broken]]" by [[Cat Stevens]], but was omitted from the credits and for many years was not paid. Stevens later apologised and had the record company pay Wakeman for the error, which was donated to one of Stevens' schools.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://vintagerock.com/the-rick-wakeman-interview-2020-word-for-word/|title=The Rick Wakeman Interview (2020): Word for Word|first=Shawn|last=Perry|year=2020|access-date=31 August 2024}}</ref> Wakeman played the Hammond organ on ''[[Madman Across the Water]]'' by [[Elton John]], and was a feature artist on ''[[Orange (Al Stewart album)|Orange]]'' by [[Al Stewart]]. Bowie invited Wakeman to his home and played the outline of some songs for him on a guitar to learn, which Wakeman later called "the finest selection of songs I have ever heard in one sitting in my entire life".{{sfn|Wakeman|1995|p=105}} The result was "[[Changes (David Bowie song)|Changes]]", "[[Oh! You Pretty Things]]", and "[[Life on Mars?]]" for Bowie's album ''[[Hunky Dory]]'', which feature Wakeman on piano. He later reflected: "David was incredibly influential to me. I learned more about how to work in a studio from David than anybody. He was tremendous in that respect."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.newsweek.com/rick-wakeman-david-bowie-piano-man-yes-animal-rescue-interview-564924|title=Rick Wakeman's Piano Journey Into Yes, Bowie|website=Newsweek|first=Jeff|last=Perlah|date=8 March 2017|access-date=5 May 2020}}</ref> Wakeman played a series of piano [[glissando]]s on "[[Get It On (T. Rex song)|Get It On]]" for [[T. Rex (band)|T. Rex]], after frontman [[Marc Bolan]] offered him the session as he was desperate to pay his rent for the week.<ref name="LoudersoundBB2012">{{cite web|url=https://www.loudersound.com/features/rick-wakeman-sessions-bowie-bolan-interview-2012|title="David Bowie was an absolute genius. I learned more from him than from anybody I've ever worked with." Rick Wakeman's epic tales of sessions with Bowie, Bolan, Lou Reed and more|work=Louder|first=Dom|last=Lawson|date=16 June 2024|access-date=11 October 2024}}</ref> In late 1971, an album of covers with Wakeman on the piano, the [[John Schroeder (musician)|John Schroeder orchestra]], and an unknown female vocalist was released as ''[[Piano Vibrations]]''. His name is omitted from the cover and liner notes, and was paid £36 for the four sessions it took to record it.{{sfn|Wooding|1979|pp=107–108}}

The Strawbs' album ''[[From the Witchwood]]'' (1971) marked the growing differences between Wakeman and the rest of the band as he prioritised session work and contributed little to the music.{{sfn|Wakeman|1995|p=104}} He struggled to cover his mortgage and bills with money earned from the group, and started to consider other career options. In July 1971, Bowie invited Wakeman to join his new backing band, [[the Spiders from Mars]], on the same day that bassist [[Chris Squire]] of the [[progressive rock]] group [[Yes (band)|Yes]] offered him the chance to join the band, after [[Tony Kaye (musician)|Tony Kaye]] had been asked to leave following his resistance to learn instruments other than the piano and organ.{{sfn|Welch|2008|p=113}}<ref name="Valentine">{{cite news |title= Just Another Yes Man... |first=Penny |last=Valentine |author-link=Penny Valentine |newspaper=[[Sounds (magazine)|Sounds]] |publisher= Spotlight Publications |date= 28 August 1971|page= 7}}</ref> Wakeman agreed to meet Yes as they rehearsed for their fourth album, ''[[Fragile (Yes album)|Fragile]]'' (1971), and during his first session with the band, "[[Heart of the Sunrise]]" and "[[Roundabout (Yes song)|Roundabout]]", two of the band's iconic songs, were put together.{{sfn|Morse|1996|p=27}} Wakeman decided that Yes presented more favourable opportunities and declined Bowie's offer; his arrival into the band in August 1971 made the front page news in ''Melody Maker'', his second cover feature in a year.{{sfn|Wakeman|1995|pp=108–109}} With Yes his earnings rose from £18 to £50 to a week.<ref name=telegraph2014/>

===1971–1974: First Yes run, ''The Six Wives of Henry VIII'', and ''Journey to the Centre of the Earth''===
''Fragile'' was recorded in five weeks so the band could resume touring and help finance a new set of keyboards for Wakeman. The album features a solo track written by each member; Wakeman's track, "Cans and Brahms", is an adaptation of the third movement of [[Symphony No. 4 (Brahms)|Symphony No. 4]] by [[Johannes Brahms]] played on electronic keyboards.{{sfn|Welch|2008|p=115}} He called it "dreadful" as contractual disputes between [[Atlantic Records]], who had signed Yes, and A&M prevented him from writing his own composition.{{sfn|Morse|1996|p=29}} Wakeman said he was never credited for his contributions on ''Fragile'', including piano sections on "[[Heart of the Sunrise]]" and "[[South Side of the Sky]]", despite being told that management would sort the issue. He enjoyed the music too much to cause further rifts.{{sfn|Welch|2008|p=117}} ''Fragile'' reached the top ten in the UK and the US, and the [[Fragile Tour]] marked Wakeman's first visit to North America.{{sfn|Wooding|1979|p=73}} During the tour he signed a five-album deal with [[A&M Records]] as a solo artist.<ref name=1991tourbook/><ref name=rockcellar2017>{{cite web|url=http://www.rockcellarmagazine.com/2017/01/12/rick-wakeman-interview-piano-portraits-yes-rock-roll-hall-of-fame-david-bowie/#sthash.sKeo1PtR.dpbs|title=Rick Wakeman: On 'Piano Portraits,' David Bowie, Yes in the Rock Hall of Fame and More (Q&A)|publisher=Rock Cellar Magazine|first=Ken|last=Sharp|access-date=16 January 2017}}</ref> The commercial success of ''Fragile'' allowed Wakeman to buy a new home in [[Gerrards Cross]] and start a car collection,{{sfn|Wakeman|1995|p=117}} which he rented out through his new business, the Fragile Carriage Company.{{sfn|Wooding|1979|p=82}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.duedil.com/company/01214548/fragile-carriage-company-limited-the |title=The Fragile Carriage Company Limited |publisher=DueDil |date=2 June 1975 |access-date=5 September 2015}}</ref>

In the 1972 ''Melody Maker'' readers' poll, Wakeman ranked second in the Top Keyboardist category behind [[Keith Emerson]].{{sfn|Wooding|1979|pp=89–90}} That same year, Yes followed ''Fragile'' with ''[[Close to the Edge]]'', which is considered a landmark progressive rock album and features Wakeman playing a church organ and harpsichord. He is credited on the final track, "[[Siberian Khatru]]". Wakeman picked the album as "one of the finest moments of Yes' career."{{sfn|Morse|1996|p=152}} The [[Close to the Edge Tour]] marked the first time Wakeman wore a cape on stage after a fan offered his own for one of the band members to wear. He then had his own made; the first was made of sequins and cost US$300.{{sfn|Wooding|1979|p=85}} The concert film ''[[Yessongs (film)|Yessongs]]'', filmed in 1972 at the [[Rainbow Theatre]], featured his solo spot in the show. Also that month at the venue, Wakeman was a guest musician at [[the Who]]'s orchestral performances of ''[[Tommy (The Who album)|Tommy]]''. He also developed music for the 1972 film, ''[[Zee and Co.]]''{{sfn|Wooding|1979|p=77}}

In January 1973, Wakeman released his debut solo album, ''[[The Six Wives of Henry VIII (album)|The Six Wives of Henry VIII]]''.{{sfn|Wooding|1979|p=98}} It was recorded in 1972 during gaps in touring and recording with Yes, and features members of the band, the Strawbs, and other guest musicians. The album is instrumental with its [[concept album|concept]] based on Wakeman's musical interpretations of the characteristics of the [[wives of Henry VIII|six wives]] of [[Henry VIII of England|Henry VIII]]. The album was previewed with Wakeman performing excerpts on the BBC television show, ''[[The Old Grey Whistle Test]]''.{{sfn|Wooding|1979|p=98}} Much of the television audience that night planned to watch ''[[Blue Movie]]'', a controversial film by [[Andy Warhol]], but it was temporarily banned from being broadcast. Wakeman explained: "It seems most of them, rather than watch repeats, switched over to ''Whistle Test'' and saw my preview of ''Henry'' ... and suddenly it seemed as if the whole country had discovered my music ... it was a tremendous break."{{sfn|Wooding|1979|p=999}} The album reached No. 7 in the UK and No. 30 in the US, and ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' named the record one of the best albums of the year.<ref>{{cite news | title=Music: The Year's Best | date=31 December 1973 | work=Time Magazine | url =http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,910925,00.html | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20081214065014/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,910925,00.html | url-status =dead | archive-date =14 December 2008 | access-date =21 June 2010 }}</ref> At the ''Melody Maker'' readers poll awards in September 1973, Wakeman came out first in the top keyboardist category.{{sfn|Wooding|1979|pp=89–90}}

[[File:Rick Wakeman - Winterland 1974 (cropped).jpg|thumb|right|Wakeman performing with Yes in 1974. By this time, he had a distinctive look of long blonde hair and wearing capes on stage]]
Yes's double concept album ''[[Tales from Topographic Oceans]]'' was released in November 1973, containing four side long pieces based on ideas from Hindu scriptures in ''[[Autobiography of a Yogi]]'' by [[Paramahansa Yogananda]]. Wakeman had doubts about its esoteric concept, and felt a lot of its music was too experimental which required further rehearsal. He distanced himself from the group, and spent time in the bar at [[Morgan Studios]] and played on "Sabbra Caddabra" on ''[[Sabbath Bloody Sabbath]]'' by [[Black Sabbath]] in the adjacent studio.<ref>''I am Ozzy''. Ozzy Osbourne with Chris Ayres. Grand Central Publishing/Hatchet Book Group. 2009. Pages 160–162. {{ISBN|978-0-446-56989-7}}.</ref> Yes toured the album for six months, playing the album in its entirety which Wakeman also disagreed with. He openly criticised the album to the press, and his growing frustrations culminated in an incident whereby he ate a curry on stage during a show in [[Manchester]].{{sfn|Wooding|1979|p=110}} In 2006, Wakeman clarified that his total dislike of the album is "not entirely true" and recognises some "very, very nice musical moments", but "we had too much for a single album but not enough for a double, so we padded it out and the padding is awful".<ref>{{cite video|people=Wakeman, Rick|date=2007|minutes=1:23:48–1:24:49|title=Classic Artists: Yes. Disc One.|medium=DVD|publisher=Image Entertainment}}</ref>

During the ''Topographic Oceans'' tour Wakeman recorded his new 40-minute work ''[[Journey to the Centre of the Earth (album)|Journey to the Centre of the Earth]]'', based on [[Jules Verne]]'s same-titled [[A Journey to the Center of the Earth|science-fiction novel]]. He came up with the idea in 1971, but shelved the project until ''The Six Wives of Henry VIII'' was complete.<ref name=journeyprogramme>Concert programme for ''Rick Wakeman: Journey to the Centre of the Earth''. 18 January 1974.</ref> After working on the music with [[Lou Reizner]], [[David Measham]], [[Wil Malone]], and Danny Beckerman, which features an orchestra, choir, and a rock band, Wakeman chose to record the piece in concert due to the high costs of a studio.{{sfn|Wooding|1979|pp=11–13}} To help finance the project, he sold some of his cars and "mortgage[d himself] up to the hilt", all of which cost around £40,000.{{sfn|Wooding|1979|p=15}} Two concerts were held at London's [[Royal Festival Hall]] on 18 January 1974 with the [[London Symphony Orchestra]], the [[English Chamber Choir]], actor [[David Hemmings]] as narrator, and a five-piece band formed of musicians that Wakeman played with in a west London pub: vocalists Ashley Holt and [[Gary Pickford-Hopkins]], drummer [[Barney James]], bassist Roger Newell, and guitarist Mike Egan.{{sfn|Wooding|1979|p=13}} A&M wanted to use better known musicians, but Wakeman wanted the album to be known for its music rather than the performers.{{sfn|Wakeman|1995|p=120}} After cutting the album A&M refused to sell it, but as Wakeman was under contract with its US division, a cassette was sent to co-founder [[Jerry Moss]] who liked it and ordered its worldwide release.{{sfn|Wakeman|1995|pp=123–124}}

