Keith Emerson

keith emerson RKBWhile Keith did take piano lessons starting at age 8 from some local teachers, he actually never had any formal music training. He gained much of his knowledge and developed his style from analyzing sheet music and books in both Classical music and Jazz, as well as absorbing  music of all kinds on the radio

Jazz organist Jack McDuff was a big influence, and Keith became  enamored with the Hammond organ after hearing him. He obtained a Hammond model  L-100 on an installment plan at around age 15.

Keith also wrote soundtracks for movies, most notably the 1980 horror flick by Dario Argento, INFERNO, and Sylvester Stallone’s NIGHTHAWKS in 1981

Keith’s Moog solo on “Lucky Man” ( ELP, 1970), is regarded as the very first time a synthesizer solo was used in a rock song.

Tragically, Keith took his own life on March 11, 2016

 

Early Keith with lots of theatrics of course, but good playing nevertheless