The Latest Breaking News from Rick Wakeman

Rick Wakeman launches new weekly podcast with comedian Griff Rhys Jones

Rick Wakeman and Griff Rhys Jones will launch new podcast, The Sound Of The Seventy Year Olds, on February 27

Louder · Feb 9

“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

In 1970 they gave him Scotch in the morning, a big cash advance and a three-ton limousine. Eventually the man who’d hated the resulting album gave him a platinum disc for its sales

Louder · Jan 23

“Playing with Vince Neil, opening for Van Halen, it got to be total rock ’n’ roll excess. I had to reassess why I was even playing guitar”: Steve Stevens on resisting shred, how Paco de Lucia made him go nylon, and Billy Idol’s eternal appeal

Billy Idol’s collaborator of 40-plus years transcends the punk-rock guitarist mold, taking in flamenco, jazz‑fusion, prog and classical styles – and he is as excited aboutguitar today as he was when he first picked one up

Guitar World · Jan 19

“He was unable to write something with delight in it. Suffering battle fatigue, he wrote of asking what it’s like back home. It’s epic”: William Shatner’s surprising Christmas album with Jethro Tull, Yes and King Crimson alumni

The Star Trek icon gets silly and serious in turns as he discusses what the season means to him, the secret to living long and prospering, and the presents Kirk and Spock might give each other

Louder · Dec 23, 2025

“My first boyfriend introduced me to The Wall. It was the only interesting thing about him”: Author and musician Joanne Harris on having the audacity to perform Pink Floyd, Rick Wakeman and Genesis music in her school band

She explains why prog makes her think of Barnsley, lists some of her favourite records and recalls taking her daughter to a Genesis tribute show only to hear her say: “Ah yes, Mastodon!”

Louder · Dec 17, 2025

“There’s been a lot happening on Mars since I last visited. So there’s more than enough inspiration”: Rick Wakeman on his sequel to The Red Planet, and taking David Bowie along for the ride

Keyboard maestro has gone back to work with the English Rock Ensemble for the follow-up to his 2020 album, and he says the process feels like early 70s Yes

Louder · Dec 11, 2025

“I said, ‘I don’t want to work with him!’ I was bitter that he was doing so well. But I needed the money”: How a prog supergroup with 200 hits between them got together

Quartet with connections to Yes, 10cc, Kate Bush, The Police and many others took five years to agree their debut album was ready to release

Louder · Nov 26, 2025

Rick Wakeman undergoes brain surgery

Rick Wakeman has undergone shunt brain surgery and has confirmed when he'll return to the stage.

BANG Premier · Nov 25, 2025

“I sold out three nights at Wembley but it cost me a fortune. It always gets voted biggest spectacular and also biggest folly. I take that as a compliment!” Six myths and legends of Rick Wakeman

Keyboard maestro on his 36-year wait to play Hampton Court, the apparent disaster of King Arthur on ice, buying a £1,000 synth for £35 because its owner thought it was broken, his innocence over the Sex Pistols’ firing from A&M and more

Louder · Nov 25, 2025

“It doesn't seem to have affected my piano playing - I still seem to be very capable of hitting the odd wrong note here and there”: Rick Wakeman shares positive health update after brain surgery

He’s confident his rescheduled US tour will go ahead in March

MusicRadar · Nov 24, 2025