After touring ''Topographic Oceans'', Wakeman retreated to his Devonshire home. He heard early ideas for Yes's next album, felt he could no longer contribute to the style of music they were making, and confirmed his departure from the band on his twenty-fifth birthday. Later that day, A&M informed him that ''Journey'' had entered the UK charts at No. 1, a first for the label.{{sfn|Wakeman|1995|pp=124–125}} ''Journey'' also reached No. 3 in the US, and earned Wakeman a [[Grammy Award|Grammy]] and [[Ivor Novello Awards|Ivor Novello Award]] nomination.{{sfn|Wooding|1979|p=22}} The album has sold an estimated 14 million copies worldwide.<ref>{{cite web|title=Rick Wakeman, six wives and one hell of a party|date=1 May 2009|work=[[The Times]]|url=http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/article6200354.ece|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090508085218/http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/article6200354.ece|url-status=dead|archive-date=8 May 2009|access-date=28 October 2010}}</ref> On 27 July 1974, Wakeman headlined the [[Crystal Palace Bowl|Crystal Palace Garden Party concert]], performing selections from ''Six Wives'' and ''Journey'' in its entirety.{{sfn|Wooding|1979|pp=120–121}} By this time, his excessive smoking and alcohol consumption, a lack of sleep five days prior to the show, and a wrist injury from a fall, took a toll on his health, and he needed morphine injections to get through the performance. Soon after the show, he suffered a minor heart attack.{{sfn|Wooding|1979|p=124}}

===1974–1980: ''King Arthur'', ''No Earthly Connection'', and second Yes run===
During his recovery at [[Wexham Park Hospital]], Wakeman started to write new music for his next album, ''[[The Myths and Legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table]]''. Despite being advised to reduce his workload and temper his excessive lifestyle, Wakeman made plans to record and tour and continued to smoke and drink.{{sfn|Wooding|1979|p=126}} In September and October 1974, he completed his debut North American tour, performing ''Journey to the Centre of the Earth'' plus selections from ''Six Wives'' with the [[National Philharmonic Orchestra]], the Choir of America, and his rock band named The English Rock Ensemble. Under doctors' orders, Wakeman was required to pass a heart monitor test before each performance.{{sfn|Wooding|1979|p=128}} The tour continued to Japan, Australia, and New Zealand, finishing in March 1975.

[[File:Wembley_Arena_-_geograph.org.uk_-_480295.jpg|thumb|left|In 1975, Wakeman performed his ''King Arthur'' album live with ice skaters for three nights at [[Wembley Arena]]]]
Recording for ''King Arthur'' finished in January 1975, and features the New World Orchestra, English Chamber Choir, and the Nottingham Festival Vocal Group.{{sfn|Wooding|1979|p=133}} Its a [[concept album]] based on [[King Arthur]] and its related characters and stories. Following its release in March 1975, the album went to No. 2 in the UK and No. 21 in the US, and earned gold certifications in Brazil, Japan, and Australia.<ref>Booklet notes to Wakeman's 1994 live album, ''Live on the Test'' (1994).</ref> The album was promoted with three sold-out shows at [[Wembley Arena]] with Wakeman performing with an orchestra, choir, and his rock band to a total of 27,000 people. As the arena floor was already set up as an ice rink for a different attraction, Wakeman chose to present the show as an ice pageant with fourteen ice skaters and the musicians' stage placed in the round and decorated as a castle. The shows, though well received and a contributory factor to the album's commercial success, were expensive to produce.<ref name="interview_2009"/><ref>{{cite web| last = Miller | first = Jonathan | title = Rick Wakeman: Cirque Surreal | publisher=Sound On Sound |date = November 1995| url = http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/1995_articles/nov95/rickwakeman.html?print=yes | access-date =26 October 2009 }}</ref> In 2009, the concerts were listed in ranked 79th on VH1's ''100 Greatest Shocking Moments in Rock and Roll'' program.<ref>{{cite web|title=100 Most Shocking Moments in Rock & Roll |url=http://www.vh1.com/shows/the_greatest/episode.jhtml?episodeID=62200 |publisher=Vh1.com |access-date=17 December 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605050147/http://www.vh1.com/shows/the_greatest/episode.jhtml?episodeID=62200 |archive-date=5 June 2011 }}</ref> By 2008, the album had sold an estimated 12 million copies worldwide.<ref name=timesinterview>{{cite web| title = Prog Rock Britannia celebrates the men in loon pants| url = http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/article5320354.ece | archive-url = https://archive.today/20110615054328/http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/article5320354.ece | url-status = dead | archive-date = 15 June 2011 |author=John Bungey|work=[[The Times]] |location=UK | date= 20 December 2008 |access-date =2 March 2010}}</ref>

From 1979 to 2005 (excluding 2001), and from 2019 onwards, the [[BBC]] configured "Arthur" to be the opening theme of its electoral Broadcast in the [[United Kingdom]].

Wakeman toured ''King Arthur'' with an augmented formation of the English Rock Ensemble for three months from October 1975, across North and South America.<ref name=1976tourbook/> The stage production was scaled back in comparison to his previous tours, featuring only his rock band with a two-piece wind section. The line-up was Wakeman's first with new drummer [[Tony Fernandez (musician)|Tony Fernandez]], who would perform on many of his future albums and tours.<ref name=1976tourbook>{{Cite book|title=Rick Wakeman: In Concert tour programme|date=1976|url=http://www.rwcc.com/programmes/1976RWInConcert.pdf}}</ref> In 1975, Wakeman composed the [[Lisztomania (album)|soundtrack]] for ''[[Lisztomania (film)|Lisztomania]]'', a biography film about composer [[Franz Liszt]] written and directed by [[Ken Russell]]. Wakeman appears in the film as [[Thor]], the god of thunder.<ref name=1991tourbook/> A few years later, he recalled the album in a more negative light as "there was hardly anything of mine on it in the end", and criticised its mixing and production.{{sfn|Wooding|1979|p=147}} ''[[No Earthly Connection]]'' (1976) was recorded in France and features Wakeman and his English Rock Ensemble. Initially it was to be about mythological gods, but its lyrical subject matter changed after he witnessed a flying object one night which inspired him to read up on the origins of man and mysterious phenomena such as the [[Bermuda Triangle]], [[Stonehenge]], and the pyramids.<ref name=melodymaker1976>{{Cite journal|title=Rick Wakeman: No Earthly Connection|first=Chris|last=Welch|date=3 April 1976|journal=Melody Maker|access-date=14 January 2016|url=http://www.rocksbackpages.com/Library/Article/rick-wakeman-no-earthly-connectionam-amlk-64583}}</ref>{{sfn|Wooding|1979|p=156}} Wakeman wrote the album without playing any of its music beforehand, and summarised it in the liner notes: "A futuristic, autobiographical look at music, the part it plays in our pre-earth, human and after life".<ref name=earthlyconnectionsleeve>{{Cite AV media notes|title=No Earthly Connection|publisher=A&M Records|id=AMLK 64583|year=1976}}</ref>{{sfn|Wooding|1979|p=162}} Upon its release in April 1976, the album went to No. 9 in the UK and No. 67 in the US. Wakeman toured the album worldwide, which featured a scaled down stage production compared to his previous tours.{{sfn|Wooding|1979|p=172}}

By the summer of 1976, Wakeman fell into financial trouble after touring had met its minimal expectations and its expenses had exceeded its profits,{{sfn|Wooding|1979|p=172}} and had to come up with £350,000 "in a matter of weeks".{{sfn|Wooding|1979|p=171}} He sold his Rolls-Royces, ended his Fragile car service company, and disbanded the English Rock Ensemble,{{sfn|Wooding|1979|pp=172–172}} and saw further relief when A&M agreed to pay royalties in advance. At the suggestion of Wakeman's manager, [[Brian Lane (manager)|Brian Lane]], Wakeman rehearsed with [[Bill Bruford]] and [[John Wetton]] for six weeks with the plan to form a new band, but the story broke in ''[[Melody Maker]]'' which effectively caused the group to split.{{sfn|Wooding|1979|p=175}} Wakeman took up work recording [[White Rock (album)|the soundtrack]] to ''[[White Rock (film)|White Rock]]'', a documentary film about the [[1976 Winter Olympics]] directed by [[Tony Maylam]]. The film premiered in February 1977 as a double bill with ''[[Genesis: In Concert]]''. The track "After the Ball" was one that Wakeman forgot to write; he proceeded to play it as a completely improvised single take, rather than confessing to the producers. In 1977, the press named Wakeman as one of the acts on A&M Records who threatened to leave if the label signed the controversial punk band [[the Sex Pistols]]. He denied any involvement and said it was a publicity stunt derived by A&M to drop the band. Wakeman was a key figure in getting American punk band [[The Tubes]] their first record deal, having suggested to [[George Daly (music executive)|George Daly]] that he contact A&M executive [[Kip Cohen]], who signed the group.<ref name=LouderQA2014/>

Wakeman's fortunes changed when he was invited to join Yes in [[Montreux]], Switzerland, as they were working on new songs for ''[[Going for the One]]'' (1977), in November 1976. Keyboardist [[Patrick Moraz]] had left during the early stages in part due to the "enormous psychological pressures within the group".{{sfn|Hedges|1982|p=108}} Upon hearing the band's new material of more accessible and concise songs, Wakeman agreed to play on the album as a session musician and joined the band in Montreux. Wakeman subsequently agreed to rejoin the band full-time, but noticed the new edition of ''Melody Maker'' had printed the headline "Wakeman rejoins Yes" hours after he agreed. He then learned that Lane had informed the press of his return without consulting him.<ref>''YesYears'' documentary, 1991.</ref> Wakeman described ''Going for the One'' as "the album Yes should have made instead of ''Topographic Oceans''",<ref name=guardian2014/> and considered the 15-minute track "Awaken" as one of the group's best. ''[[Tormato]]'' (1978) features Wakeman playing a [[Birotron]], a [[tape replay keyboard]] that used [[8-track tape]] cartridges and contributed funds to its development. He is reported to have given the album its name by throwing a tomato at a showing of the art used for the album's cover.<ref name="interview_2002">{{cite web| last = Wright | first = Jeb | title = Rick Wakeman of Yes | publisher=Classic Rock Revisited |date = May 2002| url = http://www.classicrockrevisited.com/interviews02/Rick+Wakeman.htm | access-date =24 October 2009 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20040106024554/http://www.classicrockrevisited.com/interviews02/Rick+Wakeman.htm |archive-date = 6 January 2004}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| last = Tiano | first = Mike | title = Conversation with Roger Dean [nfte #308] | publisher=Notes From the Edge| date = 3 September 2008 | url = http://www.nfte.org/interviews/RD308.html| access-date =24 October 2009}}</ref>

Wakeman's final albums for A&M were released in the late 1970s. ''[[Rick Wakeman's Criminal Record]]'' (1977) is an instrumental rock album (apart from humorous vocals from [[Bill Oddie]]) similar to ''The Six Wives of Henry VIII'' but loosely based on criminality, and features Yes bandmates [[Chris Squire]] on bass and [[Alan White (Yes drummer)|Alan White]] on drums, with [[Frank Ricotti]] on percussion. The album went to No. 25 in the UK and No. 128 in the US. The track "Birdman of Alcatraz" was used as the theme music to the BBC drama series ''[[My Son, My Son (TV series)|My Son, My Son]]'' and subsequently released as a single.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.discogs.com/release/3156265-Rick-Wakeman-Birdman-Of-Alcatraz-Theme-From-My-Son-My-Son|title=Birdman of Alcatraz (Theme from My Son, My Son)|publisher=A&M Records|id=AMS 7435|year=1979|via=Discogs|access-date=6 January 2023}}</ref> ''[[Rhapsodies (album)|Rhapsodies]]'' (1979) was recorded in Montreux and released as a [[double album]], with Wakeman playing shorter tracks of varied musical styles. It features [[Bruce Lynch]], [[Frank Gibson Jr.]], and [[Tony Visconti]] as guest musicians. It also peaked at No. 25 in the UK. After touring with Yes in 1979, and failed attempts at making a new album with the band in Paris and London, Wakeman and Anderson left the group in early 1980.

