Oliver Wakeman
Encyclopedia
Yes (band)
Yes are an English rock band who achieved worldwide success with their progressive, art, and symphonic style of rock music. Regarded as one of the pioneers of the progressive genre, Yes are known for their lengthy songs, mystical lyrics, elaborate album art, and live stage sets...
, where he replaced his father, Rick Wakeman
Rick Wakeman
Richard Christopher Wakeman is an English keyboard player, composer and songwriter best known for being the former keyboardist in the progressive rock band Yes...
.
Biography
Oliver is the first son of Rick Wakeman, but his parents divorced when he was young.He worked with Clive Nolan
Clive Nolan
Clive Nolan is a British musician, composer and producer who has played a prominent role in the recent development of progressive rock...
(of Arena
Arena (band)
Arena are a British neo-progressive rock band founded in 1995 by Clive Nolan and Mick Pointer. Most of the band's lyrics are written by Nolan, though Pointer contributed lyrics to Sirens and other tracks on the first two albums....
) on two progressive rock
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
concept albums, Jabberwocky
Jabberwocky (album)
Jabberwocky is a progressive rock album released in 1999 by British keyboardists Clive Nolan and Oliver Wakeman. It was the first of two albums released by the duo.-Plot:The album is based on the homonymous poem by Lewis Carroll...
(released 1999) and Hound of the Baskervilles. Tracy Hitchings appears on both albums, while Rick Wakeman (narrating) and Yes alumnus Peter Banks
Peter Banks
Peter Banks is an English guitarist. He was the original guitarist of the progressive rock band Yes.-Early career:When Banks was a young boy, his father bought him an acoustic guitar...
both appeared on Jabberwocky.
For several years Wakeman has worked with Steve Howe
Steve Howe (guitarist)
Stephen James "Steve" Howe is an English guitarist, known for his work with the progressive rock group Yes...
, his father's bandmate in Yes. The two live fairly close to each other in south-west England. Howe guested on Wakeman's solo album The 3 Ages of Magick, while Wakeman is on Howe's 2005 solo album Spectrum and contributed to Howe's recording of "Australia" for the US version of the Yes collection The Ultimate Yes: 35th Anniversary Collection
The Ultimate Yes: 35th Anniversary Collection
The Ultimate Yes: 35th Anniversary Collection is a triple compilation album by progressive rock band Yes, was released in 2003 in the United Kingdom and in early 2004 in the United States, and covers the length and breadth of the band's thirty-five-year career.Released on Warner Music in the UK as...
.
Wakeman has written a CD inspired by his visits to and experiences on Lundy
Lundy
Lundy is the largest island in the Bristol Channel, lying off the coast of Devon, England, approximately one third of the distance across the channel between England and Wales. It measures about at its widest. Lundy gives its name to a British sea area and is one of the islands of England.As of...
, a small island in the Bristol Channel
Bristol Channel
The Bristol Channel is a major inlet in the island of Great Britain, separating South Wales from Devon and Somerset in South West England. It extends from the lower estuary of the River Severn to the North Atlantic Ocean...
. He has toured with Bob Catley
Bob Catley
For the Australian politician, see Bob Catley Robert Adrian 'Bob' Catley is a British musician, perhaps best known as the lead singer of the rock band Magnum. He is also an accomplished solo artist.- Early years :...
and also guested on an Ayreon
Ayreon
Ayreon is a project by Dutch composer and musician Arjen Anthony Lucassen.Ayreon's musical style derives mostly from heavy metal and progressive rock, but combines them with genres like folk, classical and electronica...
project in 2004. Wakeman replaced keyboardist Herb Schildt
Herbert Schildt
Herbert Schildt is an American musician and computing author. His books, particularly on C programming, have been best-sellers in three decades; McGraw-Hill, which published many of his books, calls him "the world's leading programming author".-Life:...
for the American progressive rock
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
band Starcastle
Starcastle
Starcastle was a progressive rock band formed in St. Louis, Missouri in 1969.-Formation:Starcastle began life in 1969 as "St. James". Heavily influenced by the British progressive rock movement of the time, the band began writing material that would eventually appear on the first album...
