Greg Lake



by Doug Boucher


Having recently come across your truly excellent site, I have found my recent re-surge of interest in Greg's music growing even more. I discovered the music of ELP and other progressive bands as a teenager in the mid '80s, and my first rock concert was Emerson, Lake & Powell when I was 16 years old. I still remember my two main impressions of Greg at that show - 1.) Wow, he sings that well live too?? and 2.) Dammit, they should turn his bass up louder. :)

I decided to be a musician myself around this time (I'd played piano already) and ended up with the bass. My models were my favorite progressive bassists, and I'll never forget the feeling of accomplishment I felt one night in my room after spending five hours in front of a tape deck figuring out 13 minutes of music by ear. That 13 minutes was Karn Evil 9, 1st Impression. I was stunned not just by the sheer challenge and the forward-thinking musical content of what I had learned, but the power and emotion which these three guys delivered this incredible inspiring music.

Greg's work with ELP and King Crimson has become important to me on many levels over the years, not just as a bassist, but also as I've moved towards guitar and vocals, and as I've found inspiration in his lyrics - the frustration I felt with organized religion was mirrored beautifully in his work with Peter Sinfield, and their expressions of love and desire have been a soundtrack for my own experiences.

Today I perform with an oldies/classic cover rock band and do solo performances, and I've found Lucky Man and From The Beginning in my set list, fitting my own musical personality like a glove. This music - Greg's own work and with his collaborators - has become a part of me both as a musician and a human being. While my tastes have often ventured quite far from the classic progressive rock I latched onto as a youth, the best of it still beckons me back again and again.

Greg Lake has been among the best, and I will always love his best, and will always regard him as a primary influence and inspiration. I stopped believing in Father Christmas a long time ago, but I'll always believe in the power of this music.

Thank you for this site, and thank you to Greg Lake - your music still turns me on.

Doug Boucher

Lebanon, Ohio

http://www.myspace.com/dougboucher


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