===1980–1988: Albums for Charisma and President Records and venture into New-age and Christian music===
In 1980, after a four-year hiatus, Wakeman reformed the English Rock Ensemble for a European tour.{{sfn|Wakeman|1995|p=140}} Later that year he came close to forming a band with drummer [[Carl Palmer]], bassist [[John Wetton]], and guitarist [[Trevor Rabin]], but opted out "on a matter of principle" as the record company was prepared to sign them without hearing any of the group's music. He looked back at this moment: "I basically sealed my financial fate, and things went downhill fast."{{sfn|Wakeman|1995|p=140}} His father's death in November 1980 prompted him to leave Switzerland and return to the UK, which led to a record deal with [[Charisma Records]] to avoid bankruptcy.{{sfn|Wakeman|1995|p=140}}{{sfn|Wakeman|1995|p=142}} For several months of 1980 Wakeman was homeless due to his financial difficulties and second divorce, and resorted to sleeping on benches in [[Kensington Gardens]] until a former roadie let him sleep at his house.<ref name="2020 Vanity Fair story">{{cite magazine|last=Kushner|first=David|title=The Stranger-Than-Fiction Secret History of Prog-Rock Icon Rick Wakeman|url=https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2020/06/the-stranger-than-fiction-secret-history-of-prog-rock-icon-rick-wakeman|magazine=Vanity Fair|date=25 June 2020|access-date=24 July 2021}}</ref>

Wakeman's first album for Charisma was ''[[1984 (Rick Wakeman album)|1984]]'', a concept rock album based on [[George Orwell]]'s [[Nineteen Eighty-Four|same-titled dystopian novel]], with a band including [[Steve Barnacle]] on bass, [[Gary Barnacle]] on saxophone, and [[Frank Ricotti]] on drums. The album features tracks with [[Chaka Khan]], [[Jon Anderson]], [[Kenny Lynch]], and [[Tim Rice]] on lead vocals, who also wrote the lyrics. ''1984'' was released in June 1981 and reached number 24 in the UK. Plans to have the album adapted into a musical were cancelled after lawyers from Orwell's estate blocked its development.{{sfn|Wakeman|1995|p=143}} In July 1981, Wakeman performed ''Journey to the Centre of the Earth'' for two shows in [[Durban]], South Africa.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://www.rwcc.com/programmes/1981JourneyDurban.pdf|title=Rick Wakeman: Journey in Durban Concert Programme|date=1981|publisher=Durban Arts 81|access-date=4 September 2022}}</ref> This was followed by a world tour until the end of 1981, with a line-up of Holt, Fernandez, Tim Stone on guitar, Steve Barnacle on bass, and Cori Josiah on vocals.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://www.rwcc.com/programmes/1981DailyError.pdf|title=Rick Wakeman: 1981 Tour Book|date=February 1981|publisher=B&S Lithu|access-date=4 September 2022}}</ref> The tour became problematic due to growing friction within the band.<ref name=THN85/> In the same year, Wakeman recorded the soundtrack to the slasher horror film ''[[The Burning (1981 film)|The Burning]]'' in New York City.<ref name=1991tourbook/>

{{Quote box|width=30em|style=padding:10px;|align=right|quote="[I] realised that there was a lot of independent labels starting up all over the place. So I contacted different countries, different labels and said look, what sort of music can you sell ... or are you looking for ... Of a period of about four years I produced about 30-odd different CDs for different markets around the world. And all of them, very, very small budgets ... it kept me alive, and kept me hanging on."<ref name=1999Int>{{cite web|url=https://www.thetapesarchive.com/rick-wakeman/|title=Rick Wakeman (Yes) 1999|publisher=The Tapes Archive|first=Marc|last=Allan|date=1999|access-date=30 December 2024}}</ref>|source=—Rick Wakeman on the impact the 1980s and 1990s had on his career}}
Wakeman's next album was ''[[Rock 'n' Roll Prophet]]'', a humorous spoof on the pop duo [[the Buggles]] released in 1982 on his own label, Moon Records. Initially titled ''Maybe '80'', it was recorded in Switzerland in 1979 but remained unreleased until he secured the rights for it following an appearance at the [[MIDEM]] music festival.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Midem Meanderings|date=2 February 1983|journal=Variety|page=104|volume=310|issue=1|issn=0042-2738|id={{ProQuest|1438374961}}}}</ref><ref name=1991tourbook/><ref name=1985tourbook>{{cite book|url=http://www.rwcc.com/programmes/1985SilentNights.pdf|title=Rick Wakeman: Silent Nights Tour Book|date=1985|publisher=Concert Publishers|access-date=13 December 2016}}</ref> A single from the album, "I'm So Straight I'm a Weirdo", featuring Wakeman on lead vocals, was released in 1980.<ref>{{cite AV media notes|title="I'm So Straight I'm a Weirdo"/"Do You Believe in Fairies?"|publisher=A&M Records|id=AMS 7510|year=1971}}</ref> Wakeman hosted the [[Channel 4]] music show ''[[Gastank]]'' with [[Tony Ashton]] that aired in January and February 1983.<ref name=1985tourbook/> He then released a second album for Charisma, ''[[Cost of Living (Rick Wakeman album)|Cost of Living]]'', a mixture of instrumental and rock tracks with Rice on vocals, which failed to impact the chart and "did nothing" to improve his finances.{{sfn|Wakeman|1995|p=148}} By this time, Wakeman was "managerless, penniless and homeless".{{sfn|Wakeman|1995|p=151}} In February 1983, he and Carter moved to [[Camberley]], Surrey after the birth of their daughter Jemma.<ref name=1985tourbook/> Wakeman took up work by recording the soundtrack to the official [[1982 FIFA World Cup]] documentary film ''[[G'olé!]]'', which was released around the same time as ''Cost of Living'' which hampered potential sales.<ref name=1985tourbook/> He wrote the soundtrack for the film ''[[She (1984 film)|She]]'' with assistance from [[Justin Hayward]] and [[Maggie Bell]],<ref name=1985tourbook/> and his second Russell feature, ''[[Crimes of Passion (1984 film)|Crimes of Passion]]'', with Bell on vocals, Fernandez on drums, and past Strawbs bandmate [[Chas Cronk]] on bass. Wakeman based the music around the themes of [[Symphony No. 9 (Dvořák)|Symphony No. 9]] by [[Antonín Dvořák]].<ref name=1985tourbook/> Wakeman also spent early 1983 writing the score to the ballet ''Killing Games'', but problems during its development led to the project being shelved, along with a potential double album of its music.<ref name=1985tourbook/> In early 1984, Wakeman contributed three songs to the soundtrack of ''[[B.C. Rock]]''.<ref name=1985tourbook/>

In 1984, Wakeman signed with the independent label [[President Records]] in an association that would last until 2007, for which he would produce almost 40 albums.<ref>{{cite AV media notes|url=https://www.discogs.com/release/1763836-Rick-Wakeman-Retro-2|title=Rick Wakeman – Retro 2|publisher=President Records|id=RWCD 39|year=2007|via=Discogs|access-date=4 September 2022}}</ref> The first was ''[[Silent Nights]]'', Wakeman's first solo album in over two years, featuring Fernandez, Cronk, and [[Rick Fenn]] on guitar and released in 1985.<ref name=1985tourbook/> The single "Glory Boys" became a minor pop hit in the UK.{{sfn|Wakeman|1995|p=158}} In March 1985, Wakeman finished work on his part of the soundtrack to the comedy film ''[[Playing for Keeps (1986 film)|Playing for Keeps]]'', which was followed by a tour of the UK, North America, and Australia to promote ''Silent Nights''.{{sfn|Wakeman|1995|p=177}}<ref name=1985tourbook/> It was his first full-scale tour in four years, and his first shows in the US in over five.<ref name=THN85>{{cite news|url=http://forgotten-yesterdays.com/_graphics/graphic/graphic_33236.jpg|title=No, Rick Wakeman will not play any 'Yes' tunes at Modern Times|first=Andy|last=Seiler|newspaper=The Home News|page=2|date=22 August 1985|access-date=4 September 2022}}</ref> A live album from the UK leg was released as ''[[Live at Hammersmith (Rick Wakeman album)|Live at Hammersmith]]''. The tour left Wakeman "seriously in debt", and he was forced to remortgage his Camberley home.{{sfn|Wakeman|1995|p=177}} In September 1985, during the tour's Australian leg, Wakeman fell ill from his alcoholism and has been teetotal since.{{sfn|Wakeman|1995|p=178}} Also in 1985, a single of Wakeman's theme tunes for the television shows ''[[Lytton's Diary]]'' and ''Database'' was released.<ref name=1985tourbook/> By this time he had also composed music for the BBC show ''Paddles Up'' and the Channel 4 documentary ''Supercat''.<ref name=1989TB/> Wakeman reunited with [[David Bowie]] to play the piano on his 1986 single "[[Absolute Beginners (David Bowie song)|Absolute Beginners]]".<ref name=1987southbank/>

