Emerson, Lake & Palmer

Consisting of King Crimson bassist Greg Lake, The Nice keyboardist Keith Emerson, and The Crazy World of Arthur Brown and Atomic Rooster drummer Carl Palmer, Emerson, Lake & Palmer is a 1970s supergroup that has been hailed as a major force for the progressive rock genre by many. Influenced by symphonic and jazz music, the band has inspired many artists ranging from popular heavy metal group Iron Maiden to neo-progressive rock icon Dream Theater.

Emerson, Lake & Palmer formed in early 1970 and released their self-titled debut album just months following their formation. They released their more popular album Tarkus the year after; however, both albums managed to reach the top five, with Tarkus claiming the top spot in the U.K. Following these releases, the supergroup issued five more albums for the rest of the decade, their most popular LP being Brain Salad Surgery, which was named the 12th greatest progressive rock album by Rolling Stone. In 1979, the group disbanded due to “internal problems” as claimed by Emerson.

However, they reformed nearly twelve years later and put out two more albums, Black Moon and In the Hot Seat. They toured variously throughout the 1990’s and in 2010 before dissolving once and for all. Sadly, Keith Emerson and Greg Lake both passed away in 2016, leaving Carl Palmer as the only living member of the band.

Despite their difficult past, all nine of the group’s albums were certified gold by the RIAA, and their music has been cherished by prog rock fans worldwide.