Keith Emerson, co-founder of the ‘70s supergroup Emerson, Lake & Palmer passed away on March 10th.
The band’s official Facebook page confirmed the news:
“We regret to announce that Keith Emerson died last night at his home in Santa Monica, Los Angeles, aged 71. We ask that the family’s privacy and grief be respected.”
Emerson, Lake & Palmer was arguably the most commercially and critically successful Progressive Rock band that came out of the 1970’s and Emerson’s prowess on the keyboard was admired by fans and contemporaries alike.
Emerson was also an innovator. Around the same time many keyboardists, producers and engineers were discovering and using Moog synthesizers in the studio, Emerson was the first to take one on the road and incorporate it into his keyboard arsenal in 1969.
At the end of the decade when ELP broke up, Emerson continued on with a fairly successful solo career, but would reunite with the band for a while in the 1980’s.
In addition to rock, Emerson also did some film scores, including Dario Argento’s “Inferno” in 1980 and Sylvester Stallone’s “Nighthawks” in 1981.
AllMusic describes Emerson as “…perhaps the greatest, most technically accomplished keyboardist in rock history.”
To see Keith Emerson in all his glory, check out this clip from 1973 as he rips through “Hoedown.”
