Prog God Wakeman celebrates genre

Proud: Rick Wakeman

Rick Wakeman believes prog rock can be found in almost all other genres of music these days.

He celebrated the form he’s most associated with as he accepted the Prog God Award at the inaugural Progressive Music Awards, run by Classic Rock’s sister title Prog Magazine.

The event took place at Kew Gardens in London last night, attended by a range of big names. It was hosted by BBC Newsnight presenter Gavin Esler.

Wakeman said: “I’m very proud indeed. I’ve always believed that, these days, there is hardly a band or musician anywhere who hasn’t used some element of prog in their music.

“It’s all about freedom of expression – which in my case is often in seven different time signatures.

“I am genuinely very, very proud to get this award.”

Orange Amplification Progressive Music Awards 2012

New Blood: TesseracT
Nominated: Gazpacho, Von Hertzen Brothers, Headspace, The Reasoning, Haken, Touchstone

Live Event: Anathema at Union Chapel/Koko
Nominated: Ian Anderson Thick As A Brick tour, Summer’s End Festival, Steve Hackett Childline Rocks charity show, Steven Wilson at Shepherds Bush Empire, Marillion Forum / US tour

Anthem: Squackett – A Life Within A Day
Nominated: Steve Wilson – Raider II, Panic Room – Song for Tomorrow, Arena – One Last Au Revoir, Karmakanic – Turn It Up, Crippled Black Phoenix – Laying Traps, It Bites – The Last Escape

Album of the Year: Rush – Clockwork Angels
Nominated: Anathema – Weather Systems, Storm Corrosion – Storm Corrosion, Opeth – Heritage, It Bites – Map Of The Past, Yes – Fly From Here, Nightwish – Imaginaerum

Grand Design: Pink Floyd – Immersion Reissues
Nominated: King Crimson – Panegyric Reissues, Peter Gabriel – New Blood Deluxe Edition, Steven Wilson – Grace for Drowning Deluxe Edition, Rush – Sectors box sets, Jethro Tull – Aqualung 40th Anniversary Special Edition, Tangerine Dream – Zeit box set

Virtuoso: Carl Palmer (ELP/Asia)
Nominated: Mike Portnoy (Flying Colors), John Petrucci (Dream Theater), John Mitchell (It Bites/Arena), Nick Beggs (Steve Hackett/Steven Wilson), Rob Reed (Magenta), Roine Stolt (Flower Kings/Transatlantic)

Visionary: Peter Hammill (Van der Graaf Generator)
Nominated: Hawkwind, Kraftwerk, Radiohead, Muse, Can, Kate Bush

Lifetime Achievement: Genesis
Nominated: Jethro Tull, Pink Floyd, Yes, Moody Blues, Van der Graaf Generator, ELP

Guiding Light: Steven Wilson
Nominated: Mikael Akerfeldt, Matt Bellamy, Robert Fripp, Steve Hackett, Mike Portnoy, Fish

Prog God: Rick Wakeman
Nominated: Ian Anderson, Roger Waters, Peter Gabriel, Jon Anderson, Kate Bush, Steve Hillage