Web Radio
Oliver is the first son of Rick Wakeman. His parents divorced when he was young. He worked with Clive Nolan (of Arena) on two progressive rock concept albums, Jabberwocky (released 1999) and Hound of the Baskervilles. Tracy Hitchings appears on both albums, while Rick Wakeman (narrating) and Yes alumnus Peter Banks both appeared on Jabberwocky.Wakeman worked with Steve Howe for several years, (originally his father's bandmate in Yes and later as a bandmate when Oliver joined Yes himself).
The two lived 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. Wakeman wrote a CD inspired by his visits to and experiences on Lundy, a small island in the Bristol Channel which was released originally in 1997 and then again in 1999. He toured with Bob Catley in the UK and Europe and also guested on an Ayreon project 'The Human Equation' in 2004. Wakeman replaced keyboardist Herb Schildt for the American progressive rock band Starcastle, known for their Yes-like sound, at RoSfest (Rites of Spring festival) 2007.
During 2006 and 2007 Oliver took to the road with his band performing selections from his 'Mother's Ruin' album as well as songs from his back catalogue. Oliver has been nominated for the Classic Rock Society's 'Best Keyboard Player' award on many occasions and has won the award three times (2006, 2007 & 2008).
He is currently working with Gordon Giltrap on a new project titled 'Ravens & Lullabies'. The album was released earlier in 2013, and last weekend Giltrap and Wakeman, together with a specially assembled band played a unique live show. To celebrate this unique event, we telephoned Oliver Wakeman, and we ended up having a long conversation including some interesting snippets about his time with Yes.
