Rock Legend Keith Emerson dies 11th March 2016. Memories of The Six Bells Chiddingly.

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photo: Surka

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-35787187

Chris Giles… Terrible news another talented musician has passed away

Alan Esdaile… Very sad news. Another Giant Of Rock. R.I.P. Keith Emerson.

Dennis Torrance… R.l.P. Keith yet another sad loss what a year of people we love going one after another.

Chris Giles… I agree it’s quite shocking… I’ve never known a year like it .

Mike Curtis… Oh FFS. Enough’s enough!

Sheila Maile… Sad news

Mike Curtis… According to TMZ, the death of Keith Emerson is being investigated as a suicide.
Law enforcement sources tell the site the EMERSON, LAKE & PALMER keyboardist had a single gunshot wound to the head when his girlfriend found him in their home in Santa Monica, California.
Emerson had reportedly been suffering from a degenerative nerve disease in his right hand that meant he could only play the keyboards with eight fingers. As a result, he was struggling with depression.
Read more at http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/report-keith-emersons-death-investigated-as-suicide/#PAQLdx2RpsGoPFzO.99

Neil Cartwright…. A little Keith Emerson story.
Although I was more into ‘Yes’ during my sixth-form years, Keith Emerson was still a Superhero – so imagine the jaw-drop moment in Aug-Sept 1988 when I got a phone call from him. He was holding his son, Aaron’s 18th birthday party at The Six Bells in Chiddingly, and he wondered how much we’d charge to play – the Jez Gillett Band. Besides anything else, we had a decent PA system and he wondered if it would be all right if his band ‘Trio’ played as well. I asked for £100, which he agreed to. Come the evening, we’re setting up, and Keith comes over to me and says, ‘It looks like our bass player won’t make it – do you think you could stand in?’ Bang. The stuff of dreams coming true – mixed with blind panic. ‘Can you play ‘Fanfare’ and a few others?’  My mind is a blank. He produces some photocopied notes, which on a good day, I’d read – but tonight, they look like Chinese – so Keith writes the letters underneath for me, explains that it goes ‘Dunga Dunga Dunga Dunga’ and I pin it up to the middle beam in the Six Bells. We play – I’ve got photos, which I’ll dig out. There’s one, where Keith is yelling across at me in apparent ecstasy, obviously knocked out by my bass-playing. How easily the eye can be fooled. In reality, he’s yellin ‘EEEEE’ ……… because I’m still Dunga Dunga-ing on ‘C’ !!  But what a moment!  I’ll let Pete Prescott relate what happened after the gig.

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photos supplied by Neil Cartwright

Barry French… Very sad news. I love Neil’s story.

Mick O’Dowd… With all the talent now going upstairs and now with the greatest producer I wonder when we’ll get the album released.

Lucy Pappas… So sad to lose his ability.

Jacqueline Patton… what a great story Neil.

Lesley Brown…  Amazing experience! I would have loved to have been there!

Jim Breeds… Terrific story!

Pete Prescott… Remember the jam I had with him after the gig ?

Neil Cartwright… Exactly – that’s what I was referring to …. and the tap-dancing …. wasn’t Keith playing the piano backwards and you were pirouetting? Also, I’ve got a very strong feeling that the drummer was Carl Palmer (when it wasn’t Mick Burt!!). Do you remember? It looks like him on the photo.

Andy Qunta… RIP Keith. Sorry to hear about the passing of Keith Emerson. His brilliant keyboard playing & showmanship were a big influence on me when I started playing keyboards.

Phil Little… Excellent story and memory, Neil.

Pete Prescott… After the gig Keith Emerson was in the back bar at the piano. I sat next to him. We went through Summertime. (I was thinking “oval cricket ground Sep 72.i saw E.L.P along with 60,000 others! “) then he played flight of the bumblebee as I tapped danced. I jumped up and banged my head on a low beam. He thought that was the best part of the night. He stood on the keys of the piano facing out and bent down and played boogie woogie upside down (then fell off !).He played and sang jump you fucker jump. When he played piano I said can you play like Mrs Mills ? He did. Then I said Russ Conway ? He looked and gave the Russ Conway smile and did ! Then I said Oscar Peterson? He stopped and said ah ! But did. He was very funny (and very drunk).a very nice guy. Amazing night. Neil and i went home a very happy pair that night. It’s not often you meet a hero who turns out to be a great guy and have a night like that.I’ll never forget it. P.S. He also did a brilliant Les Dawson !

Chris Sambrook… First heard the Nice on Top Gear. To which later Peel commented on ELP “were a waste of talent and Electricity” Bought the first Nice album with my paper round money.  Too young to see the Nice live at the time. Saw ELP on their first British tour, at Brighton Dome 1970 and left speechless. I feel they had lost their way after Brain Salad Surgery. Taking an Orchestra on tour cost them a lot of their money. The other members of ELP said and documented on the DVD Near the Beginning “If it wasn’t for you and that bloody orchestra we would have been millionaires by now” In 1998 Emerson made a live album with Glenn Hughes and Marc Bonilla called the Boys Club Live in California with a cracking version of Tarkus. R.I.P Keith Noel Emerson.

Janine Anne Scott… Fabulous x

Andy Qunta… What a fantastic story, Neil! I love it!

Tony Davis… A very sad event but what a wonderful story and memory Neil and Pete have to share. RIP Keith.

Colin Fox… Keith Emerson as many people may know, lived in the little village of Chiddingly, East Sussex, and often used to play at one of my local pubs. Here he is playing in The Six Bells.

supplied by Colin Fox

Robert Searle… What a great story, Keith was such a great musician, thank you

Tim Moose Bruce… Loved it the night at the 6 Bells when he did Green Onions with the Johnny Mars band.

