Emerson, Lake & Palmer, also known as ELP, are a sporadically active English progressive rock supergroup.They found success in the 1970s and...
Emerson, Lake & Palmer, also known as ELP, are a sporadically active English progressive rock supergroup.They found success in the 1970s and have sold over forty million albums and headlined large stadium concerts. The band consists of Keith Emerson (keyboards), Greg Lake (bass guitar, vocals, guitar) and Carl Palmer (drums, percussion). They are one of the most popular and commercially successful progressive rock bands. The ELP sound is dominated by the Hammond organ and Moog synthesizer of the flamboyant Emerson. The band's compositions are heavily influenced by classical music in addition to jazz and – at least in their early years – hard rock. Many of their pieces are arrangements of, or contain quotations from, classical music, and they can be said to fit into the sub-genre of symphonic rock. However, Lake ensured that their albums contained a regular stream of simple, accessible acoustic ballads, many of which received heavy radio airplay. Lake, besides providing vocals, bass guitar, electric guitar and lyrics, also produced the band's first five albums. Background and formation Keith Emerson and Greg Lake, both exploring options outside of their existing bands, met at Fillmore West in San Francisco and on working together, found their styles to be compatible and complementary.[5] Keith described the first meeting (during a soundcheck) in an interview in 1972: "Greg was moving a bass line and I played the piano in back and Zap! It was there."They had actually shared the same venues in 1969 – Emerson in The Nice and Lake in King Crimson, first at the 9th Jazz and Blues Pop Festival in Plumpton, England,and at Fairfield Halls in Croydon, England. Wanting to launch a keyboard/bass/drum band, Emerson and Lake sought a drummer. They initially approached drummer Mitch Mitchell, who was at a loose end following the breakup of The Jimi Hendrix Experience and Hendrix's departure to the Band of Gypsies. Mitchell subsequently suggested a jam session with himself, Lake... Less
