Emerson, for all his exhibitionism on stage, was a class act off stage and gentle soul who primarily wanted to be remembered as a composer.
I liked him but his anti-American crap got ELP banned from the Albert Hall! I was there for their not so triumphant return. God Save the Queen
“Emerson, for all his exhibitionism on stage, was a class act off stage and gentle soul who primarily wanted to be remembered as a composer.”
Back in the 1990s I couldn’t find a certain ELP song in sheet music form anywhere, even online, aside from Keith Emerson’s publishing company. The check (just $11 for one song) was to be made payable to “Keith Emerson” himself and not some company name like “Keith Emerson Ltd” or anything like that.
I figured as well-off as he had to be, he wouldn’t cash my little check.
But he did (OK it probably WAS a company, but it sure didn’t look that way). :-)
He’s been gone for over a decade now but there never was a better keyboard player in his genre of music — except maybe Rick Wakeman. If pressed, I’ll call it a tie.