Pete Prescott… Tim, I think that’s when Forcefield started. Ray Fenwick got talking to Cozy Powell who was playing in ELP and was with Keith Emerson that night. Then he got the idea to record Smoke On The Water with him.

Kate Rosie… Brilliant! X

Bob Searle… Great story and photos

MM Poll Winners Concert, Rock At The Oval, London, 30 September 1972

photos supplied by Pete Fisher

Pete Fisher… MM Poll Winners Concert 30 September 1972 at the Oval Cricket Ground, Kennington, SE11 featured Focus, Genesis, Argent, Jack Bruce, ELP and Wishbone Ash. I was there with a crowd from Hastings and took a few pics.

Derek Clemans… You lucky man I am envious. I would love to have that memory.

Pete Fisher… Just lucky to have been of an age when I could go to gigs around that time Derek and to have known a nice bunch of like-minded people who also wanted to go to many of them. Also happened to have borrowed a camera for the occasion and recently digitised the photos, I’m very glad to say. Delighted to be able to share…

Edge St Leonards… I was there, have some photos, I wonder if anybody recognises them shelves, I have more in colours

Tony Court-holmes… seen a lot of them

Steve Kinch… Think I was there – all a bit of a blur. Didn’t Genesis have some tuning problems?

Pete Prescott… Big day and memory for me ! I was a few weeks shy of 16. I went to the one the year before when the Who played (amazing life changing gig for me) So I was excited to see this line up. I left just after E.L.P. So missed Wishbone Ash. I had a ticket to see Deep Purple at the Sundown at Edmondton ( Helen Tapp wouldn’t come with me as I was too ugly !) I sat with Martin Holliday and Ant Baker about twenty feet behind Martin’s brother Andy, Dave Morse and Barry Watkins (they were far too cool to sit with us). A week or so later Ant Baker convinced me to have another go at singing… with Andy, Dave and Barry ! I got the gig and was in that band (Village) for five years. Andy ended up doing the P.A. for 19 Beatles day’s ! I think Genisis were playing songs from Foxtrot. Gabriel had the red dress and Foxes head. Argent were booed (no idea why) Jan Ackerman did an impromptu jam with Jack Bruce. From the photos I think I was sitting near the Hastings guys. I would love to see anything from that day. For me it was a big deal ! Years later I was in Swiss/ English band at a festival in Austria. We played just before Wishbone Ash. I was too nervous to approach Andy Powell and do the big “I’m such a fan…” thing. I also remember a band called Fudd (I think they were an Irish band) opening up. A few weeks later the singer came and worked at Export Packing in Sittingbourne. Village all had day jobs there. He was a nice guy. We were all thinking “Wow ! You played at the Oval!” The son of the owner was into bands (he was the guy who financed and managed The Enid) maybe that’s why he was there.

Mike Curtis… I was there too!

Beatrice Lacey… I saw Emerson Lake and Palmer at there

Alan King… have you taken the cotton wool out of your ears yet ?

Andy Davies… I was there!, particularly remember Keith Emerson stabbing his keyboards with great big knives.

Bopper Bill… I was there and it was a cool trip. Too far back to see too much but I really dug
Argent. I thought they were a great live band. Hawkwind’s silver machine left an impression:)

Big Phil… It was 50 years ago today (if only the beatles had…..) ! It was my first concert; tremendous day out. At the time into ELP but as a result bought all Focus & Genesis albums. Still have all the tapes including Fudd through to Wishbone Ash. Just loved all the organisation and open air sound. Amazed by the ELP showmanship with Tarkus theatrics, ribbon moog, drum solo; astonishing for a 15 year old. Looking back, very lucky man to have been there!

The Classic Legends Of Rock & Folk Super Tour 2015 White Rock Theatre, Hastings Sat 21 Feb 2015 7.30pm. featuring Carl Palmer (ELP), Martin Turner (Wishbone Ash), Dave Cousins & Dave Lambert (The Strawbs).

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Three legendary bands perform their part in the history of rock and folk all in one show!
Carl Palmer & his band performing Emerson Lake & Palmer and more
Carl Palmer is a drummer’s drummer. A consummate professional, a brilliant technician and a dynamic showman, he has thrilled listeners and audiences alike for nearly four decades with some of music’s most memorable bands including Atomic Rooster, The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown, Asia and Emerson, Lake & Palmer.
From Wishbone Ash, original founding member Martin Turner & his band plays the music of Wishbone Ash
With millions of album sales and concert attendances worldwide, Wishbone Ash’s heritage as one of the most enduring and best loved British rock acts is assured.
The classic line-up of legendary folk band The Strawbs
The Strawbs comprise David Cousins, along with lead guitarist Dave Lambert, and the astonishingly versatile Chas Cronk, who together formed the front-line of the classic 1970s line-up of the band. As they move gracefully into their fifth decade of music making, it is still difficult to categorise the unique sound that has made them Britain’s most successful international progressive folk-rock band.

Eric Cawthraw…A bit of a mixed bag – and very interesting.The Strawbs did start to go a bit heavy at one time – and I’m curious to see Martin Turner’s W. Ash as opposed to Andy Powell’s.It is either going to be a long evening – or short sets. With all the material available – it suggests the former!

Alan Esdaile… Always liked the Strawbs track Lay Down but the ‘B’ was superb. Backside under the name of Ciggy Barlust & The Whales From Venus (1972).

Yvonne Cleland… Lovely, and love the ‘band name’ :-). Hmmmmmmm quite a night! I would love to go to this and would love to see the Strawbs. I’d definitely like to go.

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