Rick Wakeman ready to rock at village near Banbury

Set up by the iconic and long-running band Fairport Convention, Cropredy Festival started life as a celebration of folk-rock and acoustic roots music.

And while folk is front and centre, the friendly gathering just outside Banbury these days offers much more than guitars, fiddles and flutes.

Yet even by Cropredy standards, its opening day headline act tonight is a bold and unexpected one – a musical telling of the Jules Verne 1864 science fiction classic Journey to the Centre of the Earth.

The show comes courtesy of legend of progressive rock Rick Wakeman. And he can’t wait to perform his 1974 chart-topping concept album to a rapt audience of up to 20,000 people.

“I played there a few years ago with my band and I loved it,” he says.

“Journey to the Centre of the Earth is an unbelievable show. While touring it a number of people said ‘this would be fantastic for a festival’ – and there’s no better festival than this.”

The three-day festival – officially called Fairport’s Cropredy Convention, but known to its legions of returning fans as simply Cropredy or Fairport – comes to a close on Saturday night with a traditional set by hosts Fairport Convention. And it is Rick’s friendship with the band – and particularly bass guitarist Dave ‘Peggy’ Pegg – that has drawn him to the festival for decades.

“Dave is one my very good mates,” he says. “And I have been going since the early days when it was pretty much on the village green.”

The friendship extends to Peggy’s son, Matt – who will join him on stage for the Cropredy show playing, of course, bass.

The group also features four female vocalists including the actress and musician Molly Marriot, daughter of Steve Marriott of Small Faces and Humble Pie fame.

“For Cropredy I’ve got a nine-piece band. And they sound great,” says Rick.

“They include four girl singers. On something like this the vocals are so important. Having them in the band is a dream.”

Running with the family theme, his own son, the heavy metal guitarist Adam Wakeman, will join him on keys.

Rick Wakeman Rick is one of rock’s greats. From early sessions with Elton John, Marc Bolan, Cat Stevens, Lou Reed and David Bowie (Rick playing on hit Space Oddity), the virtuoso keyboardist has played in the Strawbs and, famously, prog-rock act Yes.

An accomplished composer, he has never shied away from pushing the boundaries of rock with historical and mythological-themed concept pieces like the eccentric, yet highly acclaimed, epics The Six Wives of Henry VIII ,and The Myths and Legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table.

A committed charity worker, he is also a fan of horse racing (he tells the story of how he came to own one of the late-Queen Mother’s racehorses), and is devoted to his dogs – having adopted several rescued strays.

The caped synth wizard’s musical talents, meanwhile, have seen him awarded a CBE.

While Rick is happy to share tales of former exploits, he comes across as wholesome, grounded and content.

We are chatting at 9am – a little early, I suggest for a prog icon with a rock & roll reputation as prodigious as his.

“I am a quarter-to-six riser,” he replies cheerfully. “It goes back to my very early days as a paperboy – I’m used to getting up early.”

Rick Wakeman

His days of watching his horse on the gallops and then going to the pub at 7am with the local stable lads, are, though, long over.

He is, instead, utterly dedicated to his music and putting on the best shows possible.

“I live in the knowledge that I’m only here once – and I give it everything I’ve got,” says the engaging showman – who has also made a name for himself as a witty raconteur on TV comedy shows including Grumpy Old Men.

“I love music and during my life I have dabbled in a few things,” he says.

“And I keep going.

“Music and laughter go together quite well. If you are a musician, life is funny; there are some ridiculous things that happen to you. You’ve got to enjoy and make the most of it.”

So with a career stretching back decades and having worked with some of the biggest stars of all time, who is he proudest to have worked with?

“Bowie!” he says without hesitation.

“His whole ethos of life was fantastic. He was a ‘doer’ and hated the idea of being a ‘could’ve’.

“If you said you wanted to do something, he’d say ‘well, why don’t you?’

“If he wanted to walk naked down Oxford Street, he’d do it. And he was the same musically; he was tremendously brave.”

Next year Rick plans to take his Arthurian epic on the road, but for now all his energy is focussed on that hallowed stage at Cropredy.

“Journey to the Centre of the Earth is a story and a journey – and it totally works for all ages,” he says with excitement.

“The band are playing well and I am so proud to be in the band.

“We give value for money!”

lFairport’s Cropredy Convention takes place in Cropredy near Banbury until Saturday, August 10.

Also playing are hosts Fairport Convention, former member and guitar virtuoso Richard Thompson, The Trevor Horn Band, The Spooky Men’s Chorale, Tony Christie, Big Big Train, DeWolff, Eddi Reader, and Richard Digance among others.

See fairportconvention.com