Editing Keith Emerson (section)

===1970–1979: Emerson, Lake & Palmer===
[[File:KeithEmersonPerforming.jpg|thumb|right|Emerson performing in concert with Emerson, Lake & Palmer in 1977]]

After The Nice split in March 1970, Emerson formed a new band, [[Emerson, Lake & Palmer]] (ELP), with bassist [[Greg Lake]] from [[King Crimson]] and drummer [[Carl Palmer]] from [[Atomic Rooster]]. After four months of rehearsal, the band played its first shows and recorded its first album, having quickly obtained a record deal with [[Atlantic Records]]. ELP became popular immediately after their [[Isle of Wight Festival 1970|1970 Isle of Wight Festival]] performance, and continued to tour regularly throughout the 1970s. Not all were impressed, with [[BBC Radio 1]] DJ [[John Peel]] describing their Isle of Wight set as a "tragic waste of talent and electricity".<ref name=glancey/> Their set, with a half-million onlookers, involved "annihilating their instruments in a classical-rock blitz" and firing cannons from the stage,<ref>{{cite web|last=Reed |first=Ryan |url=http://ultimateclassicrock.com/emerson-lake-and-palmer-stage-debut/ |title=45 Years Ago: Emerson, Lake and Palmer Make Their Stage Debut |publisher=Ultimateclassicrock.com |date=13 August 2013 |access-date=20 March 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160314065059/http://ultimateclassicrock.com/emerson-lake-and-palmer-stage-debut/ |archive-date=14 March 2016}}</ref> which had been tested out on a field near [[Heathrow Airport]].<ref name=glancey>{{cite news |last=Glancey |first=Jonathan |date=31 May 2002 |title=Keith Emerson – The Hendrix of the Hammond |url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2002/may/31/shopping.artsfeatures1 |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |location=[[London]] |access-date=12 March 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304222413/http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2002/may/31/shopping.artsfeatures1 |archive-date=4 March 2016}}</ref>

====Use of synthesizers====
{{multiple image |align=left |direction=vertical |width=220
|image1=Keith Emerson's Customized R.A.Moog Modular Synthesizer with keyboard, ribbon controllers (1968), Customized Hammond "Tarkus" C3 with chrome stand (ca.1968) - Play It Loud. MET (2019-05-13 19.02.27 by Eden, Janine and Jim).jpg
|caption1=Keith Emerson's customized
* "Monster [[Moog modular synthesizer systems|Moog]]" [[Moog modular synthesizer systems|modular synth<!-- esizer -->]]
* "Tarkus" [[Hammond organ|Hammond]] C3 organ
}}

ELP's record deal provided funds for Emerson to buy his own [[Moog modular synthesiser]] from the US, which was a preset model that had fewer leads and punch cards to call up certain patches.<ref name=OTT84/> He used the patch that Vickers provided, which contained six distinctive Moog sounds and became the foundation of ELP's sound.<ref name="Analog Days" /> It was a temperamental device, with the oscillators often going out of tune with temperature change.<ref name="Analog Days" /> Emerson was the first artist to tour with a Moog synthesiser. His "Monster Moog", built from numerous modules, weighed {{convert|550|lbs|kg}}, stood {{convert|10|ft|m|0}} tall and took four roadies to move. Even with its unpredictability, it became an indispensable component of not only ELP's concerts, but also Emerson's own.<ref>{{citation|last=Bernstein|first=David|newspaper=The New York Times|title=A Comeback for Another Classic Rocker: The Moog Synthesizer|date=29 September 2004}} "Mr. Emerson's towering, 10-foot-tall, 550-pound ''Monster Moog,'' as he called it, was an indispensable part of the group's concerts, even though it was often unreliable and difficult to play."</ref> His use of the Moog was so critical to the development of new Moog models that he was given prototypes, such as the Constellation, which he took on one tour,<ref name="Analog Days" /> and the Apollo, which had its début on "[[And did those feet in ancient time|Jerusalem]]" on ''[[Brain Salad Surgery]]'' (1973).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ultimateclassicrock.com/elp-brain-salad-surgery/ |title=40 Years Ago: Emerson, Lake & Palmer Release 'Brain Salad Surgery'|last1=DeRiso |first1=Nick |date=19 November 2013 |website=ultimateclassicrock.com |publisher=[[Townsquare Media|Ultimate Classic Rock]] |access-date=13 March 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150123080410/http://ultimateclassicrock.com/elp-brain-salad-surgery |archive-date=23 January 2015 }}</ref> As synthesiser technology evolved, Emerson went on to use a variety of other synthesisers, including the [[Minimoog]], [[Yamaha GX-1]], and several models by [[Korg]].

