Richard Christopher Wakeman CBE (born 18 May 1949) is an English keyboardist. He is best known
for being in the progressive rock band Yes across five tenures between 1971 and 2004 and for his solo albums released in the 1970s.
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Born and raised in West London, Wakeman intended to be a concert pianist but quit his studies at the
Royal College of Music in 1969 to become a full-time session musician. His early sessions included playing on "Space Oddity", among others, for David Bowie, and songs by Junior's Eyes, T. Rex, Elton John, and Cat Stevens.
Wakeman became a member of The Strawbs in 1970 before joining Yes a year later, playing on
some of their most successful albums across two stints until 1980. Wakeman began his solo career in 1973; his highest-selling solo albums are his first three: The Six Wives of Henry VIII (1973), 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. He formed his rock band, The English Rock Ensemble, in 1974, with which he continues to perform, and scored his first film, Lisztomania (1975).
Wakeman pursued solo projects in the 1980s that varied in levels of success; his most successful album
was 1984, released in 1981, which was followed by his minor pop hit single, "Glory Boys", from Silent Nights (1985). He hosted the television show Gastank, and recorded his first of several New-age, ambient, and Christian music albums with Country Airs (1986) and The Gospels (1987), respectively.
From 1988 to 1990 he was a member of Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe which led to his third Yes stint until 1992. He returned twice more between 1995 and 2004, during which he completed several
more solo projects and tours, including his most significant of the decade, Return to the Centre of the Earth (1999). 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 is The Red Planet (2020).
Wakeman's discography includes over 90 solo albums spanning a range of musical styles.
KING HENRY VIII
King Henry VIII ruled England for 36 years (1509-1547). Henry VIII is best known for his six wives, and several mistresses he kept on the side. The monarch’s desperate quest for political unification and a healthy male heir drove him to annul two marriages and have two wives beheaded. His chaotic love life caused an unstable succession, foreign policy implications and even led to the break with the Church of Rome.
In common parlance, the wives of Henry VIII were the six queens consort wedded to Henry between 1509 and his death in 1547. In legal terms, King Henry VIII of England had only three wives, because three of his marriages were annulled by the Church of England. However, he was never granted an annulment by the Pope, as he desired, for Catherine of Aragon, his first wife. Annulments declare that a true marriage never took place, unlike a divorce, in which a married couple end their union. Along with his six wives, Henry took several mistresses.
What is extraordinary is that Henry was usually a very good husband. And he liked women – that's why he married so many of them! He was very tender to them, we know that he addressed them as "sweetheart." He was a good lover, he was very generous: the wives were given huge settlements of land and jewels – they were loaded with jewels. He was immensely considerate when they were pregnant. But, once he had fallen out of love... he just cut them off. He just withdrew. He abandoned them. They didn't even know he'd left them.
Who Were the Six Wives of Henry VIII?
Catherine of Aragon.
Anne Boleyn.
Jane Seymour.
Anne of Cleves.
Catherine Howard.
Catherine Parr.
The Six Wives of Henry VIII is the second studio album by English keyboardist Rick Wakeman, released in January 1973 on A&M Records. It is an instrumental progressive rock album with its concept based on his interpretations of the musical characteristics of the wives of Henry VIII. After signing with A&M as a solo artist, Wakeman decided on the album's concept during a tour of the United States with the progressive rock band Yes. As he read a book about the subject on his travels, melodies he had written the previous year came to him and were noted down. The album was recorded throughout 1972 with musicians from Yes and Strawbs, the group Wakeman was in prior to Yes, playing on the album.
Rick Wakeman – The Six Wives Of Henry VIII
Label: A&M Records – 5356246
Format: CD, Album, Reissue
Country: Europe
Released: 2014
Genre: Electronic, Rock
Style: Modern Classical, Prog Rock
TRACKS
01. Catherine Of Aragon 3:45
Bass – Chris Squire, Les Hurdle
Drums – Bill Bruford
Engineer, Mixed By – Ken Scott
Guitar – Mike Egan, Steve Howe
Percussion – Ray Cooper
Vocals – Barry St. John, Judy Powell, Liza Strike
02. Anne Of Cleves 7:50
Bass – Dave Winter
Drums – Alan White
Guitar – Mike Egan
Percussion – Frank Riccotti
03. Catherine Howard 6:36
Banjo [Electric] – Dave Cousins
Bass – Chas Cronk
Drums – Barry De Souza
Guitar – Dave Lambert
Percussion – Frank Riccotti
04. Jane Seymour 4:44
Drums – Alan White
05. Anne Boleyn 'The Day Thou Gavest Lord Hath Ended' 6:31
Arranged By [End Hymn] – Rick Wakeman
Bass – Les Hurdle
Drums – Bill Bruford
Engineer – Ken Scott
Guitar – Mike Egan
Mixed By – Dave Henshall*
Percussion – Ray Cooper
Vocals – Laura Lee, Liza Strike, Sylvia McNeill
Written-By [End Hymn] – E.J. Hopkins
06. Catherine Parr 7:00
Bass – Dave Winter
Drums – Alan White
Guitar – Mike Egan
Percussion – Frank Riccotti
MUSICIANS
Lead musician
Rick Wakeman – 2 Minimoog synthesisers, 2 400-D Mellotrons (one for vocals, sound effects and vibes; the other for brass, strings and flutes), frequency counter, custom mixer, Steinway 9' grand piano, custom-built Hammond C-3 organ, RMI electric piano and harpsichord, ARP synthesiser, Thomas Goff harpsichord, church organ at St Giles-without-Cripplegate, portative organ
Additional musicians
Bill Bruford – drums on "Catherine of Aragon" and "Anne Boleyn"
Ray Cooper – percussion on "Catherine of Aragon" and "Anne Boleyn"
Dave Cousins – electric banjo on "Catherine Howard"
Chas Cronk – bass guitar on "Catherine Howard"
Barry de Souza – drums on "Catherine Howard"
Mike Egan – guitar on "Catherine of Aragon", "Anne of Cleves", "Anne Boleyn", and "Catherine Parr"
Steve Howe – guitar on "Catherine of Aragon"
Les Hurdle – bass guitar on "Catherine of Aragon" and "Anne Boleyn"
Dave Lambert – guitar on "Catherine Howard"
Laura Lee – vocals on "Anne Boleyn"
Sylvia McNeill – vocals on "Anne Boleyn"
Judy Powell – vocals on "Catherine of Aragon"
Frank Ricotti – percussion on "Anne of Cleves", "Catherine Howard", and "Catherine Parr"
Chris Squire – bass guitar on "Catherine of Aragon"
Barry St. John – vocals on "Catherine of Aragon"
Liza Strike – vocals on "Catherine of Aragon" and "Anne Boleyn"
Alan White – drums on "Anne of Cleves", "Jane Seymour", and "Catherine Parr"
Dave Wintour – bass guitar on "Anne of Cleves" and "Catherine Parr"
