Rick Wakeman is an English musician, songwriter, and composer who is best known as the keyboardist of the progressive rock band Yes. Active in the music industry since the 1960s, throughout his decades-spanning career he has been inspired by different genres of music, blending elements of jazz, rock, classical, and folk into his signature sound. His earliest successes as a musician included working with a variety of bands as a session musician. Wakeman released his debut album, The Six Wives of Henry VIII, in 1973, which earned him a Grammy Award nomination. Over the course of his career, Wakeman has gone on to release over 50 solo albums, and his career has earned him two Ivor Novello Awards. Wakeman is also an author, writer, radio presenter, and TV personality.