Gregory Stuart Lake (10 November 1947 – 7 December 2016) was an English musician, 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 (bested only by Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody"). 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.
Early life
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".
King Crimson
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".
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
thumb|right|Lake performing at an Emerson, Lake & Palmer concert at [[Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, in 1978]]
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".
Solo career and other projects
In 1975, while still a member of ELP, when they were on hiatus, 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. Adding to the decision, lead guitarist Gary Moore had written solo material that brought him a recording contract.
In October 1983, at 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, Lake and Emerson decided to re-form Emerson, Lake & Palmer to record another album. However, 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.
thumb|upright|Lake in 1992, performing with ELP
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 and the US leg was cancelled.
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 posthumously awarded honorary citizenship to Lake and engraved a marble plaque that is next to Castello Canevaro where he had performed on 30 November 2012.
thumb|right|Marble Plaque engraved for Greg Lake next to Castello Canevaro in Zoagli.
In his final years he worked on producing the album Moonchild by Annie Barbazza and Max Repetti, where some of his most iconic songs were arranged in an avant-garde/contemporary mood, for only piano and voice.
Personal life and death
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 television presenter Jack Hargreaves, appearing as a result in a 1980 episode of Out of Town, Hargreaves' programme about country life for Southern Television.
Lake died in London at age 69 on 7 December 2016, after suffering from pancreatic cancer. His manager described Lake's illness as "long and stubborn". John Wetton, Ian Anderson
Discography
thumb|upright|Lake, performing at [[Llandudno, Wales in 2005]]
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+
!Year
!Recorded
!Artist
!Title
!Notes
|-
|1967
|1967
|The Shame
|Don't Go Away Little Girl / <small>Dreams Don't Bother Me</small>
|Vinyl, 7", Single
|-
|1968
|1968
|Shy Limbs
|Love
|Vinyl, 7", Single, B-side of "Reputation"
|-
|1969
|1969
|King Crimson
|In the Court of the Crimson King
|Studio album
|-
|1997
|1969
|King Crimson
|Epitaph
|Live album
|-
|1998
|1969
|King Crimson
|Live at the Marquee
|Live album, King Crimson Collector's Club
|-
|2000
|1969
|King Crimson
|Live in Hyde Park
|Live album, King Crimson Collector's Club
|-
|2004
|1969
|King Crimson
|Live at Fillmore East
|Live album, King Crimson Collector's Club
|-
|1970
|1970
|King Crimson
|In the Wake of Poseidon
|Studio album
|-
|1970
|1970
|Emerson, Lake & Palmer
|Emerson, Lake & Palmer
|Studio album
|-
|1997
|1970
|Emerson, Lake & Palmer
|Live at the Isle of Wight Festival 1970
|Live album
|-
|1971
|1971
|Emerson, Lake & Palmer
|Tarkus
|Studio album
|-
|1971
|1971
|Emerson, Lake & Palmer
|Pictures at an Exhibition
|Live album
|-
|2017
|1971
|Emerson, Lake & Palmer
|Masters from the Vaults
|Live album
|-
|1972
|1972
|Emerson, Lake & Palmer
|Trilogy
|Studio album
|-
|2011
|1972
|Emerson, Lake & Palmer
|Live at the Mar Y Sol Festival '72
|Live album
|-
|1973
|1973
|Emerson, Lake & Palmer
|Brain Salad Surgery
|Studio album
|-
|1974
|1974
|Emerson, Lake & Palmer
|Welcome Back My Friends...