[[File:Rick Wakeman 1988 (cropped).jpg|thumb|upright|Wakeman in 1988]]
The latter half of the 1980s saw Wakeman venture into new musical genres. In 1986, he released his first album of [[new age music]] titled ''[[Country Airs]]'', formed of solo piano tracks inspired by walks in the countryside. It was a record he never had wanted to make, but was in need of money and accepted a £5,000 advance from Coda Records to record it.<ref>{{cite web|last=Wakeman|first=Rick|title=Discography – Country Airs (Original) (1986)|url=https://www.rwcc.com/product.php?int_titleID=57|website=Rick Wakeman's Communication Centre|access-date=24 May 2021}}</ref> It reached number one on the UK new age chart.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UiQEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PT74|magazine=Billboard|title=Monthly British New Age Chart|page=63|date=23 August 1986|access-date=14 December 2016|issn=0006-2510}}</ref> Wakeman followed this with a tour of the Far East, and soundtrack work for ''[[Hero (1987 film)|Hero]]'', the film to the [[1986 World Cup]].<ref name=1987southbank/> In 1987, Wakeman joined the rock band [[Sky (English/Australian band)|Sky]] as a guest musician for an Australian tour.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/108901019/rick-wakeman-sky-1987/|title=A new spirit in the Sky|first=Patrick|last=Hayes|date=26 May 1987|newspaper=The Age|via=[[Newspapers.com]]|page=14|access-date=4 September 2022}}</ref> His association with new age music continued as the host of a weekly new age radio show on [[Capital Radio]],<ref name=WDP87>{{cite news|url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/BL/0004974/19870520/015/0015?browse=False|title=It's the gospels according to Rick!|first=Keith|last=Manning|date=20 May 1987|newspaper=Western Daily Press|page=15|via=British Newspaper Archive|access-date=26 August 2024}}</ref> and the release of ''[[The Family Album]]'', with a track dedicated to each of his family members and pets. The original pressing included music Wakeman had composed for the BBC television film ''The Day After the Fair'' and the feature documentary ''Mackintosh''.<ref name=1989TB>{{cite web|url=https://www.rwcc.com/programmes/198920th.pdf|title=Rick Wakeman: 20 Years Tour Book|date=1989|publisher=|access-date=11 January 2023}}</ref> Also in 1987, Wakeman put out his first [[Christian music]] album titled ''The Gospels'', a double album based on [[Canonical gospels|the four Gospels]] that features tenor vocalist Ramon Remedios, actor [[Robert Powell]] as narrator, and the [[Eton College Chapel|Eton College Chapel Choir]].<ref name=WDP87/><ref name=1987southbank>{{cite book|url=http://www.rwcc.com/programmes/1987SouthBankPops.pdf|title=South Bank Pops '87 Programme|page=6|publisher=The South Bank Centre|access-date=14 December 2016}}</ref> The music was originally written for a 1985 concert as part of a fund raising event for a church before it was expanded into a full album.<ref>Wakeman 1979, p. 179.</ref> Wakeman played the album with Remedios and his band at the [[Royal Albert Hall]] in London and in the following year, in [[Caesarea (modern town)|Caesarea]], Israel that was broadcast internationally on television.{{sfn|Wakeman|1995|p=185}}<ref name=1987southbank/> He returned to rock with ''[[Time Machine (Rick Wakeman album)|Time Machine]]'', loosely based on the [[The Time Machine|science fiction novel]] by [[H. G. Wells]] and features [[Roy Wood]] and [[Tracy Ackerman]] as guest vocalists. Released in 1988, Wakeman intended to record it with an orchestra and choir and put on a star-studded ice show, but the idea was cancelled due to lack of funds.{{sfn|Wakeman|1995|p=187}}

In March 1988, in a move to improve their finances, Wakeman and Carter sold their Camberley home and moved to [[Peel, Isle of Man|Peel]] on the [[Isle of Man]]. A coach house on the site of their home was converted into a recording studio that Wakeman named Bajonor Studios, named after the first letters of his family.{{sfn|Wakeman|1995|p=188}} The 24-track studio was built as Wakeman had lost several opportunities to score films due to the high cost of renting large, professional studios, so he built his own as a compromise.<ref name=SOS95/> Wakeman recorded there from 1990 until 2001. The new age-themed ''Aspirant Sunset'', released in 1990, was the first, and marks the first album with his longtime recording engineer Stuart Sawney. Wakeman donated 50p from every sale of his ''Aspirant'' album trilogy to [[CPRE|CPRE, The Countryside Charity]].<ref name=RWCCDEC90/> Wakeman befriended fellow Isle of Man resident [[Norman Wisdom]], and the two made an album together.<ref>{{cite news
|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/how-we-metrick-wakeman-and-norman-wisdom-1364569.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220621/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/how-we-metrick-wakeman-and-norman-wisdom-1364569.html |archive-date=21 June 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=How We Met: Rick Wakeman and Norman Wisdom|first =Elizabeth|last=Udall|work=The Independent|access-date=13 January 2023|date=22 September 1996}}</ref>

===1988–1997: ABWH, third and fourth Yes runs, ''Phantom Power'', and ''The Piano Album''===
In late 1988, Wakeman got together with former Yes bandmates [[Jon Anderson]], [[Bill Bruford]], and [[Steve Howe]] to form a new group, [[Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe]]. The band originated when Anderson had become increasingly frustrated with Yes's commercial direction, and left the band to make music that reflected the band's 1970s sound. Their [[Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe (album)|self-titled album]] was released in 1989, and the tour marked Wakeman's first major US tour in ten years. Tracks originally put down for a second album were added to an in-progress Yes album and released as ''[[Union (Yes album)|Union]]'' in 1991, which transformed Yes into an eight-piece formation with Wakeman sharing keyboards with original Yes member [[Tony Kaye (musician)|Tony Kaye]]. Wakeman has openly stated his dislike for ''Union'', partly due to the fact that session musicians were brought in to re-write and perform parts that he and Howe had already put down. However, he later chose the Union Tour tour of 1991–1992 as his favourite with Yes, where he formed a strong friendship with their 1980s guitarist and singer-songwriter [[Trevor Rabin]]. Wakeman confirmed his exit from the group in 1993 following managerial disputes with the band's and his own.

Wakeman continued with his solo career in parallel; in 1990 he revived his English Rock Ensemble with Holt, Fernandez, and Paton for a European tour and recorded a new rock score for a colourised re-release of ''[[The Phantom of the Opera (1925 film)|The Phantom of the Opera]]'', featuring [[Chrissie Hammond]] on vocals, put out as ''[[Phantom Power (Rick Wakeman album)|Phantom Power]]'' in 1991. He embarked on two UK tours supporting his two ''The Classical Connection'' albums with himself and Paton in a stripped back stage production.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://rwcc.com/rwccarchive/rwcc_199105.php|title=RWCC News for May 1991|date=May 1991|publisher=Rick Wakeman's Communication Centre|access-date=13 January 2023}}</ref> In the first half of the 1990s, Wakeman performed and released music in aid of ASSIST, a California-based Christian organisation founded by journalist Dan Wooding, author of Wakeman's biography.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-08-05-ca-256-story.html|title=Wakeman Album Aids Church Group|first=Mike|last=Boehm|date=5 August 1991|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|access-date=2 January 2017}}</ref><ref name=latimes1994/> The pair reconnected in 1989, and their first venture was ''In the Beginning'', an album of atmospheric music with Biblical readings read by Wakeman's then-wife Nina. Wakeman donated the album's entire proceedings to ASSIST.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/in-the-beginning-mw0000914199|title=In the Beginning|first=Stephen|last=Raiteri|website=AllMusic|access-date=1 January 2017}}</ref> In 1994, Wakeman completed the Simply Acoustic Tour, a series of solo piano concerts in the US in aid of ASSIST.<ref name=latimes1994>{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-02-18-ca-24331-story.html|title=Wakeman Plans Church Concert|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=18 February 1994|first=Mike|last=Boehm|access-date=1 January 2017}}</ref> Recordings from shows in [[Virginia]] and the Calvary Chapel in [[Costa Mesa, California]] was released on ''The Piano Album'' in 1995. The latter show was attended by 8,000 people.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/piano-album-mw0000379464|title=The Piano Album|first=Mike|last=DeGagne|website=AllMusic|access-date=1 January 2017}}</ref> Wakeman formed Hope Records to release this new Christian music, and decided to use the royalty payments to fund the production of more albums for the label.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://rwcc.com/rwccarchive/rwcc_199109.php|title=RWCC News for September 1991|date=September 1991|publisher=Rick Wakeman's Communication Centre|access-date=13 January 2023}}</ref>

[[File:Adam Wakeman 2011 (cropped).jpg|thumb|right|upright|Since 1992, Wakeman has toured and recorded with his son [[Adam Wakeman]] on occasion]]
In October 1992, Wakeman embarked on a world tour with a four-piece group of Fernandez, guitarist and bassist [[Alan Thomson (musician)|Alan Thomson]], and his son [[Adam Wakeman]] on additional keyboards. The tour lasted until 1994, and was organised as Wakeman wished to tour with a second keyboardist to "free [him] up to do more things" on stage.<ref name=latimes1993>{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-06-25-ca-6929-story.html|title=Just Say Yes to Progressive Rock: Keyboardist Rick Wakeman, on a career-reaffirming tour that stops at the Coach House, pines for the old days|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=25 June 1993|first=Buddy|last=Seigal|access-date=1 January 2017}}</ref> The tour marked the release of ''Wakeman with Wakeman'', an album of keyboard compositions written and performed by the pair. They released ''No Expense Spared'' in 1993, ''Romance of the Victorian Age'' in 1994, and ''Vignettes'' in 1996. In 1993, Wakeman's financial situation took an unexpected turn when he was demanded to pay almost £70,000 to the [[Inland Revenue]] for interest charges and unpaid penalties related to tax he had paid for the preceding six years. He later wrote: "With help from [[Brian Lane (manager)|Brian Lane]]'s office and Yes's accountants, in my signing away all publishing income from everything I had ever written ... Twenty-two years' work had vanished in the three seconds it had taken to sign my name."{{sfn|Wakeman|1995|p=194}} Wakeman credits his 1993 appearance on the evening talk show ''[[Danny Baker]] After All'' as a turning point in his television career, after he told a story about being arrested in Moscow for smuggling a [[KGB]] uniform out of the country.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/music/7667636/The-Rick-Wakeman-Interview|title=The Rick Wakeman Interview|date=13 September 2012|publisher=Stuff|access-date=13 January 2023}}</ref>

In mid-1995, Wakeman became involved with Phillip Gandey's family circus entertainment project [[Cirque Surreal]], writing and recording "timeless" pieces to enhance the show's various characters. The show was initially held at the [[Brighton Festival]], and Wakeman went out to perform it live with his band at other venues, including the [[Cheltenham Festival]].<ref name=SOS95>{{cite web|url=https://www.soundonsound.com/people/rick-wakeman-cirque-surreal|title=Rick Wakeman: Cirque Surreal|first=Jonathan|last=Miller|date=November 1995|publisher=Sound on Sound|access-date=4 September 2022}}</ref> Around the same time, Wakeman scored the soundtrack to ''[[Bullet to Beijing]]'', a [[made-for-television]] film starring [[Michael Caine]] and [[Jason Connery]]. He also scored its sequel, ''[[Midnight in Saint Petersburg]]''.<ref name=SOS95/> Also in 1995, Wakeman played Mellotron on two songs of [[Ozzy Osbourne]]'s album ''[[Ozzmosis]]'',  "Perry Mason" and "I Just Want You".

