Former Yes keyboardist Rick Wakeman has changed his plans for the band’s upcoming induction into the 2017 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.
Wakeman recently said he would not appear at the April ceremony in New York because band founder Chris Squire died in 2015 and he felt the recognition was too late in coming, adding, “I have no idea if there will be any sort of reunion, but whatever happens under no circumstances will I be any part of it, neither will I be attending.”
Now, the keyboard icon – who first joined Yes in 1971 for their fourth album, “Fragile”, and served several stints in the lineup before his 2004 departure – says his plans have changed.
“I am very pleased to announce that as the Hall of Fame have now agreed to present Chris Squire’s wife with a posthumous award acknowledging his massive contribution to Yes, I have agreed to attend the Induction ceremony in New York to both stand proudly with my fellow band mates Jon and Trevor and also to watch Chris’s wife Scottie collect this well deserved award on his behalf,” writes Wakeman on his website. “I also hope that this move to acknowledge members of bands who sadly did not live to receive their own honour, means they can get them posthumously in the future.”
Squire died June 27, 2015 at the age of 67 from Acute Erythroid Leukemia (AEL), an uncommon form of Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML).
The bassist co-founded Yes with singer Jon Anderson in 1968; the pair will be inducted into the Rock Hall alongside fellow band members Bill Bruford, Steve Howe, Trevor Rabin, Alan White and Tony Kaye as part of the Class of 2017 with Pearl Jam, Journey, Electric Light Orchestra, Joan Baez and Tupac Shakur.
Wakeman – who has been performing lately with Anderson and Rabin under the banner Anderson, Rabin and Wakeman – will release a new album, “Piano Portraits”, on January 15.
See also:
Yes: Rick Wakeman comments on upcoming Rock Hall induction
Yes members comment on 2017 Rock Hall induction
Pearl Jam and Journey among 2017 Rock Hall Of Fame inductees
Yes members comment on 2017 Rock Hall nomination
Search Yes at hennemusic
