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Rick Wakeman, the well-known keyboardist from the band YES, paid tribute to Dave Cousins, founder of the Strawbs. Cousins died on July 13, 2025, at the age of 85, while in hospice care in Canterbury, U.K. Wakeman remembered Cousins not only as a musician but as someone who had a strong impact on his career and personal life.
Wakeman shared his full tribute in a public statement on July 14. He spoke about how he met Cousins, their early work together in the Strawbs, and how their relationship lasted over the years. Wakeman also reflected on how Cousins’s songwriting, style, and support helped shape his path.
In his triute, he noted,
"Dave had a wonderful gift of writing great melodic melodies which fitted his lyrics perfectly and were a joy to play on."
Praising Cousins' song A Glimpse of Heaven, Wakeman said,
"It is such a beautiful song and in the 1970s I often drove to Sidmouth and sat on the cliffs with my Walkman listening to the track with a broad smile enveloping my face."
He ended his tribute, saying,
"Dave now truly has a real "Glimpse of Heaven"."
Cousins founded the Strawbs in the 1960s and led the band through several decades of change. Known for blending folk and rock, Cousins helped introduce “electric folk” or “folk rock” into the mainstream. Wakeman was part of this evolution in the early 1970s.
When did Rick Wakeman first meet Dave Cousins?
Cousins was first introduced to Rick Wakeman in the year 1969. He was then a session pianist and was recruited to play on the Dragonfly album by The Strawbs. Music producer Tony Visconti organized the session. According to Wakeman it was a match, as he remembered that the group was easy to get along with and he liked the challenge of the unusual guitar tunings.
Following that initial performance Cousins invited Wakeman along to some BBC folk-on-Friday radio sessions with the Strawbs. According to Wakeman, those demos in the beginning had been fun and they became a good working relationship. In April 1970, Cousins formally requested Wakeman to join the Strawbs on a full time basis.
In the same year, a significant change of line-up occurred in the Strawbs. The band later got Richard Hudson and John Ford to join, moving its sound to be more electric. Wakeman attributed the change to Cousins who introduced vitality into the music direction of the group.
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How did Dave Cousins influence Rick Wakeman’s music career?
Cousins, according to Rick Wakeman, had a major influence on his initial music career. He also liked Cousins' songwriting and how he managed to identify matching words and tunes. Wakeman particularly enjoyed the title track, A Glimpse of Heaven, first listened to at Dave Cousins' cottage in Devon. The song was written by Cousins when sitting on the cliffs at Sidmouth.
According to Rick Wakeman, the song remained influential to him. In the 1970s, he would go to Sidmouth, and perch on the stretch of the same cliffs and hear this song playing through his Walkman. According to him, it calmed him and gave him inspiration and he always recalled that moment fondly.
Years later after Wakeman had moved on to YES he still remained in communication with Cousins. They still traded musicians in their different projects. Wakeman said that Oliver and Adam were his sons who also played with the Strawbs at one point or other.
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What was their last performance together?
Rick Wakeman mentioned that the last time he saw Cousins was in Folkestone, at one of the Yuletide shows. The last time they played together was earlier in the same year at a facility named Trading Boundaries in East Sussex.
Together they performed the song, A Glimpse of Heaven live on stage. He added that it was not a performance that was practiced but it ended up being a strong and touching performance. The recording of the performance was fortunate as Rick Wakeman describes and it can now be made available to other people to view and listen to.
He believed that this final episode shared in the stage really meant so much to him. In his eulogy, Wakeman concluded saying that Cousins has a real glimpse of heaven, the song that they used to play and share together. It was more of a full-circle experience to Wakeman because it was not a performance to him.
Rick Wakeman’s tribute to Dave Cousins highlights the deep connection between the two musicians. The early-given opportunities by Cousins, the development, and the impression through his music and friendship left an impression on Wakeman. Having met in 1969, Dave Cousins played an essential role in Wakeman's life right up to the very last time they played together many decades later.
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