In the summer of 1995, Wakeman agreed to return to Yes which marked his fourth time in the group and the return of the "classic" line-up. They worked on new studio material and performed live shows in 1996 which was released on ''[[Keys to Ascension]]'' (1996) and ''[[Keys to Ascension 2]]'' (1997). In March 1997, Wakeman staged the North American premiere of ''The New Gospels'' for five dates after it was reworked and extended into a two-hour [[oratorio]] with a 30-piece choir, in 1994. The concerts were free with donations to ASSIST.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-03-28-ca-43043-story.html|title=Religious Experience|date=28 March 1997|first=Mike|last=Boehm|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|access-date=2 January 2017}}</ref> Wakeman left Yes in May 1997 before he could tour with them, due to scheduling conflicts and lack of coordination between the artists' management. In June 1997, Wakeman became the host of the stand-up comedy television show ''Live at Jongleurs''.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/108934268/|title=Rock star Rick to host new comedy show|date=12 June 1997|newspaper=Liverpool Echo|page=37|via=[[Newspapers.com]]|access-date=4 September 2022}}</ref> Later in 1997, his 20-minute choral piece "Noah", written for the English Chamber Choir, premiered in London. Wakeman performed the piece with the choir once more in 2011.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/hp/front/wakeman-rocks-the-boat-again-with-noah-6416474.html|title=Wakeman rocks the boat again with Noah|date=29 June 2011|work=Evening Standard|access-date=9 January 2023}}</ref>

===1998–2008: ''Return to the Centre of the Earth'', English Rock Ensemble revival, and final Yes run===
In 1998, he started work on ''[[Return to the Centre of the Earth]]'', a sequel album to commemorate the 25th anniversary of ''Journey to the Centre of the Earth''. The idea first came to Wakeman in 1991 during a tour of Italy, which led to discussions about the project with [[Atlantic Records]] that year about a re-recording of the original album with new equipment and arrangements, but the idea was rejected. It was revived in 1996 when Wakeman received offers from three record companies willing to fund and release a new "epic" album.<ref name=1999interview>{{cite web|url=http://yesmuseum.org/WakeView1.html|title=Rick Wakeman – Interview – Madrid, {{sic|21th|nolink=y}} April 1999|publisher=YesMuseum.org|date=21 April 1999|access-date=14 December 2016}}</ref> After a deal with [[EMI Classics]] was made, a story based on three unnamed travellers and their attempt to follow the original route was finalised, and recording began in 1998 with a band, the [[London Symphony Orchestra]], the [[English Chamber Choir]], [[Patrick Stewart]] as the narrator, and guest performances from [[Trevor Rabin]], [[Ozzy Osbourne]], and [[Bonnie Tyler]].<ref>{{cite AV media notes|title=Return to the Centre of the Earth|publisher=EMI Classics|id=724355676320|year=1999}}</ref> Released in 1999, the album went to number 34 in the UK, Wakeman's first album to enter the chart in 12 years. Recording was temporarily disrupted because of Wakeman's health.<ref name=mirrorhealth/>{{sfn|Welch|2008|p=279}}{{sfn|Welch|2008|p=284}} In December 1998, Wakeman was featured on an episode of ''[[This Is Your Life (British TV series)|This Is Your Life]]''.{{sfn|Welch|2008|p=278}}

Wakeman accepted an invitation to revive his English Rock Ensemble for a South American tour in September 2000, following a renewed interest in [[progressive rock]] there.{{sfn|Welch|2008|p=284}} The band featured a new line-up of Fernandez, [[Damian Wilson]] on vocals, [[Adam Wakeman]] on keyboards, Ant Glynne on guitar, and Lee Pomeroy on bass. Wakeman was particularly pleased with his playing, calling it his "best in a long time."{{sfn|Welch|2008|p=285}} The group returned in April 2001, followed by several European dates. Later that year, Wakeman entered discussions with [[Keith Emerson]] regarding a potential music project, but the idea was shelved.{{sfn|Welch|2008|p=284}} In 2001, Wakeman performed in his first [[pantomime]] role as [[Abanazar (pantomime)|Abanazar]] in a production of ''[[Aladdin]]'' in [[Truro]], for the Christmas season.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.uktw.co.uk/archive/Truro/Hall-for-Cornwall/Panto/Aladdin/L1020075473/|title=Truro – Hall for Cornwall – Aladdin|publisher=UK Theatre Web|access-date=23 October 2022}}</ref> He made a cameo appearance in the 2002 thriller horror film ''Alone'' as a hospital patient.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmovie.com/movie/alone-v261971/review|title=Alone (2002)|publisher=AllMovie|access-date=23 October 2022}}</ref> In 2003, Wakeman starred in the BBC television show ''[[Grumpy Old Men (TV series)|Grumpy Old Men]]'', and stayed on as a regular until the show ended in 2006. The show increased his national profile and made him a regular in the after dinner speech circuit.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/idINIndia-50911220100818|title=Interview – Grumpy Old Rocker Rick Wakeman Changes Tack|first=Jeremy|last=Gaunt|publisher=Reuters|date=18 August 2010|access-date=4 September 2022}}</ref>

In April 2002, Wakeman rejoined Yes for the fifth and final time, and said it took eight months to get the necessary paperwork to make it happen.{{sfn|Welch|2008|p=284}}{{sfn|Welch|2008|p=285}} The band toured worldwide with the [[List of Yes concert tours (2000s–10s)#Full Circle Tour|Full Circle Tour]] and [[List of Yes concert tours (2000s–10s)#35th Anniversary Tour|35th Anniversary Tours]], which ran from 2002 to 2004. Wakeman described the band's playing during his return: "It was far and away the best the band had ever been ... there was no staleness, there was a lot of freshness."<ref name=gloucester2015>{{Cite news|url=http://www.gloucestershireecho.co.uk/marriages-rock-star-past-grumpy-old-man-Rick/story-26253354-detail/story.html|title=Four marriages, a rock star past an being a grumpy old man – Rick Wakeman opens up to Weekend|date=30 March 2015|first=Corrie|last=Bond-French|work=Gloucestershire Echo|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150814024847/http://www.gloucestershireecho.co.uk/marriages-rock-star-past-grumpy-old-man-Rick/story-26253354-detail/story.html|archive-date=14 August 2015}}</ref> The only new studio material worked on during this time were bonus tracks on ''[[The Ultimate Yes: 35th Anniversary Collection]]''. After the 2004 tour Yes entered a four-year hiatus, during which Wakeman retired from large scale tours following ongoing health problems.<ref name=WT08>{{cite web|url=https://www.wiltshiretimes.co.uk/leisure/wtimesleisuretheatre/2271647.rick-wakemans-grumpy-old-picture-show/|title=Rick Wakeman's Grumpy Old Picture Show|date=14 May 2008|work=Wiltshire Times|access-date=4 September 2022}}</ref> When the band regrouped in 2008, Wakeman's son [[Oliver Wakeman|Oliver]] replaced him on keyboards.

In April 2005, Wakeman and his band performed three shows in [[Havana]], Cuba, including an outdoor show attended by an estimated 10,000 people. They came about after Wakeman was offered to perform there to support a charitable foundation that supports a children's cancer hospital. The first two shows were filmed and released as ''Made in Cuba'', proceeds from which were given to the hospital.<ref name=ASSIST05>{{cite news|title=Rick Wakeman brings his 'healing music' to Cuba as fans go wild|first=Dan|last=Wooding|date=July 2005|publisher=ASSIST News}}</ref> Cuban leader [[Fidel Castro]] greeted Wakeman, thanking him for his humanitarian support.<ref name=ASSIST05/> Wakeman received some criticism following the visit, which upset him personally and made him consider retiring from live performance. He addressed the false accusations on his website, clarifying that the visit was not staged for political reasons.<ref name=ASSIST05/> Wakeman later revealed that Castro gave him some earth surrounding [[Che Guevara]]'s grave.<ref name=guardian2014/>

In June 2006, Wakeman toured the US with a solo piano tour.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.newtownbee.com/02242006/rick-wakeman-is-no-yes-man-on-his-grand-piano-tour/|title=Rick Wakeman Is No 'Yes Man' On His Grand Piano Tour|first=John|last=Voket|date=24 February 2006|publisher=The Newton Bee|access-date=5 September 2022}}</ref> This was followed by a performance of ''Return to the Centre of the Earth'' with his band, orchestra, and choir in Quebec, Canada. The show featured [[Jon Anderson]] as a guest performer, which led to the pair touring the UK together as Anderson/Wakeman.{{sfn|Welch|2008|p=290}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.harrowtimes.co.uk/news/965573.yes-duo-roll-back-the-years/|title=Yes duo roll back the years|date=12 October 2006|first=Chris|last=Groom|work=Harrow Times|access-date=5 September 2022}}</ref> Wakeman scored the 2007 documentary film ''In Search of the Great Beast 666'', about the life of occultist [[Aleister Crowley]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.getreadytorock.com/10questions/rick_wakeman2.htm|title=10 Questions: Rick Wakeman|date=August 2007|first=Jason|last=Ritchie|publisher=Get Ready to Rock|access-date=22 September 2024}}</ref> He toured the UK in 2007 with a new production, the Grumpy Old Picture Show. Inspired by his appearances on ''Grumpy Old Men'', the show combined live performances and stories with visual accompaniments including old photos and pre-recorded sketches. The initial run of 14 dates were so successful, Wakeman completed a further 24 dates in the following year.<ref name=WT08/>

===2009–present: Revisiting classic 1970s albums, Yes feat. ARW, and piano albums===
In May 2009, Wakeman performed his debut album ''[[The Six Wives of Henry VIII (album)|The Six Wives of Henry VIII]]'' in its entirety for the first time at [[Hampton Court Palace]], as part of the 500th anniversary celebrations of [[Henry VIII]]'s accession to the throne. He had originally asked to perform there in 1973, but was declined until he was invited 36 years later. The shows were released on CD and DVD as ''[[The Six Wives of Henry VIII Live at Hampton Court Palace]]''. In 2010, Wakeman was awarded the Spirit of Prog Award at the annual [[Classic Rock Roll of Honour Awards]].<ref>{{cite magazine | url= http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/content_display/industry/e3i380e27368bb3e68cd49c42cece12498c | title= AC/DC, Stones, Slash Win At Classic Rock Awards | first= Emma | last= Johnston | magazine= Billboard | date= 11 November 2010 | access-date= 17 November 2010 | archive-date= 4 August 2012 | archive-url= https://archive.today/20120804192554/http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/content_display/industry/e3i380e27368bb3e68cd49c42cece12498c | url-status= dead }}</ref>

[[File:Rickwakemanmoog.jpg|thumb|Wakeman performing in 2012]]
In 2012, Wakeman recorded a new and extended version of ''[[Journey to the Centre of the Earth (album)|Journey to the Centre of the Earth]]'', following the discovery of the original conductor's score three years prior which was considered lost. As the original album was shortened to fit a single LP, Wakeman re-recorded the album with the previously cut parts which expanded the work to 54 minutes.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/whats-on/music-nightlife-news/rick-wakemans-journey-centre-earth-6973290|title=Return Journey as Rick Wakeman opens tour at Newcastle City Hall|date=11 April 2014|work=Chronicle Live|first=Gordon|last=Barr|access-date=18 March 2019}}</ref><ref name=reuters2012>{{Cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/entertainment-us-journey-reissue/wakeman-reworks-rock-epic-journey-to-centre-of-earth-idUSBRE8AD0US20121114|title=Wakeman reworks rock epic Journey to Centre of Earth|first=Mike|last=Collett-White|date=14 November 2012|access-date=2 December 2012|publisher=Reuters}}</ref> It features his English Rock Ensemble, the Orion Orchestra and English Chamber Choir conducted by [[Guy Protheroe]], and narration by actor [[Peter Egan]]. In April and May 2014, Wakeman performed the expanded album on a 14-date UK tour to commemorate the fortieth anniversary of the original.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rwcc.com/livepast.asp?int_tourID=32|title=Rick Live – Journey to the Centre of the Earth UK (2014)|publisher=Rick Wakeman's Communication Centre|access-date=18 March 2019|archive-date=13 June 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190613165634/http://rwcc.com/livepast.asp?int_tourID=32|url-status=dead}}</ref> The re-recording of ''Journey'' became the catalyst for a new and expanded version of ''King Arthur'', following a request from a South American concert promoter, for which Wakeman wrote new music based on additional Arthurian legends. The re-record version runs for 88 minutes, and features actor [[Ian Lavender]] as narrator. It was Wakeman's first album produced via online [[direct-to-fan]] support, and released on 19 June 2016, the same day that Wakeman performed it live at London's [[The O2 Arena|O2 Arena]] for the Stone Free Festival.<ref name=teamrock2016>{{cite web|url=http://teamrock.com/feature/2016-06-15/stone-free-preview-rick-wakeman|title=Stone Free preview: Rick Wakeman|first=Jo|last=Kendall|date=15 June 2016|publisher=Team Rock|access-date=9 September 2017}}</ref>

