LIVERPOOL, UK (ANS) -- Rock legend Rick Wakeman has written a whole slew of terrific works that include The Six Wives of Henry XIII, Journey to the Centre of the Earth, and The Myths and Legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, which he performed for three nights on ice at the Empire Pool in London to the accompaniment of the New World Symphony Orchestra, the English Rock Ensemble and the Nottingham Festival Vocal Group.

The whole crew who performed King Arthur on Ice; Rick at the front of the picture

The musicians huddled together on a circular stage in the middle of the  chilly London ice rink while skaters in medieval costumes acted out the plot around them. At one point 20 maids and maidens joined the ice drama, but nobody fell, not even when men dressed as knights on horseback engaged in sword fights at both ends of the arena.

But in my opinion, nothing he has written and performed comes close to his magnificent Christian Oratorio “The New Gospels” which he will again perform, this time in Liverpool’s Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King on Thursday July 24, 2008 at 8:00 pm.

The performance will benefit Claire House Children’s Hospice in Liverpool, which provides care for children 0 - 18 years with life threatening or life limiting conditions and their families from Merseyside, Cheshire, North Wales and the Isle of Man.

Rick Wakeman at his keyboards

The New Gospels, (an oratorio which tells of the life of Jesus Christ as told in the four Gospels and The Acts of the Apostles, was rewritten 18 years ago at the request of the late Roy Castle, a talented British entertainer, so that it could be performed at the Liverpool Anglican Cathedral in aid of his Lung Cancer Charity which was based in Liverpool. Castle died September 2, 1994, two days after his 62nd birthday, from lung cancer, even though he was never a smoker. It is believed it contracted the illness from second-hand smoke in the clubs he performed in.

Since then 'The New Gospels' has had around thirty sell out performances, including 12 British Cathedrals and a tour of Southern California, raising money for ASSIST Ministries.

Rick is a committed Christian and was brought up as a Baptist and became a Sunday School Teacher at South Harrow Baptist Church on the outskirts of London, where he was baptized in his early teens.

Rick has admitted that during his “Heavy Rock & Roll days” with the British super group, YES, his own faith may have been a little neglected.

A spokesperson for the Liverpool’s Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King, said, “However, he never felt that the Good Lord had neglected him and Rick relocated from the Isle of Man 2 ½ years ago and has now settled down in a little Norfolk village.

“For the past two years, during the Whit half term holidays, he has organized a week of concerts (with the help of some of his show business friends) to benefit a group of four local churches. Rick moved into his new house on the same day as his new neighbors did and finding them to be the new Vicar and his wife probably helped with that particular project.”

Regarding this performance for Claire House Rick said, “It is wonderful to be returning to Liverpool in 2008 to be performing ‘The New Gospels’ for Claire House as we are all so aware of the wonderful work that they do.”

Amazingly, although Rick is said to the “world’s greatest rock keyboardist,” many in Britain still know him better for his humor than his music, with his many appearances on TV shows like Countdown, Never Mind the Buzzcocks, or his Grumpy Old Man rants on the BBC.

But Wakeman is a man of many talents, having been trained at the Royal College of Music in London, and who still has a great love for classical music.

The cathedral spokesperson added, “Please come along and be entertained by a musician who is truly gifted, performing in a magnificent Cathedral and supporting a very worthwhile local charity.”

For more information go to:  www.liverpoolmetrocathedral.org.uk/RickWakeman2008.html

Dan Wooding, 67, is an award winning British journalist now living in Southern California with his wife Norma of 44 years. He is the founder and international director of ASSIST (Aid to Special Saints in Strategic Times) and the ASSIST News Service (ANS). He was, for ten years, a commentator, on the UPI Radio Network in Washington, DC. Wooding is the author of some 42 books, the latest of which is his autobiography, "From Tabloid to Truth", which is published by Theatron Books. To order a copy, go to www.fromtabloidtotruth.com. danjuma1@aol.com.