NEXT month keyboard wizard Rick Wakeman returns to Bradford with his one-man show. He'll be telling stories about his career that has included musical collaborations with David Bowie, Cat Stevens and Elton John, as well as worldwide tours with YES and his own band The English Rock Ensemble, punctuated by displays of dazzling virtuosity on the piano.

In short, the Fellow of the Royal College of Music, Professor of the London College of Music, former Yes keyboard player, Watchdog presenter and renowned Grumpy Old Man, is good value, a great musician and, refreshingly, a decent chap.

An example of this occurred more than 20 years ago, on Wednesday, November 10, 1993. On that day Rick Wakeman brought a little band to Bradford to do a fund-raising concert in Bradford Cathedral. The building's roof needed an estimated £500,000-worth of repairs.

Rick, 44 then, was renowned for his flamboyant, wild-man image. The former member of Seventies super-group Yes, offered to play the concert after hearing about the appeal on the radio. Wakeman phoned the Cathedral out of the blue and they accepted.

At first the £10 tickets sold slowly causing some to fear that the concert would have to be called off. But with the help of a little publicity from the T&A, acknowledged by Wakeman afterwards, the show went on.

More than 500 people from all over the country turned up to watch him perform his own church music, a piece called The Word and The Gospels which was first performed at London's Royal Albert Hall.

"Everything went fantastically," he said later, "and I am grateful to the T&A for its efforts in publicising the event. There was not a spare seat."

There may have been one or two; reportedly, up to 800 tickets were available for purchase. Nevertheless as a result of the concert at least £5,000 boosted the roof fund.

In August 2013, for the first time in his long and varied career, Rick performed at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe with a run of 12 solo shows which were a sell-out success, winning rave reviews and quickly becoming a ‘must-see’ event of the festival.

When he steps out on to the stage of St George's Hall next month perhaps he'll be minded to tell a story or two about the day in 1993 when he helped to raise the roof of Bradford Cathedral.

Tickets for Yet Another Evening with Rick Wakeman at St George’s Hall on Sunday 1 February are available now from Bradford Theatres Box Office on 01274 432000 or visit bradford-theatres.co.uk.