In 2013, Wakeman played on ''[[The Theory of Everything (Ayreon album)|The Theory of Everything]]'' by [[Ayreon]].<ref>{{YouTube|id=uSqMrzZxdz0&list=TLLG7nOWx0a4E|title=Rick Wakeman to guest on Ayreon Theory of Everything}} Official Arjen Lucassen channel (2013)</ref> In August 2013, Wakeman performed 12 solo piano shows as part of the [[Edinburgh Festival Fringe]].<ref name=HN13>{{cite web|url=https://www.halesowennews.co.uk/leisure/base_sessions/10435617.base-sessions-special-rick-wakeman-interview-and-competition/|title=Base Sessions Special – Rick Wakeman Interview and Competition|date=22 May 2013|publisher=Halesowen News|access-date=13 January 2023}}</ref> In June 2015 he announced Wakemanfest, a three-day music festival at the Gliderdrome in [[Boston, Lincolnshire]] that October, featuring performances from himself and the English Rock Ensemble, [[the Strawbs]], The Cadbury Sisters, and Chrissie Hammond.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.loudersound.com/news/rick-wakeman-launches-festival|title=Rick Wakeman launches festival|first=Martin|last=Kielty|date=9 June 2015|publisher=Loudersound|access-date=24 August 2024}}</ref> It was postponed, in addition to a piano tour of Scandinavia following the festival, after Wakeman had an undisclosed "serious health scare" and took time off at the suggestion of his management and family.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.loudersound.com/news/rick-wakeman-cancel-wakemanfest-health-concerns|title=Wakeman calls off his festival over health concerns|first=Martin|last=Kielty|date=10 September 2015|publisher=Loudersound|access-date=24 August 2024}}</ref> In January 2016, Wakeman reunited with former Yes bandmates [[Jon Anderson]] and [[Trevor Rabin]] and the three announced the formation of their new band, [[Yes Featuring Jon Anderson, Trevor Rabin, Rick Wakeman|Anderson Rabin Wakeman]], later renamed Yes Featuring Jon Anderson, Trevor Rabin, Rick Wakeman.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ultimateclassicrock.com/ex-yes-members-tour/|title=Are Ex-Yes Members Jon Anderson, Rick Wakeman and Trevor Rabin Touring Together in 2016?|first=Jeff|last=Giles|date=13 January 2016|access-date=15 January 2016}}</ref> The three toured from 2016 to 2018, performing Yes music across the band's history.

In January 2016, Wakeman performed a piano version of "[[Life on Mars?]]" live on [[BBC Radio 2]] as a tribute following the death of his longtime friend [[David Bowie]]. The strong reception from listeners and viewers of the YouTube video led Wakeman to release a single of the track with a piano version of "[[Space Oddity]]" and an original song, "Always Together", in aid of [[Macmillan Cancer Support]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.eadt.co.uk/news/rick_wakeman_s_david_bowie_tribute_tracks_will_raise_cash_for_macmillan_cancer_support_1_4389994|title=Rick Wakeman's David Bowie tribute tracks will raise cash for Macmillan Cancer Support|date=22 January 2016|first=Edmund|last=Crosthwaite|work=East Anglian Daily Times|access-date=22 January 2016}}</ref> The reception from the single and YouTube video inspired Wakeman to produce a solo piano album of tracks that he had played on in his career, plus original tunes and adaptations of classical pieces. ''[[Piano Portraits]]'' was released in January 2017 and peaked at No. 7 in the UK, Wakeman's highest-charting album since 1975. It also reached gold certification from the [[British Phonographic Institute]].<ref name=ukalbumchart>{{cite web|url=http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/2846/rick-wakeman/|title=Official Charts – Rick Wakeman|publisher=Official Charts|access-date=20 January 2017}}</ref><ref name=prnews2016>{{cite web|url=http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/rick-wakeman-to-release-new-studio-album-300372404.html|title=Rick Wakeman To Release New Studio Album|date=5 December 2016|publisher=PRNewswire|access-date=20 December 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161221092449/http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/rick-wakeman-to-release-new-studio-album-300372404.html|archive-date=21 December 2016}}</ref> In 2018, Wakeman released a follow-up, ''[[Piano Odyssey]]'', this time with some orchestral arrangements. Like its predecessor, the album reached No. 7 in the UK. He concluded the series of piano albums with ''[[Christmas Portraits]]'', a Christmas-themed piano album, in 2019. In September and October 2019, Wakeman embarked on his first solo tour of the US in 13 years, playing piano shows.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.loudersound.com/news/rick-wakeman-announces-the-grumpy-old-rock-star-tour|title=Rick Wakeman announces the Grumpy Old Rock Star Tour|first=Scott|last=Munro|date=10 May 2019|publisher=Prog Magazine|access-date=10 May 2019}}</ref>

In June 2020, Wakeman returned to his progressive rock roots with ''[[The Red Planet]]'', an instrumental album inspired by [[Mars]] and featuring his English Rock Ensemble.<ref name=LS20>{{cite web|url=https://www.loudersound.com/news/rick-wakeman-reports-a-new-prog-album-is-in-the-works|title=Rick Wakeman reports a new prog album is in the works|date=15 January 2020|first=Scott|last=Munro|publisher=Loudersound|access-date=16 January 2020}}</ref> In March 2023, Wakeman released ''A Gallery of the Imagination'', featuring tracks of varied styles including songs and instrumentals.

In February 2023, Wakeman and his band performed two shows at the London Palladium featuring ''The Six Wives of Henry VIII'', ''Journey to the Centre of the Earth'' and ''King Arthur'' performed in their entirety, plus a selection of songs he performed with Yes. The shows were released as a live album.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.loudersound.com/news/rick-wakeman-to-perform-his-classic-solo-albums-at-two-london-shows-in-2023|title=Rick Wakeman to perform his classic solo albums at two London shows in 2023|first=Natasha|last=Scharf|date=20 September 2022|publisher=Loudersound|access-date=20 September 2022}}</ref> In February 2024, he toured the UK with the ''Journey to the Centre of the Earth'' and Yes sets, followed by the start of his Final One Man Solo Tour of North America.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.goldminemag.com/artist-news/keyboardist-rick-wakeman-will-perform-last-one-man-shows-premiere-yes-sonata|title=Keyboardist Rick Wakeman will perform "last" one-man shows, premiere Yes sonata|date=24 January 2024|work=Goldmine|access-date=26 January 2024}}</ref> The tour featured the debut of his 30-minute piano composition "Yessonata", featuring various themes and melodies from Yes songs that he had originally played on. In November 2024 a 20-minute recorded version of ''Yessonata'' was released as an album of the same name, paired with a piano suite of similar length based on themes from ''King Arthur''.<ref>[https://www.facebook.com/share/p/iFPUi5ygvfY3kmmt/ Rick Wakeman Official Facebook page > post "Available to pre-order now due to overwhelming public demand! 'YESSONATA' CD edition" (23 August 2024)]</ref><ref>[https://blabbermouth.net/news/yes-keyboard-legend-rick-wakeman-announces-final-one-man-fall-2024-solo-tour blabbermouth.net > article "YES Keyboard Legend RICK WAKEMAN Announces 'Final One Man' Fall 2024 Solo Tour" (8 July 2024)]</ref> Wakeman composed an orchestral piece as a tribute to the life and achievements of primatologist and climate campaigner [[Jane Goodall]] for the 2024 [[Starmus Festival]], which he performed with himself on piano.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.countypress.co.uk/news/24554363.rick-wakeman-appear-shanklin-theatre-isle-wight/|title=Rick Wakeman to appear at Shanklin Theatre Isle of Wight|first=Jake|last=Curran|date=1 September 2024|publisher=Isle of Wight County Press|access-date=26 October 2024}}</ref>

==Instruments==
[[File:RickWakeman2009.JPG|220px|thumb|left|Wakeman performing at the [[Royal Albert Hall]] in aid of the Performing Right Society for Music Members' Benevolent Fund in 2009]]
By the end of 1972, Wakeman's typical keyboard setup included piano, [[electric piano]], [[Mellotron]], [[Hammond organ]], and [[Minimoog]] synthesizer, and he had played a [[pipe organ]] and harpsichord on record. He went on to use many later models of synthesizers including the [[Polymoog]] and the short-lived [[Birotron]], which he helped fund in its development. Because of the advent of digital keyboards at that time, and expensive components used in the instruments' manufacture, the Birotron was never a commercial or technical success and only 35 were produced.<ref name="The Birotron">{{cite web|url=http://www.8trackheaven.com/birotron.html|title=The Birotron<!-- Bot generated title -->|access-date=31 July 2017|url-status=usurped|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070607174731/http://www.8trackheaven.com/birotron.html|archive-date=7 June 2007}}</ref> In recent years, Wakeman has used various Korg models, a Yamaha Montage, and the [[Memotron]], a digital version of the original Mellotron.

An [[urban legend]] claims that Wakeman got so frustrated with one Mellotron that he poured [[petrol]] on it and set fire to it, which he said in 2010 was only "semi-true", and had become an exaggerated story over time. He clarified that some were so far beyond repair they were taken apart and burnt, but he kept the frames. A double Mellotron that he had made was stolen and reappeared in America.<ref name=holmes>{{cite web|url=http://www.metal-discovery.com/Interviews/rickwakeman_interview_2010_pt3.htm|title=Interview with Rick Wakeman|first=Mark|last=Holmes|publisher=Metal Discovery|date=28 July 2010|access-date=8 November 2013}}</ref>

In addition to keyboards, Wakeman still owns the soprano saxophone that he used at the Royal College of Music, and can play some rhythm and bass guitar.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://dmme.net/interviews/interview-with-rick-wakeman|title=Interview with Rick Wakeman|first=Dmitry|last=Epstein|date=January 2014|publisher=DMME|access-date=4 February 2024}}</ref>

==Recognition and influence==
In his foreword for Wakeman's 1979 biography, [[Elton John]] named ''The Six Wives of Henry VIII'' as one of his favourite albums. He noted Wakeman's "brilliant" technique and wrote that his "mastery of electronic instruments only adds to his abilities".{{sfn|Wooding|1979|p=7}} In 2011, [[MusicRadar]] included Wakeman among "The 27 greatest keyboard players of all time".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.musicradar.com/news/tech/the-27-greatest-keyboard-players-of-all-time-484228 |title=The 27 greatest keyboard players of all time |first=Scot |last=Solida |publisher=[[MusicRadar]] |date=27 July 2011 |access-date=22 August 2020}}</ref> In 2019, readers of ''[[Prog (magazine)|Prog]]'' voted him the second greatest progressive rock keyboard player, with the magazine stating, "Wakeman's time with Yes helped define prog as we know it, being filled with timeless brilliance [...] The man's style is fluent, and underlines a love of many genres, all cohesively brought into focus."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.loudersound.com/features/the-top-ten-keyboard-players-in-prog |title=The top ten keyboard players in prog |first=Jerry |last=Ewing |website=loudersound.com |date=21 July 2019 |access-date=22 August 2020}}</ref> In 2024, [[Neil McCormick]] of ''[[The Daily Telegraph]]'' ranked him as the second greatest keyboard player of all time.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/news/elton-john-keyboard-players-stevie-wonder/ | title=The 10 greatest keyboard players of all time – ranked | work=The Daily Telegraph | first=Neil | last=McCormick | date=16 October 2024 | access-date=22 October 2024}}</ref>

Keyboardists who have cited Wakeman as an influence included [[Dave Greenfield]] of [[the Stranglers]]<ref name="JENKINS">{{cite book |last1=Jenkins |first1=Mark |title=Analog Synthesizers: Understanding, Performing, Buying—From the Legacy of Moog to Software Synthesis |date=October 2009 |publisher=CRC Press |page=150 |isbn=9781136122781 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iI77AwAAQBAJ&q=greenfield+korg+vc-10&pg=PA150}}</ref> and [[Mark Kelly (keyboardist)|Mark Kelly]] of [[Marillion]], who cited Wakeman as his primary influence.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://musicplayers.com/2007/04/marillions-mark-kelly-keyboards-eden/|title=Marillion's Mark Kelly: Keyboards in Eden|website=musicplayers.com|first=Scott|last=Kahn|date=6 April 2007|access-date=22 August 2020}}</ref>

