Spotlight On: Rick Wakeman

Posted on Wednesday 12th July 2023 at 16:14

Prog rock pioneer Rick Wakeman is a true English eccentric, renowned for his theatrical appearance matching his extraordinary skill as a keyboardist and composer. The legendary maestro has been instrumental in pushing forward the boundaries of rock and pop and has worked as a long-term member of the illustrious band Yes.

Next year sees genius Wakeman perform to adoring audiences once again. The Return Of The Caped Crusader tour kicks off in February, where he will be playing classic Yes songs plus his own seminal No. 1 album Journey to the Centre of the Earth. Tickets are on sale with Gigantic right now – CLICK HERE to book!

Classically trained pianist Rick Wakeman dropped out of studying in 1969 to become a session musician. He would work on David Bowie’s breakthrough single “Space Oddity”, and many other true greats including Elton John, Marc Bolan, Cat Stevens, and Lou Reed.

Wakeman would initially join folk-rock group The Strawbs before becoming a part of the legendary progressive rock group Yes. This move elevated him to superstar status which afforded him the chance to strike out as a solo artist. The first half of the ’70s would be a creative high point, releasing his three greatest albums The Six Wives of Henry VIII (1973), live record Journey to the Centre of the Earth (1974) and The Myths and Legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table (1975).

In addition to co-writing a musical production of George Orwell’s chilling dystopia novel 1984; Wakeman would later rejoin Yes whilst also continuing to write, record and perform his own material live.

Now considered one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Rick Wakeman announces his Return Of The Caped Crusader tour, giving you the chance to hear Journey to the Centre of the Earth plus many more of his own mind-blowing songs and classic Yes tracks.