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“I wanted a new band to take it to another level”: Keith Emerson’s road to Emerson, Lake and Palmer
Keith Emerson’s early musical ingenuity helped shape The Nice before he joined Greg Lake and Carl Palmer to form Emerson, Lake and Palmer in 1970. His drive to take The Nice’s work further led to a band that became one of the biggest acts in 1970s progressive music.
Emerson drew on jazz, boogie-woogie and classical composers, and developed a theatrical Hammond organ style after an incident at a gig in France. The Nice released four albums and had a hit with their version of “America”; Emerson later toured with a Moog synthesiser and left The Nice, saying he felt they had achieved all they could.
In short
- Emerson blended jazz, classical and rock influences.
- The Nice established his progressive music reputation.
- He formed ELP with Greg Lake and Carl Palmer in 1970.
Explained simply
The Nice were a British rock band formed in the late 1960s, with Keith Emerson on keyboards. He brought together rock, jazz and classical music, and became known for a dramatic style of playing the Hammond organ, an electric keyboard.
Emerson wanted to develop the band’s music further, but felt The Nice had reached the limit of what they could do together. In 1970 he joined singer and bassist Greg Lake and drummer Carl Palmer to form Emerson, Lake and Palmer, often shortened to ELP.
ELP became one of the most prominent bands in 1970s progressive rock, a style known for ambitious arrangements and drawing on different musical traditions. Their success helped make the move from The Nice a significant moment in the development of British rock.