==Personal life==
===Family===
Wakeman has been married four times and has six children. At the age of 20, he married Rosaline Woolford on 28 March 1970{{sfn|Wooding|1979|p=46}} and had two sons, [[Oliver Wakeman|Oliver]] and [[Adam Wakeman|Adam]]. They divorced in 1977.<ref name=express2004>{{cite web|url=http://zenponies.com/yitp/2004/may/may01_04.html|title=The Love Child Rick Wakeman has Kept Secret for 18 Years|date=1 May 2004|newspaper=The Express|first=Rachel|last=Kaufman|access-date=30 January 2017}}</ref> Wakeman then married Swiss-born Danielle Corminboeuf, a recording studio secretary, in January 1980 in the [[West Indies]] and lived with her in Montreux.{{sfn|Wakeman|1995|p=138}}<ref name=express2004/> They had one son, before they divorced in late 1980.{{sfn|Wakeman|1995|p=146}}<ref name=express2004/> In 1981, Wakeman met former [[Page 3 girl|Page 3]] model [[Nina Carter]] and had a daughter,{{sfn|Wakeman|1995|p=155}} before they married in November 1984 and had a son.{{sfn|Wakeman|1995|p=185}}<ref name=express2004/> The couple separated in 2000<ref name=express2004/> and divorced in 2004.<ref name=express2011>{{cite web|url=http://www.express.co.uk/celebrity-news/292644/Fourth-marriage-for-Wakeman|title=Fourth marriage for Wakeman|date=30 December 2011|work=The Express|access-date=30 January 2017}}</ref>

In 2004, Wakeman revealed that he had had an extramarital affair with American-born designer Denise Gandrup, who first met Wakeman in 1972 and made several of his capes.{{sfn|Welch|2008|p=122}} After they split in 1981, they reconnected in 1985 and had one daughter. Wakeman felt it best to keep the relationship and child secret to protect his family, but continued to financially support his daughter.<ref name=express2004/>

In December 2011, Wakeman married journalist Rachel Kaufman.<ref name=guardian2014/><ref name=express2011/>

===Health===
Wakeman has faced a number of health issues. In his twenties he suffered three heart attacks due to his unhealthy lifestyle of smoking and heavy drinking.<ref name="interview_2002"/> The first two were minor and he was told they may have gone unnoticed. The third occurred soon after a performance of ''Journey to the Centre of the Earth'' at [[Crystal Palace Park]] in July 1974.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.metaltalk.net/columns/20101783.php|title=Interview With The Legendary Rick Wakeman|first=Steve|last=Goldby|publisher=metaltalk.net|access-date=22 November 2016}}</ref> Wakeman stopped smoking in 1979.<ref name=guardian2014/>

In September 1984, Wakeman was fined £155 and banned from driving for one year for speeding and being over the [[Drunk driving law by country#United Kingdom|drink drive limit]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000560/19840914/214/0015|title=Rick's banned|newspaper=Daily Mirror|page=15|date=14 September 1984|via=British Newspaper Archive|access-date=14 July 2023|url-access=subscription}}</ref> In 1985, Wakeman's drinking led to [[cirrhosis]] of the liver and [[alcoholic hepatitis]], and he has been [[Teetotalism|teetotal]] since.<ref name=guardian2014>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2014/jan/08/rick-wakeman-interview-prog-rock-punk|title=Rick Wakeman: 'Punk was a revolution ... things had to change'|work=The Guardian|first=Paul|last=Lester|date=8 January 2014|access-date=22 January 2014}}</ref><ref name=mirrorhealth>{{cite web|url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/lifestyle/health/rick-wakeman-health-time-25-3423174|title=Rick Wakeman: By the time I was 25 I'd had three heart attacks|first=Alun|last=Palmer|website=[[Daily Mirror]]|date=17 April 2014|access-date=22 November 2016}}</ref> In 1998, Wakeman collapsed on a golf course and was rushed to hospital, where he was diagnosed with [[double pneumonia]], [[pleurisy]], and showed signs of [[Legionnaire's disease]]. He was placed in an induced coma,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.loudersound.com/features/rick-wakeman-i-was-going-to-die-unless-i-stopped-smoking-and-drinking|title=Rick Wakeman: "I was going to die unless I stopped smoking and drinking..."|work=Classic Rock Magazine|first=Mark|last=Blake|date=20 April 2016|access-date=13 February 2019}}</ref> and at one point his doctors gave him 24 hours to live.<ref name=mirrorhealth/> Wakeman has had a vasectomy.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.greatbritishlife.co.uk/people/celebrity-interviews/22596279.interview-rick-wakeman/|title=Interview: Rick Wakeman|first=Katie|last=Jarvis|date=1 October 2013|publisher=Great British Life|access-date=25 February 2023}}</ref>

In 2016 Wakeman announced he had [[type-2 diabetes]]. In 2023 he said his performing was affected by [[macular degeneration]] in his left eye and arthritis in his hands and feet.<ref name=gorr-feb2016>{{cite web|url=http://www.rwcc.com/gorr_1602.asp|title=Grumpy Old Rick's Ramblings for February 2016|date=5 February 2016|publisher=Rick Wakeman's Communication Centre|access-date=6 February 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.express.co.uk/entertainment/music/1736018/Rick-Wakeman-a-gallery-of-the-imagination-the-english-rock-ensemble|title=Rock legend Rick Wakeman on his life and career as he releases new album|first=Garry|last=Bushell|date=19 February 2023|work=Daily Express|access-date=23 February 2023}}</ref> Wakeman has never used drugs, and believes that had he taken them he would have done so to excess and died.<ref name=PP17>{{cite web|url=https://issuu.com/baxterpr/docs/rick_wakeman_press_pack_|title=Rick Wakeman – Piano Portraits – Press Pack|date=29 September 2017|publisher=Baxter PR|via=Issuu|access-date=13 January 2023}}</ref>

===Other activities===
In the 1970s, Wakeman met [[Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother]] and bought Tropical Saint, a racehorse that belonged to her.<ref name=telegraph2014/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2005/04_april/08/wogan.shtml|title=Wogan returns to sport as chair of Fighting Talk on BBC Radio Five Live|publisher=BBC|date=8 April 2005|access-date=2 September 2017}}</ref> After it died, he bought Balinloning, a small horse that he had in care for a year and entered in races.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://zenponies.com/yitp/1979/apr/apr_79.html|title=''Rhapsodies'' Media Press Pack – The Six Lives of Rick Wakeman: Wakeman on Wakeman|date=April 1979|publisher=A&M Records|access-date=2 September 2017}}</ref> In 1979, he became a director of [[Brentford F.C.]], a post which he held for a year. In 1983, he became chairman of [[Camberley Town F.C.]];<ref name=1991tourbook/> he quit in 1987 due to his busy work schedule, but remained active as an honorary vice-president.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/108903700/|title=Rick quits after saving soccer club|newspaper=Evening Standard|date=10 April 1987|page=16|via=[[Newspapers.com]]|access-date=4 September 2022}}</ref> In 2009, he became a patron of [[Tech Music Schools]]. Wakeman is an honorary president of the [[Classic Rock Society]], formed in Rotherham in 1991.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thestar.co.uk/news/air-guitar-hero-452272|title=Air guitar with a hero|work=The Star|date=25 November 2016|access-date=9 January 2023}}</ref> He was one of the board of directors of the Performing Artists' Media Rights Association (PAMRA), a non-profit organisation committed to promoting musicians' rights and income.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/cliff-s-law-gives-ageing-rockers-a-pension-after-copyright-ruling-2351636.html|title='Cliff's law' gives ageing rockers a pension after copyright ruling|date=9 September 2011|work=The Independent|first=Charlie|last=Cooper|access-date=10 January 2023}}</ref>

Wakeman had a renewal of his Christian faith which began at around the time of his 1984 marriage to Carter.<ref name="Wakeman, Rick 1995">Wakeman, Rick (1995). ''Say Yes! An Autobiography'', Hodder & Stoughton Religious, {{ISBN|0-340-62151-6}} {{ISBN|978-0340621516}}</ref>

In the 1990s, Wakeman bought a house in Los Cristianos, [[Tenerife]].<ref name=TT0910>{{cite web|url=https://www.thetimes.com/travel/destinations/uk-travel/england/london-travel/my-hols-rick-wakeman-jf8t6ls98pm|title=My Hols: Rick Wakeman|first=Caroline|last=Rees|date=9 May 2010|work=[[The Times]]|access-date=26 May 2022|archive-date=13 June 2021|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210613154653/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/my-hols-rick-wakeman-jf8t6ls98pm}}</ref>

In 1988, Wakeman was elected into the [[Lord's Taverners]] cricket charity, and was chairman of the Isle of Man branch with his wife in the early 1990s.<ref name=1989TB/><ref name=RWCCDEC90>{{cite web|url=https://rwcc.com/rwccarchive/rwcc_199012.php|title=RWCC News for December 1990|date=December 1990|publisher=Rick Wakeman's Communication Centre|access-date=13 January 2023}}</ref> He took up golf in the 1980s after becoming teetotal, and has since taken part in many charity tournaments. From 1995 until at least 2012, the Rick Wakeman Celebrity Classic golf tournament took place at Burhill Golf Club in Surrey, raising funds in aid of the children's charity [[Great Ormond Street Hospital|Sparks]].<ref name=Louder2013/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.todays-golfer.com/news-and-events/general-news/2012/august/rick-wakeman-hosts-17th-star-studded-charity-event-at-burhill-golf-club/|title=Rick Wakeman's charity golf day raises £26k|date=28 August 2012|first=Jake|last=O'Reilly|publisher=Today's Golfer|access-date=23 August 2024}}</ref> In 2017, Wakeman was made an ambassador to the animal welfare charity [[Animals Asia Foundation]], of which he has supported since 2013.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.animalsasia.org/uk/media/news/news-archive/legendary-musician-proud-to-be-named-new-animals-asia-ambassador.html|title=Legendary musician proud to be named new Animals Asia ambassador|date=19 May 2017|website=Animals Asia|access-date=27 August 2024}}</ref>

In 1993 Wakeman was invited to play the piano at the inauguration of US President [[Bill Clinton]]. He declined due to unavailability.<ref name=RECC1993>{{cite web|url=https://rwcc.com/rwccarchive/rwcc_199301.php|title=RWCC News for January 1993|date=January 1993|publisher=Rick Wakeman's Communication Centre|access-date=13 January 2023}}</ref>

