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English musician (1947–2016)

Gregory Stuart Lake (10 November 1947 – 7 December 2016) was an English bassist, guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He gained prominence as a founding member of the progressive rock bands King Crimson and Emerson, Lake & Palmer (ELP). Born and brought up in Dorset, Lake began to play the guitar at the age of 12 and wrote his first song, "Lucky Man", at the same age. He became a full time musician at 17, playing in several rock bands until his friend and fellow Dorset guitarist Robert Fripp invited him to join King Crimson as lead singer and bassist. They found commercial success with their influential debut album, In the Court of the Crimson King (1969). Lake left the band in 1970 and achieved significant success in the 1970s and beyond as the singer, guitarist, bassist, and producer of ELP. As a member of ELP, Lake wrote and recorded several popular songs including "Lucky Man" and "From the Beginning". Both songs entered the UK and US singles charts. Lake launched a solo career, beginning with his 1975 single "I Believe in Father Christmas" which reached number two in the UK. He went on to release three solo albums with his Greg Lake Band and guitarist Gary Moore, recorded 1981 through 1983 (two studio albums, one live album). He was also briefly but notably a member of pop rock band Asia in 1983, replacing vocalist/bassist John Wetton (another former member of King Crimson) for three concerts in Tokyo, Japan. As well as collaborating and performing with other artists and with various groups in the 1980s, he had occasional ELP reunions in the 1990s and in 2010, and toured regularly as a solo artist into the 21st century. Lake also sponsored other artists, producing their recordings and helping them to get recording contracts. He also was a fundraiser for the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. He died on 7 December 2016 in London, of pancreatic cancer, at the age of 69.

Gregory Stuart Lake was born on 10 November 1947 in the Parkstone area of Poole in Dorset, to Harry, an engineer, and Pearl, a housewife. which he didn't write down, simply committing it to memory. He named his mother, a pianist, as his initial musical influence and she bought Lake a second hand guitar to learn on. Lake then took guitar lessons from Don Strike, who had a shop in Westbourne. Strike taught him "these awful Bert Weedon things", reading musical notation exercises with violin pieces by Niccolò Paganini, and playing 1930s pop tunes, the latter of which became an influence on Lake at the time. After roughly one year with Strike, Lake ended his tuition as he wished to learn songs by the Shadows, a favourite band of his, but Strike "wouldn't have any of it". and left the latter in 1963 or 1964. He then took up work loading and unloading cargo at the Poole docks, and as a draughtsman for a short period. but the group secured a residency at the Marquee Club in London. Lake left the group in 1968 over creative differences as the band were to enter the recording studio. Their keyboardist Ken Hensley later said that Lake "was far too talented to be kept in the background".

In the 1960s, Lake formed a friendship with guitarist Robert Fripp, who would later lead King Crimson. Lake and Fripp were from Dorset and both received lessons from Don Strike. Michael Giles stayed as drummer and Ian McDonald joined on keyboards, flute and saxophone. Vocalist/bassist Peter Giles left the group, and was replaced by Lake. This was Lake's first time playing bass guitar; he had primarily been a guitarist for eleven years. King Crimson supported In the Court of the Crimson King with a tour of the UK and the US, with some of the shows featuring rock band the Nice as the opening act. and appear on the music television show Top of the Pops with them, performing the song "Cat Food".

In April 1970, Lake left King Crimson and joined with Emerson and drummer Carl Palmer of the Crazy World of Arthur Brown and Atomic Rooster, to form the progressive rock supergroup, Emerson, Lake & Palmer. Sinfield, who stated he went with Lake to purchase the carpet, felt that this was half the story; he believed that Lake was driven to keep up with Emerson's extravagant equipment: "He was one of those classic keep up with the Joneses cases." It was released as a single, and reached number 39 in the US. In 1974, Emerson, Lake & Palmer took a break in activity. Lake used this time to focus on his family life, travel, and to write and release music. One of them, "C'est la Vie", was released as a single. Lake called the album the "beginning of the end" of the band, as he stopped producing their albums, neither of which were a "really innovative record".

