Rick Wakeman

Rick Wakeman is an English keyboard player who is possibly best-known for his involvement with the progressive rock band Yes. After purchasing his first electronic keyboard at the age of 12, Wakeman went on to study piano, orchestration and modern music theory at the Royal College of Music. His studies were short lived, however, as he left the school in favor of studio session work with artists and bands like Black Sabbath, David Bowie, T. Rex and Elton John. Wakeman first joined Yes in 1971 and played intermittently with the group as he also found time to launch his solo career, which began in 1973 with his debut album, The Six Wives of Henry VIII. The LP was part one of a trilogy of rock operas that continued with 1974's Journey to the Centre of the Earth and 1975's The Myths and Legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table.