In October 1997, Wakeman received a Golden Badge Award from the [[British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors]] (BASCA), given for outstanding contributions to the British music and entertainment industry.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.goldbadgeawards.com/archive/1990-1999/gold-badge-awards-1997/|title=Gold Badge Awards – Archive – 1990–1999 – 1997|publisher=Gold Badge Awards|access-date=24 December 2016}}</ref> In 2008, Wakeman gave a class to students of the [[London College of Music]] and later that year, received an honorary professorship from the college for his contributions to music.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dissmercury.co.uk/news/21683757.rick-wakeman-awarded-professorship/|title=Rick Wakeman awarded professorship|publisher=Diss Mercury|date=20 November 2008|access-date=11 January 2023}}</ref> In 2012, Wakeman received an [[List of fellows of the Royal College of Music|honorary fellowship of the Royal College of Music]] in a ceremony presented by HRH The Prince of Wales, the college's president.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rcm.ac.uk/about/news/all/2012-03-15thepresidentsvisit2012.aspx|title=The President's Visit 2012|date=15 March 2012|publisher=Royal College of Music London|access-date=11 January 2023}}</ref> In 2022, he received the [[Worshipful Company of Musicians|Musicians' Company]] Honorary Fellowship at the Royal College.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.music-news.com/news/Underground/148773/Rick-Wakeman-awarded-honorary-fellowship|title=Rick Wakeman awarded honorary fellowship|date=19 May 2022|publisher=Music-News|access-date=11 January 2023}}</ref> Wakeman was appointed [[Commander of the Order of the British Empire]] (CBE) in the [[2021 Birthday Honours]] for services to music and broadcasting.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=63377|supp=y|page=B10|date=12 June 2021}}</ref> He is a [[Freedom of the City of London|Freeman of the City of London]], and a [[Livery company#Liverymen|liveryman]] of the [[Worshipful Company of Glovers]].<ref name=Louder2013>{{cite web|url=https://www.loudersound.com/features/rick-wakeman-interview-career-2013|title="There was a crunching noise, as the plane hit the tarmac, and the propellers and engines flew off, along with the odd bit of wing": the epic life and mad musical journey of Rick Wakeman, keyboard wizard and Knight Templar|date=14 July 2024|first=Phillip|last=Wilding|publisher=Loudersound|access-date=23 August 2024}}</ref>

In September 2005 Wakeman began a weekly three-hour radio show on [[Planet Rock (radio station)|Planet Rock]] called ''Rick's Place'', broadcasting Saturday mornings.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://the-media-leader.com/wakeman-to-join-planet-rock/|title=Wakeman to join Planet Rock|date=2 September 2005|publisher=The Media Leader|access-date=7 September 2022}}</ref> The show ended in December 2010. 
In late 2020, Wakeman launched ''Rick's Plaice'', a subscription-based video series based on the format of his former Planet Rock show.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.loudersound.com/news/rick-wakemans-opens-ricks-plaice-with-new-video|title=Rick Wakeman's opens Rick's Plaice with new video|first=Jerry|last=Ewing|date=17 October 2020|publisher=Loudersound|access-date=7 September 2022}}</ref>

In 2007 Wakeman became a [[Freemason]], joining the Chelsea Lodge No. 3098 which is made up of entertainers.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chelsea-lodge.org.uk/ |title=Chelsea Lodge No 3098 |publisher=Chelsea-lodge.org.uk |access-date=5 September 2015}}</ref> His father was a member of the Brent Valley Lodge No. 3940, and the support that Wakeman and his mother received from his friends at the Lodge following his death was a catalyst for Wakeman to learn more about Freemasonry. In 2019, Wakeman was elected as an honorary member of his late father's Lodge.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://pglm.org.uk/rwakeman-cbe/|title=Rick Wakeman CBE – The Middlesex Connection|date=10 July 2021 |publisher=Middlesex Freemasonry|access-date=7 September 2022}}</ref> In 2011, Wakeman joined the [[Knights Templar (Freemasonry)|Knights Templar]] fraternity,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://scan.lusu.co.uk/index.php/2015/09/27/interview-rick-wakeman/|title=Interview: Rick Wakeman|first=Zach|last=Hughes|date=27 September 2015|publisher=SCAN|access-date=2 September 2017}}</ref> and is also a member of the Vaudeville Lodge.<ref name=HIOWM/> In 2014 he was installed as the 110th Worshipful Master of the Chelsea Lodge. He was and elected as the 125th King Rat in the showbusiness fraternity and charity organisation, the [[Grand Order of Water Rats]]. Wakeman was the first person to hold both titles.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.freemasonrytoday.com/more-news/lodges-chapters-a-individuals/rick-wakeman-elected-king-rat-2014-the-grand-order-of-water-rats|title=Rick Wakeman elected King Rat by Grand Order of Water Rats|date=28 January 2014|publisher=Freemasonry Today|access-date=2 September 2017|archive-date=3 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170903030639/http://www.freemasonrytoday.com/more-news/lodges-chapters-a-individuals/rick-wakeman-elected-king-rat-2014-the-grand-order-of-water-rats|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chelsea-lodge.org.uk/masters.htm|title=Chelsea Lodge Past Masters|website=www.chelsea-lodge.org.uk|access-date=31 July 2017}}</ref><ref name=guardian2014/><ref name=HIOWM>{{cite web|url=https://www.hiowmasons.org/Insight/Insight7/files/basic-html/page7.html|title=Journey to the Centre – Rick Wakeman in Conversation|first=Peter|last=Martin|publisher=Hampshire and Isle of Wight Freemasons|access-date=7 September 2022}}</ref> He hosted the Grumpy Old Rockstar's Chelsea Lodge Ladies Festival in the following year.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.chelsea-lodge.org.uk/Ladies15.htm | title=Ladies Festival Pictures 2015 | access-date=23 May 2016}}</ref> Wakeman appears in his Masonic apron in the 2017 documentary series ''Inside the Freemasons''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.freemasonrytoday.com/ugle-sgc/ugle/a-behind-the-scenes-look-at-inside-the-freemasons|title=A behind the scenes look at Inside the Freemasons}}</ref>

In a 2010 interview, Wakeman was critical of Wikipedia, saying it has too many inaccuracies and mistakes, and that he would love to see it "closed down".<ref name=holmes/>

In June 2017 he was the castaway for the [[BBC Radio 4]] programme ''[[Desert Island Discs]]''. His favourite piece was [[Giuseppe Verdi]]'s ''[[Anvil Chorus]]'' and his book choice was ''Principles of Orchestration'' by [[Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov]], which his orchestration professor at the Royal College had introduced to him.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b08tbrlc |title=BBC Radio 4 – Desert Island Discs, Rick Wakeman |publisher=Bbc.co.uk |access-date=18 June 2017}}</ref><ref name=Odyssey2018/>

Wakeman's agent for TV and media work is entertainer [[Roger De Courcey]], best known for performing with his puppet Nookie Bear.<ref name=INSIGHT14>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.hiowmasons.org/Insight/Insight7/files/basic-html/page7.html|title=Journey to the Centre – Rick Wakeman in Conversation|first=Peter|last=Martin|magazine=Insight|year=2014|issue=7|page=7|access-date=6 September 2022}}</ref>

Wakeman has been a supporter of the [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative Party]], saying he was "unique in [Yes] as a card-carrying Conservative".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-11785483|title=So what exactly is 'progressive' in politics?|first=Brian|last=Wheeler|date=26 November 2010|work=BBC News|access-date=15 November 2019}}</ref>

==Discography==
{{For|a full discography and list of guest appearances|Rick Wakeman discography}}

'''Selected solo releases'''
{{div col}}
*''[[Piano Vibrations]]'' (1971)
*''[[The Six Wives of Henry VIII (album)|The Six Wives of Henry VIII]]'' (1973)
*''[[Journey to the Centre of the Earth (album)|Journey to the Centre of the Earth]]'' (1974; live)
*''[[The Myths and Legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table]]'' (1975)
*''[[No Earthly Connection]]'' (1976)
*''[[Rick Wakeman's Criminal Record]]'' (1977)
*''[[Rhapsodies (album)|Rhapsodies]]'' (1979)
*''[[1984 (Rick Wakeman album)|1984]]'' (1981)
*''[[Cost of Living (Rick Wakeman album)|Cost of Living]]'' (1983)
*''[[Silent Nights]]'' (1985)
*''[[The Time Machine (Rick Wakeman album)|Time Machine]]'' (1988)
*''[[Sea Airs]]'' (1989)
*''[[Phantom Power (Rick Wakeman album)|Phantom Power]]'' (1990)
*''[[Night Airs]]'' (1990)
*''[[Classic Tracks (Rick Wakeman album)|Classic Tracks]]'' (1993)
*''[[Rick Wakeman's Greatest Hits (album)|Rick Wakeman's Greatest Hits]]'' (1993)
*''[[Light Up The Sky (Rick Wakeman EP)|Light Up The Sky]]'' (1994; EP)
*''[[The Seven Wonders of the World (album)|The Seven Wonders of the World]]'' (1995)
*''[[Return to the Centre of the Earth]]'' (1999)
*''[[Piano Portraits]]'' (2017)
*''[[Piano Odyssey]]'' (2018)
*''[[Christmas Portraits]]'' (2019)
*''[[The Red Planet]]'' (2020)
*''A Gallery of the Imagination'' (2023)
*''Yessonata'' (2024)
{{div col end}}

'''Film scores'''
{{div col}}
*''[[X Y & Zee|Zee and Co.]]'' (1972)
*''[[Lisztomania (film)|Lisztomania]]'' (1975)
*''[[White Rock (album)|White Rock]]'' (1977)
*''[[The Burning (1981 film)|The Burning]]'' (1981)
*''[[G'olé!]]'' (1983)
*''[[She (1984 film)|She]]'' (1984)
*''[[Crimes of Passion (1984 film)|Crimes of Passion]]'' (1984)
*''[[Creepshow 2]]'' (1987; with [[Les Reed (songwriter)|Les Reed]])
*''[[Hero (1987 film)|Hero]]'' (1987)
*''[[Phantom Power (Rick Wakeman Album)|Phantom Power]]'' (1990)
* ''[[Bullet to Beijing]]'' (1995)
*''White Rock II'' (1999)
*''In Search of the Great Beast 666'' (2007)
{{div col end}}

'''Video games and CD-ROM'''
*''Microcosm'' (1993; Sega Mega Drive)
*''Between Earth and the End of Time: The Worlds of [[Rodney Matthews]]'' (1996; CD-ROM)

==Bibliography==
'''Books'''
*''Say Yes! An Autobiography'' (1995)
*''Grumpy Old Rockstar: and Other Wondrous Stories'' (2008)
*''Further Adventures of a Grumpy Old Rockstar'' (2010)

'''Songbooks'''<ref>Music Exchange (Manchester) Ltd. ''1981 Catalogue of Printed Music''; p. 5</ref>
*''Criminal Record'' 
*''Journey to the Centre of the Earth''
*''The Myths & Legends of King Arthur & the Knights of the Round Table''
*''The Six Wives of Henry VIII''

==Notes and references==
'''Notes'''
{{Notelist}}

'''References'''

{{Reflist|30em}}

'''Sources'''
*{{Cite book|last=Hedges|first=Dan|title=Yes: An Authorized Biography|year=1982|publisher=Sidgwick & Jackson|isbn=978-0-283-98751-9}}
*{{Cite book|last=Morse|first=Tim|title=Yesstories: "Yes" in Their Own Words|year=1996|publisher=St Martin's Press|isbn=978-0-312-14453-1}}
*{{Cite book|last=Wooding|first=Dan|title=Rick Wakeman: The Caped Crusader|publisher=Granada Publishing Limited|isbn=978-0-586-04853-5|year=1979}}
*{{Cite book|last=Wakeman|first=Rick|title=Say Yes! An Autobiography|publisher=Hodder & Stoughton|isbn=978-0-340-62151-6|year=1995}}
*{{Cite book|last=Welch|first=Chris|author-link=Chris Welch|title=Close to the Edge: The Story of Yes|publisher=Music Sales|isbn=978-1-84772-132-7|year=2008}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
*{{IMDb name|id=0906857}}
*[http://www.rwcc.com/ Rick Wakeman's Communication Centre]
*{{discogs artist|Rick Wakeman}}
*[https://www.namm.org/library/oral-history/rick-wakeman Rick Wakeman Interview] at [[NAMM Oral History Program|NAMM Oral History Collection]] (2013)

{{Rick Wakeman}}
{{yesband}}
{{Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe}}
{{Strawbs}}
{{Ozzy Osbourne}}
{{2017 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wakeman, Rick}}
[[Category:Rick Wakeman| ]]
[[Category:1949 births]]
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[[Category:20th-century English pianists]]
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