“I said, ‘There are no vocals. It’s an instrumental album.’ The lawyer said, ‘Do you mean we’ve just paid $12,000 for a piano player?’” Rick Wakeman relives the moment he delivered The Six Wives Of Henry VIII to a horrified record label

UNSPECIFIED - CIRCA 1970: Photo of Rick Wakeman Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images.

In 2009 Rick Wakeman fulfilled a long-held dream when he performed his debut solo album The Six Wives Of Henry VIII at Hampton Court, the controversial 16th century king’s favourite residence. Ahead of the show he wrote for Prog about how the record came together, including his interactions with record label A&M.

Yes were on tour in the States and my manager, Brian Lane, said Jerry Moss from A&M Records wanted to see me. We went to the A&M lot, which was Charlie Chaplin’s old film studios. I hadn’t ever sat in an executive’s office before, so when they asked me if I wanted some coffee I said, “I’d rather have a Scotch.” This was back in my drinking days, and it was only nine in the morning.