|Live album
|-
|2012
|1974
|Emerson, Lake & Palmer
|Live in California 1974
|Live album
|-
|1977
|1976
|Emerson, Lake & Palmer
|Works Volume 1
|Studio album
|-
|1977
|1973-76
|Emerson, Lake & Palmer
|Works Volume 2
|Studio album
|-
|1978
|1978
|Emerson, Lake & Palmer
|Love Beach
|Studio album
|-
|2011
|1978
|Emerson, Lake & Palmer
|Live at Nassau Coliseum '78
|Live album
|-
|1979
|1977
|Emerson, Lake & Palmer
|In Concert / Works Live
|Live album
|-
|1981
|1981
|Greg Lake
|Greg Lake
|Studio album, with Gary Moore
|-
|1995
|1981
|Greg Lake
|King Biscuit Flower Hour Presents Greg Lake in Concert
|Live album, aka Nuclear Attack, Live, and In Concert, with Gary Moore
|-
|1983
|1983
|Greg Lake
|Manoeuvres
|Studio album, with Gary Moore
|-
|2001
|1983
|Asia
|Enso Kai: Live in Tokyo / Live at Budokan
|Live album, recorded live at the Budokan in Tokyo, Japan 6 December 1983
|-
|1986
|1986
|Emerson, Lake and Powell
|Emerson, Lake & Powell
|Studio album
|-
|2003
|1986
|Emerson, Lake and Powell
|The Sprocket Sessions
|Recorded live at Sprocket Studio, London during the rehearsals for the 1986 world tour
|-
|2003
|1986
|Emerson, Lake and Powell
|Live in Concert
|Live album, recorded live at Lakeland, Florida, November 1986
|-
|2015
|1989-90
|Greg Lake & Geoff Downes
|Ride the Tiger
|Studio album
|-
|1992
|1992
|Emerson, Lake & Palmer
|Black Moon
|Studio album
|-
|1993
|1992
|Emerson, Lake & Palmer
|Live at the Royal Albert Hall
|Live album
|-
|2001-06
|1971-78 / 1992
|Emerson, Lake & Palmer
|The Original Bootleg Series from the Manticore Vaults
|Official bootleg series
|-
|1993
|1971-93
|Emerson, Lake & Palmer
|The Return of the Manticore
|Box set
|-
|1994
|1994
|Emerson, Lake & Palmer
|In the Hot Seat
|Studio album
|-
|1997
|1997
|Emerson, Lake & Palmer
|Live in Poland
|Live album
|-
|2013
|1977
|Emerson, Lake & Palmer
|Live in Montreal 1977
|Live album
|-
|2015
|1997
|Emerson, Lake & Palmer
|Once Upon a Time: Live in South America 1997
|Live album
|-
|2015
|1997
|Emerson, Lake & Palmer
|Live at Montreux 1997
|Live album
|-
|1997
|1973-74 / 1977
|Emerson, Lake & Palmer
|King Biscuit Flower Hour: Greatest Hits Live
|Live album
|-
|1998
|1974 / 1997-98
|Emerson, Lake & Palmer
|Then and Now
|Live album
|-
|2007
|2005
|Greg Lake
|Greg Lake
|Live album
|-
|2010
|1971-98
|Emerson, Lake & Palmer
|A Time and a Place
|Live Boxset
|-
|2010
|2010
|Emerson, Lake & Palmer
|High Voltage
|Live album
|-
|2014
|2010
|Keith Emerson & Greg Lake
|Live from Manticore Hall
|Live album, recorded live at Ridgefield Playhouse, Ridgefield CT on 8 May 2010
|-
|2013
|2012
|Greg Lake
|Songs of a Lifetime
|Live album
|-
|2017
|2012
|Greg Lake
|Live in Piacenza
|Live album
|}
Solo
Compilations
- The Greg Lake Retrospective: From the Beginning (1997)
- From the Underground: The Official Bootleg (1998)
- From the Underground 2: Deeper Into the Mine – An Official Greg Lake Bootleg (2003)
- The Anthology: A Musical Journey (2020)
- Magical [boxed set] (2023)
Singles
- "I Believe in Father Christmas" / "Humbug" (1975), , ,
- "C'est La Vie" / "Jeremy Bender" (1977)
- "Watching Over You" / "Hallowed Be Thy Name" (UK 1978)
- "Love You Too Much" / "Someone" (UK/Europe 1981)
- "For Those who dare" / "Love you too much" (Germany 1981)
- "Let Me Love You Once" / "Retribution Drive" (USA 1981)
- "It Hurts" / "Retribution Drive" (UK/Europe 1982)
- "Famous Last Words" / "I Don't Know Why I Still Love You" (Portugal 1983)
DVDs
- Greg Lake: Live In Concert (2006)
- Welcome Backstage (2006)
- Greg Lake Live in Piacenza (2017) exclusively with the limited edition box set of the album with the same title.
As producer
- Spontaneous Combustion - "Just A Dream" {aka "Unknown Ballad" attributed to Emerson, Lake & Palmer, recorded December 1970 or January 1971, released as a bonus track on the 2012 Tarkus reissue} (2012)
- Spontaneous Combustion - Lonely Singer / 200 Lives / Leaving (1971) 7" single
- Spontaneous Combustion - self-titled (1972)
- Pete Sinfield - Still (1973)
- The King's Singers – Strawberry Fields Forever (1978) 7" single
- Annie Barbazza & Max Repetti - Moonchild (2018)
- Annie Barbazza - Vive (2020) (Track "Boite A Tisane")
References
;Bibliography