====As composer and arranger====
Emerson performed several notable rock arrangements of classical compositions, ranging from [[Johann Sebastian Bach|J. S. Bach]] and [[Modest Mussorgsky]] to 20th-century composers such as [[Béla Bartók]], [[Aaron Copland]], [[Leoš Janáček]] and [[Alberto Ginastera]]. Occasionally Emerson quoted from classical and jazz works without giving credit, particularly early in his career.<ref>{{cite news |last=Tsioulcas |first=Anastasia |date=11 March 2016 |title=Remembering Keith Emerson, A Prog-Rock Legend |url=https://www.npr.org/sections/therecord/2016/03/11/470119610/remembering-keith-emerson-a-prog-rock-legend |publisher=[[NPR]] |location=[[Washington, D.C.]] |access-date=13 March 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160312094648/http://www.npr.org/sections/therecord/2016/03/11/470119610/remembering-keith-emerson-a-prog-rock-legend |archive-date=12 March 2016}}</ref><ref>Romano, p. [https://books.google.com/books?id=UIqkCAAAQBAJ&pg=PT42 PT42].</ref> An early example of Emerson's arranging was the song "Rondo" by The Nice, which is a [[time signature|4/4]] interpretation of [[Dave Brubeck]]'s 9/8 composition "[[Blue Rondo à la Turk]]".<ref name=MrBrubeck>{{cite web|last=Emerson|first=Keith|title=Meeting Mr. Brubeck Again|url=http://www.keithemerson.com/MiscPages/2009/20090924-DaveBrubeck.html|work=Official Keith Emerson Website|access-date=10 February 2013|archive-date=5 June 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130605091756/http://www.keithemerson.com/MiscPages/2009/20090924-DaveBrubeck.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> During live performances the piece is introduced by an extensive excerpt from the 3rd movement of Bach's ''[[Italian Concerto]]''.<ref name=hollyq>{{cite web |url=https://www.ramblingonmusic.com/single-post/2015/11/09/would-you-like-a-knife-with-that-keith-emerson-the-leatherdonned-daredevil-how-emerson-ch |title=Would You Like A Knife With That? Keith Emerson: The Leather-Donned Daredevil. How Emerson Changed The Role Of The Keyboardist Through Explicit Stage Presence and Performance |last1=Q. |first1=Holly |date=10 September 2015 |website=Rambingonmusic.com |publisher=Rambling On Music |access-date=13 March 2016 |archive-date=3 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201203191104/https://www.ramblingonmusic.com/single-post/2015/11/09/would-you-like-a-knife-with-that-keith-emerson-the-leatherdonned-daredevil-how-emerson-ch |url-status=dead }}</ref>

On ELP's [[Emerson, Lake & Palmer (album)|eponymous first album]], Emerson's classical quotes went largely uncredited. In the 1973 reissue on the group's personal label, Manticore Records, the songs are credited correctly. By 1971, with the releases '' [[Pictures at an Exhibition (Emerson, Lake & Palmer album)|Pictures at an Exhibition]]'' and ''Trilogy'', ELP began to fully credit classical composers, including [[Modest Mussorgsky]] for the piano piece which inspired the ''Pictures'' album, and Aaron Copland for "Hoedown" on the ''Trilogy'' album. Emerson indicated in an interview that he based his version of ''Pictures at an Exhibition'' on Mussorgsky's original piano composition, rather than on [[Maurice Ravel]]'s later orchestration of the work.<ref name=prasademerson>{{cite web |url=http://www.innerviews.org/inner/emerson.html |title=Keith Emerson: Meshing Sonorities |last1=Prasad |first1=Anil |author-link=Anil Prasad |date=2015 |website=innerviews.org |publisher=Innerviews |access-date=13 March 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20150905113757/http://www.innerviews.org/inner/emerson.html |archive-date=5 September 2015 }}</ref>

