Greg Lake
November 10, 1947 – December 7, 2016
As founding lead singer of both King Crimson and Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Greg Lake was an early architect of what would become known as progressive rock – a style that borrowed heavily from classical and jazz for its sound, and poetry for its lyrics. Born in Dorset, England, Lake began playing the guitar as a young teen. By high school, he was friends with another musical schoolmate, Robert Fripp, who later asked Lake to change to bass and sing lead for his own new band, King Crimson. The year was 1968 and the group quickly found a sizable audience thanks in part to their acclaimed debut, In the Court of the Crimson King. Produced by Lake, it is one of earliest and most influential prog rock albums. After leaving the group in 1970, Lake joined up with Keith Emerson and Carl Palmer to form one of rock’s early supergroups, Emerson, Lake & Palmer. The band would become one of the most successful British bands of the era with such mind-bending albums as Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Tarkus, Trilogy, and Brain Salad Surgery, before parting ways in 1979. During the ’80s, Lake played with Asia and Emerson, Lake & Powell with drummer, Cozy Powell. Emerson, Lake & Palmer reunited for another album and a world tour during the early ’90s, and continued on in one form or another into 2010. Greg Lake was 69 when he died of cancer on December 7, 2016.
What You Should Own
