Emerson, Lake & Palmer

British rock group

Also known as: ELP

Written and fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

Last updated

Oct. 17, 2026 •History

Emerson, Lake & Palmer, British band known for its role in the development of art rock during the 1970s. The members were Keith Emerson (b. November 2, 1944, Todmorden, Lancashire [now in West Yorkshire], England—d. March 10/11, 2016, Santa Monica, California, U.S.), Greg Lake (b. November 10, 1947, Poole, Dorset, England—d. December 7, 2016), and Carl Palmer (b. March 20, 1950, Birmingham, England).

Before the group made its debut in 1970, its members were veterans of the British art rock scene: keyboardist Emerson had formerly led the Nice (1967–70); Lake had been bassist and lead singer for King Crimson (1968–69); and Palmer had cofounded Atomic Rooster (1969–70). ELP made synthesizer keyboards rather than guitars the centrepiece of its sound and developed an eclectic and innovative style blending classical music, jazz, blues, electronic music (then still a novelty), and Tin Pan Alley. Their numerous albums (including six live albums, drawn from concerts featuring spectacular lighting and special effects) featured lengthy, elaborate original compositions such as “Tarkus” and “Karn Evil 9”, a 29-minute multitrack piece on ELP’s hit album Brain Salad Surgery (1973). In addition, the band performed imaginative covers of serious classical compositions—most notably Modest Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition, Aaron Copland’s Fanfare for the Common Man, and the hilarious blues version of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite—and occasional ballads or hymns, all played with great technical virtuosity.

ELP disbanded in 1979 but reunited in the early 1990s. However, as was the case with many re-formed 1970s rock groups, the trio’s new recordings neither recaptured the passion of their earlier work nor struck out in new musical directions.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Amy Tikkanen.

Emerson, Lake & Palmer

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