Rick Wakeman

Rick Wakeman ( born May 18, 1949 in Middlesex, today Perivale, London; actually Richard Christopher Wakeman ) is a British musician. He is regarded as one of the main keyboardist of progressive rock.

Wakeman pioneering achievements in the establishment of the Mellotron and his classical piano training influenced the sound of his regular band Yes in the early 1970s decisive. His special relationship to Yes is highlighted by the fact that no other band so often left her and later rejoined as he who has recorded a total of five new entries. Characteristic and often imitated is his stage appearance, usually in Glitter Cape, which has been preserved to today's concert tours into it.

Biography

Wakeman grew up in a very musical family and mastered in addition to numerous keyboard instruments, the clarinet and the saxophone. As a student he played with his cousin Alan Wakeman Traditional Jazz. Then Rick Wakeman played with the Strawbs (including Part Of The Union ), and has released four LPs with them. In 1971 he became a member of Yes and began at the same time a solo career.

After the breakup of his first own band The English Rock Ensemble he wanted to work in the late seventies with Bill Bruford and John Wetton, but this did not materialize. Bruford and Wetton then founded UK. By 1980 the label Geffen, a supergroup with Rick Wakeman, John Wetton, Carl Palmer and Trevor Rabin tried to compile, but when Wakeman refused, the plan was dropped. Wakeman has then, apart from Yes ( and Anderson, Bruford, Wakeman, Howe ) played more in any band. A creative and financial contributor to the invention of Wakeman Birotrons, which he designed in collaboration with David Biro. It is an electro-mechanical keyboard instrument that was based on tape -based Mellotron as opposed to on an 8 -track cassette that allowed the sustainer over a longer period than seven seconds over an infinite loop. Musically, the Birotron but could not prevail.

On the activity in addition Yes Wakeman has an exceptionally extensive solo discography: Alone were more than 90 albums released under his name. Of the recordings from the 1970s - era stylistically most comparable to the previously published Yes albums. Among the most popular publications that arose partly also with the participation of various Yes musicians here include The Six Wives of Henry VIII ( 1973), Journey to the Centre of the Earth (1974 ), The Myths and Legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table ( 1975) and Criminal Record (1977).

The spectrum of his other works include several film scores, pop / rock albums, numerous synthesizer and piano -heavy New Age compositions, some live recordings with the orchestra as well as overtures to the world music. Mid-1990s there were several co-productions with his second oldest son, Adam, also keyboardist. His eldest son, Oliver works with musicians from the progressive rock environment together (Steve Howe, Arjen Lucassen Clive Nolan ).

In its written with typical English humor autobiography Say Yes Wakeman describes the ups and downs of his career: The beginnings in the Conservatory, the time as a sought studio pianist and his first engagements with the Strawbs, the crisis-ridden years with individuals with Yes and finally the pompous staged Solo tours with the choir and orchestra ( up to the ice revue in tropical Brazil) who regularly drove him into financial ruin. Known as one of partyfreudigsten rock musician in his early years, Wakeman had as a result of his drinking habits early heart problems, 1975, he suffered a heart attack.

A legal dispute with Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber to the authorship of the famous opening chords of the musical The Phantom of the Opera (1986 ), which are almost identical to parts of Wakeman instrumental composition Judas Iscariot ( from its 1977 erschienenem album Criminal Record ), he refused humorous from, because (quote Wakeman from an interview during his ' Grumpy Old Picture Show Tour ' ) "everyone who has ears, knows where the Phantom of the Opera chords come. I think my friend Tim Rice is the connection between the two. songs Also, my album is yes Criminal Record - because I can not do anything anyway. "

Even as a session musician, he was able to make a name on his scene out, so he worked with about David Bowie (including Space Oddity and Life On Mars ), Marc Bolan & T.Rex (including Get It On ) and Cat Stevens (including Morning Has Broken together from the album Teaser and the Firecat ).

Private

Since the 1970s, Wakeman is a devout Christian and a member of an English Lutheran Free Church. Rick Wakeman is a member of the Federation of the Freemasons, his box, Chelsea Lodge No.3098, is based in London since 2007.

Discography

See Yes

See Anderson, Bruford, Wakeman, Howe

Autobiography

• Say Yes. Hodder & Stoughton, London 1995, ISBN 0-340-62151-6.