Rick Wakeman

Rick Wakeman – Life, Career, and Famous Quotes

Meta description: Discover the life and legacy of British keyboard virtuoso Rick Wakeman — his rise with Yes, his ambitious solo works, musical philosophy, and memorable quotes on creativity, faith, and risk.

Introduction

Richard Christopher “Rick” Wakeman (born May 18, 1949) is a British keyboardist, composer, and musical explorer whose prolific output spans progressive rock, classical, ambient, Christian, and instrumental music. Yes (across multiple tenures) and for ambitious solo concept albums (such as The Six Wives of Henry VIII and Journey to the Centre of the Earth), Wakeman is regarded as one of rock’s most imaginative and technically adventurous keyboardists.

His life has not been free of hardships — financial ups and downs, health crises, personal turmoil — but his creative vitality and willingness to push musical boundaries have kept him relevant across decades.

Early Life & Musical Roots

Rick Wakeman was born in Perivale, Middlesex, England on May 18, 1949, the only child of Cyril and Mildred Wakeman.

From childhood, Wakeman was immersed in music. He heard relatives playing piano and singing, and his father took him to orchestral performances such as Peter and the Wolf, which left a strong impression.

As a young musician, Wakeman gravitated toward session work — a highly demanding and diverse apprenticeship that exposed him to many genres and artists.

Career & Achievements

Session Career and Early Bands

By 1969, Wakeman was an in-demand session musician, participating in up to 18 sessions per week, across styles from rock to pop to film/TV jingles. David Bowie’s “Space Oddity” and piano on Cat Stevens’ “Morning Has Broken”, as well as keyboard/organ on albums by Elton John, Al Stewart, and others.

He briefly joined The Strawbs in 1970–71, contributing to Just a Collection of Antiques and Curios and From the Witchwood.

Rise with Yes & Solo Breakthroughs

Wakeman joined Yes in 1971, becoming a key creative force in their sound. The Six Wives of Henry VIII (1973), a concept instrumental album interpreting each of the six wives via keyboard textures and orchestration.

Following that, he worked on Journey to the Centre of the Earth (1974), a grand, ambitious project combining orchestra, rock band, choir, narrator, and theatrical elements — recorded live in concert due to budgeting constraints.

Over the decades, Wakeman had multiple stints with Yes (1971–74, 1977–78, 1991–94, mid-2000s, and in recent years in Yes Featuring Jon Anderson, Trevor Rabin & Rick Wakeman)

Some notable solo works include 1984 (1981), Silent Nights (with the single “Glory Boys”), Rhapsodies (1979), and Piano Portraits (2017 – which became his first UK top 10 solo album since 1975).

Wakeman also expanded into television and radio (hosting GasTank and a radio show on Planet Rock) and composed music for film/TV. CBE for services to music and broadcasting.

Personal & Artistic Challenges

Wakeman’s career was not without serious challenges:

• In the early 1980s, financial mismanagement, divorce, and changing musical tastes left him deeply in debt — he even reportedly slept on benches for a period when homeless.

• He battled alcoholism and later became teetotal (from around 1985).

• He has suffered health crises, including a heart attack later in life.

Despite that, Wakeman persisted — reimagining his style, returning to big projects and performance, and maintaining a public presence.

In recent years, he has embarked on “final solo piano” tours and released Yessonata — a suite weaving themes from Yes repertoire into a solo piano experience.

Personality, Philosophy, & Themes

Rick Wakeman is known for being outspoken, humorous, reflective, and deeply passionate about music and faith. He often embraces theatricality (e.g. his cape, stage persona) but also shows a serious side about purpose and spiritual matters.

A recurring theme in his public statements is his private faith:

“My faith is very private to me. It plays an important part in my life, but I do not try and throw my beliefs at others.”

He is candid about risk, failure, and the cost of creative ambition — and frequently quips about being more storyteller or entertainer than pure “serious” musician.

He’s also known to joke about aging, mood, and personality:

“There’s a fine line between angry and grumpy. Angry isn’t nice, but grumpy is funny.”

Wakeman often frames success and failure in relational, narrative terms — his career is as much about the journey, resilience, and reinvention as about profits or fame.

Famous Quotes of Rick Wakeman

Here is a selection of notable quotes that reflect his mindset:

• “Success is buried in the garden of failure.”

• “My earliest professional musical experiences were really as a session player, and every day was an adventure.”

• “But I'd play on everything from pop records to a lot of the glam stuff to rock stuff to classical stuff. I used to get called to do all those things, it was great.”

• “I was born in 1949 — which seems like a long time ago … Actually, it is a long time ago, when I think about it.”

• “My faith is very private to me. It plays an important part in my life, but I do not try and throw my beliefs at others.”

• “Apparently I'm well-known for my stories, my raconteur tales, that sort of thing.”

These quotes illustrate his balance of humility, humor, reflection, and his willingness to share both the ups and downs.

Lessons from Rick Wakeman’s Story

1. Ambition requires vulnerability
   Çok grand projects (e.g. Journey to the Centre of the Earth) required personal risk — finances, health, reputation. But committing to your vision can bring breakthroughs.

2. Versatility is survival
   Wakeman’s session work across genres taught him adaptability — useful when musical fashions shift.

3. Resilience matters more than consistency
   A long career isn’t about unbroken upward trajectory — it’s about recovering from debt, health, failures, and reinventing yourself.

4. Faith and creativity can coexist privately
   His approach to personal belief — important but not proselytizing — shows a model of internal integrity over public posturing.

5. Legacy is both continuation and transformation
   His late career pivot to solo piano reinterpretations and Yessonata shows that even legendary artists can find new forms rather than clinging to past formulas.