Following ELP's 1974 tour, the members agreed to put the band on temporary hiatus and pursue individual solo projects. During this time, Emerson composed his "[[Piano Concerto No. 1 (Emerson)|Piano Concerto No. 1]]" and recorded it with the [[London Philharmonic Orchestra]].<ref name=welcomeback>{{cite AV media |people=Keith Emerson (interviewee) |year=1997 |title=Welcome Back&nbsp;... The ELP Story  |medium=Audio documentary |url=http://ladiesofthelake.com/audiofiles/elpstory.html |access-date=16 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151007105430/http://ladiesofthelake.com/audiofiles/elpstory.html |archive-date=7 October 2015 |format=Audio CD  |publisher=[[Manticore Records]] (CD); Ladies of the Lake - A Greg Lake Tribute Site (transcription) |id=a55656 (M-CD102 PRO) }}</ref> According to Emerson, he was motivated by critical comments suggesting that he relied upon adapting classical works because he was unable to write his own music, and further motivated by the London Philharmonic "who weren't that helpful to begin with" and "had the attitude of 'What's a rock musician doing writing a piano concerto?'"<ref name=prasademerson /> Emerson said, "I wanted people to say, look, I'm a composer, I do write my own music, and what greater challenge than to write a piano concerto."<ref name=welcomeback /> The recording later appeared on ELP's album ''[[Works Volume 1]]''. Emerson's concerto has since been performed by classical pianists, most notably Jeffrey Biegel, who has performed it several times and recorded it with Emerson's permission.<ref name=prasademerson /><ref>{{cite news |last=Glenn |first=Gamboa | url=http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/music/keith-emerson-dead-keyboardist-of-rock-band-emerson-lake-and-palmer-was-71-1.11564608 | title=Keith Emerson dead; Emerson, Lake and Palmer keyboardist was 71 | newspaper=[[Newsday]] | location=[[Long Island, New York]] | date=11 March 2016 | access-date=26 March 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160312095943/http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/music/keith-emerson-dead-keyboardist-of-rock-band-emerson-lake-and-palmer-was-71-1.11564608 |archive-date=12 March 2016}}</ref>

In 1976, while still in ELP, Emerson also released his first solo record, the single "Honky Tonk Train Blues" b/w "Barrelhouse Shake-Down". "Honky Tonk Train Blues", Emerson's cover of a 1927 [[boogie-woogie]] piano song by [[Meade Lux Lewis]], reached {{Numero|21}} on the [[UK Singles Chart]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ultimateclassicrock.com/keith-emerson-songs/ |title=Top 10 Keith Emerson Songs|last1=DeRiso |first1=Nick |website=ultimateclassicrock.com |date=11 March 2016 |publisher=[[Townsquare Media|Ultimate Classic Rock]] |access-date=17 March 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160313112552/http://ultimateclassicrock.com/keith-emerson-songs/ |archive-date=13 March 2016 }}</ref><ref name=honkytonkchart>{{cite web |url=http://www.officialcharts.com/search/singles/honky%20tonk%20train%20blues/ |title=Official Singles Chart Results Matching: Honky Tonk Train Blues |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=10 April 1976 |website=officialcharts.com |access-date=17 March 2016 }}</ref>

====Theatrics====
[[File:Keith Emerson (1980s).jpg|thumb|upright|Emerson in the mid-1990s]]

