One of the pioneers of the progressive rock genre. The first official rehearsal of the band was on January 13, 1969. The first line-up comprised guitarist , lyricist and lighting man (who invented the name of the band), composer and multi-instrumentalist , bassist and vocalist , and drummer . They toured extensively and released the album , a seminal piece of late 60s music. Shortly afterwards, the band split to reform again suffering continuous personnel changes for a period of two and a half years (early 1970-mid 1972), releasing three more studio albums and one recorded live, with Robert Fripp as the only remaining member.
The new King Crimson that evolved in July 1972 (featuring ex- drummer , ex- and later bassist/vocalist and other more transitory members) marked a turn toward a heavier progressive sound, with experimental and fusion overtones, climaxing in unique semi-improvisatory live performances. This core line-up carried on until mid-1974, when Fripp broke up the band (as he thought) for good.
In mid-1981, after a full 7 years, a newly-formed band including Robert Fripp, with on vocals and guitar, on bass and Chapman Stick, and Bill Bruford on acoustic and electronic drums, changed its name from Discipline to King Crimson. This line-up remained intact until summer 1984, releasing three studio albums.
Ten years later (May 1994), King Crimson started rehearsing again, this time as a "double trio" including on drums and percussion and on Stick in addition to the 1980s line-up; it released two full albums and a handful of EPs through Fripp's own label. A process of fractalization led to the creation of multiple spin-off groups containing three or four King Crimson members, dubbed "ProjeKcts" One, Two, Three, Four, and X, which released live and studio sessions through DGM. Having regained the rights to the full King Crimson catalogue, DGM put out numerous other recordings from all periods of the band's existence, including "King Crimson Collectors' Club" bi-monthly releases available only to members of the label's website. In the hands of DGM, the King Crimson back catalogue (with most late additions available only on FLAC/MP3 format rather than on CD) grew enormously, making it one of the biggest for any rock group ever.
The next reincarnation of the band, jokingly dubbed the "double duo
Name Vars
- Crimson
- K. Crimson
- King Krimson
- The Genius Of King Crimson
- ó°û¯êà¾ó
Aliases
- ProjeKct X
- Discipline
- 81 To 99
Members
- Robert Fripp
- Mel Collins
- Adrian Belew
- Bill Bruford
- William Rieflin
- David Cross
- Keith Tippett
- John Wetton
- Jamie Muir
- Gordon Haskell
- Andy McCulloch
- Peter Sinfield
- Tony Levin
- Ian McDonald
- Greg Lake
- Michael Giles
- Trey Gunn
- Pat Mastelotto
- Jeremy Stacey
- Ian Wallace
- Gavin Harrison
- Jakko M. Jakszyk
- Raymond Burrell
- Chris Gibson