An Evening With Rick Wakeman

Join musician Rick Wakeman, one of the most gifted keyboard players of his generation, for an evening of stories. Celebrating the publication of his autobiography, The Wizard of Prog, he’ll be in conversation with Clint Boon, reflecting on stories included in this release, and discussing his once-in-a-generation career. Every book + ticket comes with a copy of The Wizard of Prog that Rick will sign and dedicate on the day. About The Wizard of Prog 'From the beginning to not quite the end... just yet'. From piano-playing child prodigy, through to classically trained keyboardist and onto his rise with Yes and as a solo artist, Rick Wakeman's life so far has been one of very dramatic spirals, spectacular comebacks and legendary rock ‘n’ roll excess. While Rick takes his music and creativity very seriously, he views his life as material for a sitcom. This unmissable memoir is the story of a musical genius with a taste for adventure, a delightful sense of the absurd and a winning gift for comedy. It's the book Rick has always wanted to write and the sole unsurprising thing about it is that it's a hell of a read. About Rick Wakeman Rick Wakeman was one of the premier rock keyboardists of the progressive era. Born and raised in West London, Rick intended to become a concert pianist but quit the Royal College of Music in 1969 and became a sought-after session musician, playing on ‘Space Oddity’ and ‘Life On Mars?’ for David Bowie, ‘Morning Has Broken’ for Cat Stevens and on tracks for Elton John, Marc Bolan and Lou Reed. After a brief stint in the folk rock group Strawbs, he joined Yes in 1971. In 1974, he formed his own band, the English Rock Ensemble. Since the 1980s, he has toured regularly, doing solo shows that combine music and storytelling, as well as concerts with a band. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2017, and was appointed a CBE for his services to music and broadcasting in 2021. In his later life he has become just as well known as a radio and television broadcaster. About your host: Clint Boon Clint Boon is the Inspiral Carpets’ keyboard player/vocalist/songwriter and the man responsible for their defining electric organ sound. Since 1986, Clint’s work with the Inspiral’s has taken him around the world many times and resulted in a stack of hit singles and five highly acclaimed studio albums. The band are seen as one of the definitive ‘Madchester’ bands alongside Happy Mondays, James and The Stone Roses.