By Cassie Lee
FROM WIKIPEDIA COMMONS
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 were 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 producing his first new-age, 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 discography includes over 100 solo albums spanning a range of musical styles. He has also gained notoriety for his appearances on the television programs Live at Jongleurs, Countdown, Grumpy Old Men, and Watchdog, and for his radio show on 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. He was awarded a CBE for his services to music and broadcasting in 2021.
Richard Christopher Wakeman was born in Perivale, Middlesex on 18 May 1949.
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In 1896, the U.S. Supreme Court handed down the Plessy vs. Ferguson decision that determined “separate but equal” racial policies are constitutional. While the ruling was never explicitly overruled, many high court decisions over the ensuing decades have effectively nullified it.
In 1917, President Wilson the Selective Service Act by which the United States raised an army for service in Europe during World War I.
In 1927, the legendary Grauman’s Chinese Theatre opened in Hollywood with the premiere of The King of Kings. The iconic theater — a favorite for major studio openings, was renamed the TCL Chinese Theatre in 2013.
In 1933, the U.S. Congress created the Tennessee Valley Authority for flood control and rural electrification.
In 1944, Allied troops captured Monte Cassino in Italy after one of the longest and bloodiest battles of World War II.
In 1969, Apollo 10 blasted off into space to perform a test run of what would become the Apollo 11 moon landing, coming to within 51,200 feet of the moon’s surface. The mission also sent back the first televised color images of earth.
In 1980, Mount St. Helens in southwestern Washington state erupted, blowing the top off the mountain, killing 57 people.
In 1990, East and West Germany agreed upon and signed a treaty economic, monetary and social union. West German Chancellor Helmut Kohl said the pact marked the “birth of a free and unified Germany.”
In 2004, Randy Johnson, Arizona’s 40-year-old left-hander, threw a perfect game, in a 2-0 win over Atlanta. He was the oldest major league pitcher to accomplish the feat.
In 2018, 10 people — eight students and two teachers — died after a fellow student with a gun, opened fire at Santa Fe High School, near Houston.
In 2022, President Joe Biden invoked the Defense Production Act to address a nationwide shortage of infant formula.
COURTESY www.almanac.com
