The days of 2016 just seem to get sadder and sadder.
It is reported and confirmed that Keith Emerson of The Nice, but best known for his strong role in Emerson, Lake & Palmer, has passed away on March 10. The reports are still unavailable as to what led to his death. He was 71 at the time of his passing.
Keith Emerson, along with Greg Lake and Carl Palmer exploded onto the progressive music stage with a hybrid of classical music and rock. What began as “toes in the water” sessions that led to the eponymous first album soon became full blown experimentation that led to the Works series. But before those, there were Tarkus, Pictures At An Exhibition (live), the brilliant Trilogy, and the best-selling peak of Brain Salad Surgery. There was a great live set, Welcome Back My Friends…, and the Works series. There were several albums after those, some not as warmly received.
Keith Emerson contributed no small part in the evolution of ELP. It was his expertise with the keyboards, his experimentation with the Moog and other electronic keyboards, and his penchant for stage antics and displays of acrobatic prowess as he rose into the air above the stage playing his piano. Of course, more than anything, there is his love of the classical music that permeated the music that Emerson, Lake and Palmer created.
While one cannot cast aside the efforts and contributions of Carl Palmer and Greg Lake, it was Keith Emerson that was the musical heart of the band. His stage walls of boards and wires revealed his love for the advancement of the art of music, which he took great part in. even on stage, he would playfully show what he could do with those electronic enhancements.
As with all that have passed before Keith Emerson, especially in this all too young year of 2016, we will greatly miss the legacy of a great part of many of our childhood. You cannot listen to ELP without hearing – and seeing – the influence of Keith Emerson. So it goes without saying, “O, what a lucky man he was.”
And what lucky fans we were.
Keith Emerson
1944-2016
RIP
You were meant to be here…from the beginning!