Rick wakeman yes net worth

Former Yes keyboardist Rick Wakeman has announced his upcoming solo tour will be his last.

The British prog rock musician, 76, said he will end his lengthy one-man shows in order to concentrate on composing, recording and collaborating.

He said in a statement: “I always planned to stop touring by my 77th birthday – for those of you who wish to send me a card, it’s 18th May! – but there is so much to fit in before then that I’m having to make plans now and so my final one-man shows will have to cease by that date.

“I have thoroughly enjoyed performing the various one-man shows, but it’s time to call it a day.

“I intend to throw in the best of what I have done in the past, plus a few new surprises on the way, and possibly even the odd guest joining me on the odd occasion.

“The plan is not to perform at the same venue twice throughout this period, so whatever venue you are hopefully thinking of coming to, it will be the last performance there – and I am taking this opportunity of thanking everyone and anyone who has supported me over the last 53 years!”

Wakeman, who is due to kick off a set of UK shows in Glasgow on February 15, said his final solo tour of the US and South America will feature the premiere of a brand new piece of music called Yessonata.

The 30-minute instrumental work will feature Yes themes and melodies, woven into sonata form.

The final solo tour, billed as “an evening of Yes music and other favourites”, will begin on March 19 in Ridgefield, Connecticut. It will end in Curitiba, Brazil on April 15.

Wakeman was a member of prog rock band Yes across five tenures between 1971 and 2004 and has also released more than 90 solo albums spanning a range of genres.

Rick Wakeman is an English keyboardist, composer and songwriter, most known as the keyboard player for progressive rock group Yes. His solo albums have sold over 50 million copies.

Solo

Albums

1970s

1980s

1990s

2000s

2010s

2020s

Non-album singles

Note: These are singles that were not taken from a regular album. These songs were only released in these singles or were included on future compilations.

• 1985: "Lytton's Diary" (for a TV series of the same name)
• 1994: "Light Up the Sky"

Compilations

• 1997 Voyage (sub-titled "The Very Best of Rick Wakeman"; digitally remastered 2-CD set)
• 1999 The Masters: compilation of tracks from 1979 to 1996
• 2000 Recollections: The Very Best of Rick Wakeman 1973-1979
• 2002 Songs of Middle Earth (Inspired by The Lord of the Rings)
• 2004 Revisited (re-recordings of past material)
• 2015 After the Ball: The Collection (same tracks as Recollections)
• 2017 The Journey: The Essential Rick Wakeman: Spectrum 3CD compilation from the A&M years. The 3rd CD features all of Lisztomania and White Rock.

Video games

With band or duo

With Strawbs

English keyboardist (b. 1949)

Not to be confused with Ric Wake.

Richard Christopher Wakeman (born 18 May 1949) is an English keyboardist and composer best known as a member of the progressive rock 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."

Born and raised in 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 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 are his first three: The Six Wives of Henry VIII (1973), the UK number-one 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 (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 (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 p

Jon Anderson started Yes in 1968 with bassist Chris Squire, and the prog rock band was at the center of his life for the next four decades through numerous permutations. But when illness forced him off the road after the group’s 2004 tour, Yes decided to hire a replacement vocalist and carry on without him. Anderson has been healthy and active for well over a decade, but the band — which now features Seventies guitarist Steve Howe, Drama-era keyboardist Geoff Downes, and hired guns — refuses to take him back.

That hasn’t stopped Anderson from bringing Yes music to concert stages all over the road. In 2016, he went out with fellow Yes alums Rick Wakeman and Trevor Rabin as ARW (later renamed Yes Featuring ARW), and last year he celebrated the 50th anniversary of Close to the Edge by playing the album straight through on tour with teenage musicians from the Paul Green Rock Academy.

When he kicks off his next tour April 14 in Westbury, New York, Anderson will be joined by the Band Geeks, which includes bassist Richie Castellano, keyboardist Chris Clark, drummer Andy Ascolese, keyboardist Robert Kipp, and guitarist Andy Graziano. They’re all ace musicians with decades of experience, and their plan is to play Seventies Yes epics like “Awaken,” “Gates of Delirium,” and “Close to the Edge” with incredible care and precision.

We phoned up Anderson at his Central California home to talk about the Band Geeks tour, the deaths of Squire and drummer Alan White, his estrangement from Howe, his dim hopes for a Yes reunion, and his five-year plan for releasing new music.

How did you discover the Band Geeks?
My good friend works at Sirius Radio. He got in touch and said, “I’m going to send you a video of this band.” I said, “Go for it.” They were performing “Heart of the Sunrise.” I