In 1975, while still a member of ELP, Lake achieved solo chart success when his single, "I Believe in Father Christmas", reached number two on the UK Singles Chart. It has become a Yuletide perennial. In the UK, the single sold over 13,000 copies in two days. The result, Greg Lake, was released in September 1981 on Chrysalis Records, and reached number 62 in both the UK and the US. The debut concert for the tour of the album took place in August 1981 at the Reading Festival, with bandmates Gary Moore on guitar, Ted McKenna on drums, Tommy Eyre on keyboards, and Tristram Margetts on bass. Lake's second solo album Manoeuvres was released in July 1983. He disbanded the Greg Lake Band soon after completing it, without promoting or touring the album, and split with his record company. In a 1997 interview, he explained his decision: "It was a weird time for me, and for the music business. I was pressured into writing songs that the record company thought radio programmers wanted to hear. Hence, there was not the passion the first album had. There were some nice ballads, but the record lacked the pure vision that a hit album needs to succeed." He gave further insight in 2011: "It was great to be the rhythm guitar player in that line up. Gary is a fabulous player, and the bass was covered properly. The problem was the solo albums really lacked direction. I was lost in a way. Once you've been in a band like ELP, if you try a solo career you can do it, but the public voted 'You're part of ELP. That's who you are' When you try and search for an alternative identity, it's difficult. For a long while, I was kind of lost and would try different things. It was fun, but also a bit here, there and everywhere." Adding to the decision, lead guitarist Gary Moore had written solo material that brought him a recording contract: "I was working with Greg Lake for two years during '81 and '82 and we did two albums. At the time I was with him, I was writing songs I did some demos after the U. S. tour with Greg to see what would happen, and I got a deal with Atlantic. I really wanted to get out on my own at that stage, and I wanted these songs recorded – they weren't suitable for Greg so I set up a deal with Virgin, and went in and did 'Corridors Of Power'. We didn't even set out to form a band, but the album took off, so we went on tour." In October 1983, at friend Carl Palmer's request, Lake briefly joined Palmer in the 1980s supergroup Asia, to replace fellow King Crimson alumnus John Wetton for four scheduled concerts in Japan. Lake agreed and spent six weeks learning Asia's songs, culminating in his performance in the "Asia in Asia" concert at the Nippon Budokan Hall in Tokyo, 6 December 1983, the first concert broadcast over satellite to MTV in the United States, and later made into a home video. Lake left the group after the tour, having joined as a favor for the Japanese concerts only. In 1986, he and Keith Emerson decided to re form Emerson, Lake & Palmer to record another album. However, Carl Palmer continued to have commitments to Asia, so Lake and Emerson auditioned other artists. They found good rapport with drummer Cozy Powell, and recorded their eponymous album Emerson, Lake & Powell with him. In 2001, Lake toured as a member of the seventh incarnation of Ringo Starr & His All Starr Band. The tour was sponsored by UK entertainer and long term ELP fan, Jim Davidson. But the shows were not a sell out, the US leg was cancelled, and the two men then fell out. In 2006, Lake played as a member of the supergroup the RD Crusaders in aid for charity. He was a special guest on their album Night Castle (2009). In 2010, Lake and Emerson completed an acoustic world tour, performing ELP songs. The tour got off to a bad start following a backstage altercation between the two, but "we completed the tour and it was very happy. We actually ended up enjoying ourselves". The concert was released on CD, DVD, and Blu ray as High Voltage. It was the final performance by the group. Lake wished to continue touring, but claimed his bandmates "didn't want to", thus ending such plans. Lake spent several years writing his autobiography Lucky Man, originally planned to be published in 2012 but eventually released posthumously in June 2017. On 19 June 2017, the Municipality of Zoagli (Genoa) Italy awarded the Honorary Citizenship post mortem to Greg Lake and engraved a marble plaque that is next to Castello Canevaro where the musician performed on 30 November 2012. In the last years he worked on producing for Manticore "Moonchild" by Annie Barbazza and Max Repetti: an album where some of his most iconic songs were arranged in an avant garde/contemporary mood, for only piano and voice.

