King Crimson · Daily Hub

About

King Crimson were an English progressive rock band formed in London in 1968. Led by guitarist and primary composer Robert Fripp – the group's sole constant member throughout their history – the band are widely regarded as a foundational catalyst of the progressive rock movement. They drew inspiration from an expansive array of musical styles, incorporating elements of classical, jazz, folk, heavy metal, gamelan, post-punk, industrial, and experimental music. Beyond shaping contemporaries such as Yes and Genesis, King Crimson's genre-spanning innovations have exerted a lasting influence on subsequent generations of alternative rock, metal, and math rock artists, earning the band an enduring global cult following.

The band was formed by Fripp, Michael Giles, Greg Lake, Ian McDonald, and Peter Sinfield. Their debut album, In the Court of the Crimson King (1969), achieved immediate critical and commercial success, and is widely cited by music historians as a definitive cornerstone of progressive rock. Following the rapid dissolution of the original line-up, the group endured a period of personnel instability, during which time they released In the Wake of Poseidon, Lizard (both 1970), and Islands (1971). In 1972, Fripp refashioned the band's direction by recruiting Bill Bruford (formerly of Yes), John Wetton, David Cross, and Jamie Muir. Leaning heavily into European free improvisation and avant-garde classical structures, the group produced three acclaimed studio albums during this period – Larks' Tongues in Aspic (1973), Starless and Bible Black, and Red (both 1974) – before Fripp disbanded the group at the end of 1974.
King Crimson returned from a seven-year hiatus in 1981 with a revamped, transatlantic line-up featuring Fripp, Bruford, and American musicians Adrian Belew and Tony Levin. Incorporating elements of New York minimalism, gamelan, and contemporary new wave, this iteration recorded a distinct trilogy of studio albums: Discipline (1981), Beat (1982), and Three of a Perfect Pair (1984). After another decade-long dormancy, the band reconstituted in 1994 as a "Double Trio" sextet, adding Pat Mastelotto and Trey Gunn to release Thrak (1995). During the late 1990s, the band members also operated in smaller, improvised sub-groups known as "ProjeKcts". The main group continued into the early 2000s as a "Double Duo" quartet, releasing The ConstruKction of Light (2000) and The Power to Believe (2003), which showcased a heavier, industrial-influenced sound.
Following a brief 40th-anniversary tour in 2008 that introduced drummer Gavin Harrison, Fripp placed the group on hold until 2013. King Crimson then re-emerged as a highly structured touring septet (and later octet) featuring an unusual three-drummer frontline and lead vocalist Jakko Jakszyk. This final incarnation spent seven years performing extensively rearranged material from across the band's entire historical discography, backed by a massive archive of live releases. King Crimson permanently ceased activity at the conclusion of their December 2021 Japanese tour, with Fripp announcing that the band had officially "moved from sound to silence".

From King Crimson on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Members

Robert Fripp 1968–now · original member guitar, mellotron
Mel Collins 1970–1972, 2013–now flute, saxophone, background vocals, mellotron
Tony Levin 1981–1999, 2004–now background vocals, electric bass guitar, Chapman stick
Pat Mastelotto 1994–now drums (drum set), electronic drum set
Gavin Harrison 2007–now drums (drum set), percussion
Jakko Jakszyk 2013–now lead vocals, guitar
Jeremy Stacey 2016–now drums (drum set), percussion, keyboard
Michael Giles 1968–1969 · original member · former drums (drum set), percussion, background vocals
Ian McDonald 1968–1969 · original member · former keyboard, background vocals, flute, saxophone, mellotron
Greg Lake 1968–1970 · original member · former bass guitar, lead vocals
Peter Sinfield 1968–1971 · original member · former synthesizer
Gordon Haskell 1970–1970 · former lead vocals, electric bass guitar
Peter Giles 1970–1970 · former electric bass guitar
Andy McCulloch 1970–1970 · former drums (drum set)
Boz Burrell 1971–1972 · former lead vocals, electric bass guitar
Ian Wallace 1971–1972 · former background vocals, drums (drum set)
Jamie Muir 1972–1973 · former percussion, drums (drum set)
David Cross 1972–1974 · former violin, mellotron
John Wetton 1972–1974 · former lead vocals, electric bass guitar
Bill Bruford 1972–1997 · former percussion, drums (drum set)
Adrian Belew 1981–2013 · former electric guitar, lead vocals
Trey Gunn 1994–2003 · former background vocals, electric bass guitar, Chapman stick, Warr guitar
Bill Rieflin 2013–2016, 2017–2018 · former drums (drum set), background vocals, percussion, keyboard, mellotron
Chris Gibson 2017–2017 · former additional, keyboard