Best Rock n' Roll Piano Performers

[VA Blue Dog]

Saw ELP at MSG. If I recall thru my self induced haze, he and his synthesizer came down from the heavens on a platform through a cloud of smoke. He could have been playing chop sticks suspended above the stage, I would not have cared. Although I did not see him in person, Schroeder from Charlie Brown Deserves a shout out too

Oh what a lucky man you were. #Moog Synthesizer.

 

[CbbisGreat]

Greatest Rock and roll performer?

Well ,I got... , I got...just one more thing to say ....


Bruce and the E-Street band

 

[prankster]

Someone mentioned John Tesh? And no one picked Rick Wakeman? Or Tony Banks?

These are crazy years, indeed.

 

[CallMeBruce]

Herbie Hancock

Herbie is my favorite keys player ever, but rock n' roll seems like a stretch.

 

[metsfan2323]

As a few others have noted Billy Preston was the man, the line forms behind him. Great voice too & the fifth Beatle.

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

Elton John. Crocodile Rock still slaps

 

[8893]

Elton John. Crocodile Rock still slaps

 

[formerlurker]

Herbie Hancock
Roger Troutman

You can also reuse Herbie Hancock if we end up not having a season and we get to a "Best Keytar Players" thread.

 

[don356]

A handful of others I've liked that I haven't seen mentioned or missed:

Gary Brooker
George Duke
Ian McLagen
Billy Payne
Bernie Worrell
Andy Clark
Bob Mayo on the keyboards... Bob Mayo.

And Macca ain't bad, either.

I saw Billy Payne several times with Little Feat while Lowell George was still alive and he was fantastic. He could do it all. Ben Tench is outstanding as well, but for strict piano Payne was outstanding. PIck up some old LIttle Feat albums. All you have to do is look at Payne's list of album's played on to realize how highly regarded he is/was.

Bill Payne - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Drytortugas]

Ferrante and Teicher.

 

[storrsroars]

I saw Billy Payne several times with Little Feat while Lowell George was still alive and he was fantastic. He could do it all. Ben Tench is outstanding as well, but for strict piano Payne was outstanding. PIck up some old LIttle Feat albums. All you have to do is look at Payne's list of album's played on to realize how highly regarded he is/was.

Bill Payne - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

I crossed off Billy Payne because I noticed he was previously mentioned upthread by ADub after my original post (of keyboardists not previously mentioned), not because I think he sucks.

I know it's probably too much to ask someone to follow an entire thread, but did you really think someone would post a guys name on a list, then cross him off, to indicate he stinks, rather than not include him at all?

Thanks for the lecture

 

[Pawsox]

Garth Hudson - The Band. So good, the other guys in the band had to pay him for music lessons.

Now on the progressive side of the music scene.
Adam Holzman - Steve Wilson's band
Danny Manners - Big Big Train
Rick Wakeman, Tony Banks, and Keith Emerson have already been mentioned.
Neal Morse
Kerry Minnear - Gentle Giant
John Evans - Jethro Tull
Peter Bardens - Camel
There are hundreds of other keyboardists on the progressive side of the musical spectrum that are unbelievably talented, but their music typically does not get heard for various reasons, (no radio play, songs too long, etc). Rant over.

 

[Waquoit]

I caught Little Feat last winter. I was really looking forward to it but they sucked. Just mailed it in. I was getting spoiled, it had been 5 years since a show that bad (BB King).

 

[8893]

Garth Hudson - The Band. So good, the other guys in the band had to pay him for music lessons.

Not saying Garth isn't great, but the music lesson story is what he told his parents as his excuse for being with The Hawks (precursor to The Band) initially, because he didn't want them to think he was wasting his formal music education by playing in a rock band.

I caught Little Feat last winter. I was really looking forward to it but they sucked. Just mailed it in. I was getting spoiled, it had been 5 years since a show that bad (BB King).

They are terrible now, sadly, but that's because they are only a shadow of the former band. Losing Paul Barrere was, or should have been, the end of the band.

 

[don356]

Not saying Garth isn't great, but the music lesson story is what he told his parents as his excuse for being with The Hawks (precursor to The Band) initially, because he didn't want them to think he was wasting his formal music education by playing in a rock band.


They are terrible now, sadly, but that's because they are only a shadow of the former band. Losing Paul Barrere was, or should have been, the end of the band.

Yep, Little Feat without Lowell, Barrere and Richie Hayward is not an act.