, known for their Yes-like sound, at RoSfest (Rites of Spring Festival) 2007.
Yes
In 2008, the official Yes website announced that Oliver Wakeman would tour with Yes in the bands 40th anniversary tour. However, the tour was postponed due to the illness of Yes singer Jon AndersonJon Anderson
Jon Anderson is an English singer-songwriter and musician best known as the former lead vocalist in the progressive rock band Yes...
. A revamped In The Present Tour featuring Steve Howe
Steve Howe (guitarist)
Stephen James "Steve" Howe is an English guitarist, known for his work with the progressive rock group Yes...
, Chris Squire
Chris Squire
Christopher Russell Edward "Chris" Squire , is an English musician, known as the bass guitarist and backing vocalist for the progressive rock group Yes. He is the only member of the group to appear on every album.-Before Yes:...
and Alan White
Alan White (Yes drummer)
Alan White is an English rock drummer known for his work with the progressive rock band Yes. White was also a member of the Plastic Ono Band, playing live in 1969 at the Toronto Rock and Roll Revival, which was recorded and released three months later as Live Peace in Toronto 1969...
of Yes plus Oliver Wakeman and Canadian singer Benoît David
Benoît David
Benoît David is a Canadian singer who is the lead vocalist of the English progressive rock band Yes and Canadian band Mystery. He was selected by Yes in 2008 to stand in for long-time vocalist Jon Anderson, who left the band due to ill health...
(filling in for Anderson) began in the fall of 2008 and continued into 2009. The second leg of the tour was cancelled after one date when Squire had to have an urgent leg operation on 11 February.
The band returned to touring in summer 2009 and have continued through to summer 2010. They have signed to Frontiers Records, an Italian record company. Yes started work on an album, with Wakeman, in October/November 2010 followed by a tour of South America in November/December of that year. Though he worked with the band on the initial sessions for their first album in 10 years,"Fly From Here
Fly from Here
-Reaction from Anderson:In an interview with Rolling Stone, Anderson stated that on hearing the single "We Can Fly" he felt it sounded "a bit dated" and that Horn's production "wasn't as good as I expected"...
", he was dismissed from Yes during recording. Wakeman stayed on for the Rite of Spring tour (March to early April 2011) and has formally left following its completion. Asia
Asia (band)
Asia are an English rock group formed in 1981. The band was labelled a supergroup as it included former members of several veteran progressive rock bands, namely John Wetton , Geoff Downes , Steve Howe and Carl Palmer Asia are an English rock group formed in 1981. The band was labelled a...
and Drama
Drama (Yes album)
Drama is the tenth studio album by British progressive rock group Yes. It is the first of two Yes albums without vocalist Jon Anderson. In early 1980, after rehearsing music for the follow-up to the tepidly-received Tormato, both Anderson and Rick Wakeman departed the band over creative and...
era Yes keyboardist Geoff Downes
Geoff Downes
Geoffrey "Geoff" Downes is an English rock keyboard player, songwriter, best known as the keyboardist for the bands The Buggles, Yes and Asia, of which he is the only consistent member. When he was a keyboardist for The Buggles, he played multiple keyboards to achieve a New Wave technopop sound...
, who replaced Wakeman for the rest of the album's sessions, was later announced by as keyboardist for its upcoming summer tour. Some of Wakeman's contributions to Fly From Here nevertheless made it onto the released version of the album, and he was even credited as having co-written one track.
Strawbs
In 2009, Wakeman joined Strawbs (another of his father's former bands) in their tours of Canada, the UK and Italy. He continued with the band, his first album with the band being Dancing to the Devil's BeatDancing to the Devil's Beat
Dancing to the Devil's Beat is a studio album by English band Strawbs.-Track listing:#"Revenge " – 5:18#"Beneath the Angry Sky" – 4:29#"Copenhagen" – 4:46...
, recorded and released in 2009. Wakeman will not be with the band for their late 2010 touring given his prior commitment to recording with Yes.