In addition to his technical skills at playing and composing, Emerson was a theatrical performer.<ref name="nytobit">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/12/arts/music/keith-emerson-70s-rock-showman-with-a-taste-for-spectacle-dies-at-71.html |title=Keith Emerson, '70s Rock Showman With a Taste for Spectacle, Dies at 71 |first=Ben |last=Ratliff |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |page=B7 |date=11 March 2016}}</ref> He cited guitarist [[Jimi Hendrix]] and organist [[Don Shinn (musician)|Don Shinn]] as his chief theatrical influences. While in ELP, Emerson continued to some degree the physical abuse of his Hammond organ that he had developed with The Nice, including playing the organ upside down while having it lie over him and using knives to wedge down specific keys and sustain notes during solos. He also engaged in knife throwing using a target fastened in front of his Leslie speakers.<ref>{{cite book |last=Macan |first=Edward |date=2006 |title=Endless Enigma: A Musical Biography of Emerson, Lake and Palmer |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tXoIAQAAMAAJ |location=[[Chicago]] |publisher=[[Open Court Publishing Company]] |pages=24–26 |isbn=978-0-8126-9596-0}}</ref> He was given his trademark knife, an authentic Nazi dagger, by [[Lemmy Kilmister]], who was a roadie for The Nice in his earlier days.<ref name="Cider">{{cite book| first= Stuart| last= Maconie| year= 2004| title= Cider With Roadies| edition= 1st| publisher= [[Random House]]| location= [[London]]| isbn= 0-09-189115-9| page= 53}}</ref>

Emerson toned down his theatrics with the organ when ELP used more stage props for their shows. While touring ''Brain Salad Surgery'' from 1973 to 1974, at the end of the show, a sequencer in Emerson's Moog Modular synthesiser was set running at an increasing rate, with the synthesiser pivoting to face the audience while emitting smoke and deploying a large pair of silver bat wings from its back.<ref>Macan, ''Endless Enigma'', p. 332.</ref> The same tour featured one of Emerson's memorable live show stunts with ELP, which involved playing a piano suspended as high as 20 feet in mid-air and then rotated end-over-end with Emerson sitting at it. This was purely for visual effect, as the piano was fake and had no works inside, leaving Emerson to mime playing.<ref name=greglakepiano>{{cite web |url=http://somethingelsereviews.com/2013/05/18/keith-actually-hurt-himself-doing-it-inside-emerson-lake-and-palmers-amazing-rotating-piano-stunt/ |title=Inside Emerson Lake and Palmer's Amazing Rotating Piano Stunt: 'Keith Actually Hurt Himself Doing It' |author=Something Else! |date=18 May 2013 |website=somethingelsereviews.com |publisher=Something Else! |access-date=13 March 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140815185726/http://somethingelsereviews.com/2013/05/18/keith-actually-hurt-himself-doing-it-inside-emerson-lake-and-palmers-amazing-rotating-piano-stunt/ |archive-date=15 August 2014 }}</ref> Emerson was introduced to Bob McCarthy, former circus employee on Long Island, New York who demonstrated the stunt piano for him at his home. It was used for shows at [[Madison Square Garden]] in December 1973 and the [[California Jam]] in April 1974, which was filmed. Emerson said: "After that every TV show I did came the question&nbsp;... Keith, how do you spin around on that piano? I'd say what about my music?{{'"}}<ref name=shasho>{{cite web |url=http://www.classicrockmusicwriter.com/2014/09/keith-emerson-interview-master-of.html |title=Keith Emerson Interview: 'Master of the Keyboards & Moog Synthesizer' – New 'Live CD' with Greg Lake |last1=Shasho |first1=Ray |date=26 September 2014 |website=classicrockmusicwriter.com |publisher=The Classic Rock Music Reporter (Ray Shasho) |access-date=12 March 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151203015734/http://www.classicrockmusicwriter.com/2014/09/keith-emerson-interview-master-of.html |archive-date=3 December 2015 }}</ref> The stunt caused Emerson to suffer multiple finger injuries and a broken nose.<ref name=greglakepiano /> He wished to use it at the band's reunion concert in 2010, but was forbidden by the [[London Borough of Tower Hamlets|local authority]] who said that the plans did not meet health and safety standards.<ref name=shasho />