In late 1974, Lake moved from a flat in Cornwall Gardens in Kensington, London to a home near Windsor. Lake later lived in the Kingston and Richmond areas of Greater London with his wife, Regina. The couple had one daughter, Natasha. Lake was an accomplished angler who developed a friendship with broadcaster Jack Hargreaves, appearing as a result in an episode (1980) of “Out of Town”, Hargreaves’ programme about country life for Southern TV. Lake died in London on 7 December 2016, at the age of 69, after suffering from pancreatic cancer. His manager announced the news on Twitter, describing Lake's battle with the illness as "long and stubborn". John Wetton, Jethro Tull's Ian Anderson

+YearRecordedArtistTitleNotes19671967The ShameDon't Go Away Little Girl / Dreams Don't Bother MeVinyl, 7", Single 19681968Shy LimbsLoveVinyl, 7", Single, B side of "Reputation" 19691969King CrimsonIn the Court of the Crimson KingStudio album19971969King CrimsonEpitaphLive album19981969King CrimsonLive at the MarqueeLive album, King Crimson Collector's Club20001969King CrimsonLive in Hyde ParkLive album, King Crimson Collector's Club20041969King CrimsonLive at Fillmore EastLive album, King Crimson Collector's Club19701970King CrimsonIn the Wake of PoseidonStudio album19701970Emerson, Lake & PalmerEmerson, Lake & PalmerStudio album19971970Emerson, Lake & PalmerLive at the Isle of Wight Festival 1970Live album19711971Emerson, Lake & PalmerTarkusStudio album19711971Emerson, Lake & PalmerPictures at an ExhibitionLive album20171971Emerson, Lake & PalmerMasters from the VaultsLive album19721972Emerson, Lake & PalmerTrilogyStudio album20111972Emerson, Lake & PalmerLive at the Mar Y Sol Festival '72Live album19731973Emerson, Lake & PalmerBrain Salad SurgeryStudio album19741974Emerson, Lake & PalmerWelcome Back My Friends Live album20121974Emerson, Lake & PalmerLive in California 1974Live album19771976Emerson, Lake & PalmerWorks Volume 1Studio album19771973 76Emerson, Lake & PalmerWorks Volume 2Studio album19781978Emerson, Lake & PalmerLove BeachStudio album20111978Emerson, Lake & PalmerLive at Nassau Coliseum '78Live album19791977Emerson, Lake & PalmerIn Concert / Works LiveLive album19811981Greg LakeGreg LakeStudio album, with Gary Moore19951981Greg LakeKing Biscuit Flower Hour Presents Greg Lake in ConcertLive album, aka Nuclear Attack, Live, and In Concert, with Gary Moore19831983Greg LakeManoeuvres Studio album, with Gary Moore20011983AsiaEnso Kai: Live in Tokyo / Live at BudokanLive album, recorded live at the Budokan in Tokyo, Japan 6 December 198319861986Emerson, Lake and PowellEmerson, Lake & PowellStudio album20031986Emerson, Lake and PowellThe Sprocket SessionsRecorded live at Sprocket Studio, London during the rehearsals for the 1986 world tour20031986Emerson, Lake and PowellLive in ConcertLive album, recorded live at Lakeland, Florida, November 198620151989 90Greg Lake & Geoff DownesRide the TigerStudio album19921992Emerson, Lake & PalmerBlack MoonStudio album19931992Emerson, Lake & PalmerLive at the Royal Albert HallLive album2001 061971 78 / 1992Emerson, Lake & PalmerThe Original Bootleg Series from the Manticore VaultsOfficial bootleg series19931971 93Emerson, Lake & PalmerThe Return of the ManticoreBox set19941994Emerson, Lake & PalmerIn the Hot SeatStudio album19971997Emerson, Lake & PalmerLive in PolandLive album20131977Emerson, Lake & PalmerLive in Montreal 1977Live album20151997Emerson, Lake & PalmerOnce Upon a Time: Live in South America 1997Live album20151997Emerson, Lake & PalmerLive at Montreux 1997Live album19971973 74 / 1977Emerson, Lake & PalmerKing Biscuit Flower Hour: Greatest Hits LiveLive album19981974 / 1997 98Emerson, Lake & PalmerThen and NowLive album20072005Greg LakeGreg LakeLive album20101971 98Emerson, Lake & PalmerA Time and a PlaceLive Boxset20102010Emerson, Lake & PalmerHigh VoltageLive album20142010Keith Emerson & Greg LakeLive from Manticore HallLive album, recorded live at Ridgefield Playhouse, Ridgefield CT on 8 May 201020132012Greg LakeSongs of a LifetimeLive album20172012Greg LakeLive in PiacenzaLive album