Robert Fripp | Artist
Robert Fripp is an English guitarist, composer and record producer born 1946 in Wimborne Minster, UK. Primarily known as the founder and guitarist of King Crimson, Fripp has had a prodigious career of solo works and collaborations with artists such as Brian Eno, David Sylvian, Andy Summers and ex-King Crimson players. Fripp is a rock guitar virtuoso and one of the leading exponents of progressive rock of his era. At age eleven, Fripp received a guitar for Christmas from his parents and recalled, "Almost immediately I knew that this guitar was going to be my life". It was Elvis Presley's guitarist Scotty Moore who inspired Fripp to play rock and roll, moving on to traditional jazz at thirteen and modern jazz at fifteen. Fripp has cited jazz musicians Charlie Parker and Charles Mingus as musical influences during this time. In 1961, the fifteen-year-old Fripp joined his first band, the Ravens, which also included Gordon Haskell on bass. He joining the jazz outfit The Douglas Ward Trio who played at the Chewton Glen hotel in New Milton, followed by a stint in the rock and roll band The League of Gentlemen, which included two former Ravens members. In 1965, Fripp attended Bournemouth College, where he studied economics, economic history, and political history for his A-levels. In February 1965, Fripp went to see the Duke Ellington Orchestra, an experience which moved him deeply. He subsequently spent three further years playing light jazz in the Majestic Dance Orchestra at Bournemouth's Majestic Hotel, replacing Andy Summers, who had left for London with Zoot Money. During this time, Fripp met musicians that he would collaborate with in his career, including John Wetton, Richard Palmer-James, and Greg Lake. Prior to the formation of King Crimson, Fripp was part of proto-Crimson band Giles, Giles and Fripp, who released one album in 1968 titled The Cheerful Insanity of Giles, Giles and Fripp. In January 1969 Fripp, Ian McDonald and Michael Giles formed the first lineup of King Crimson. Outside of his work with King Crimson, Fripp has released 25 solo and collaboration albums. Outstanding solo releases include Exposure (1979), The League of Gentlemen (1981), and live albums, The Bridge Between (1993) Damage (1994), A Blessing of Tears (1995) and Love Cannot Bear (2005). His discography also includes contributions to more than 700 official releases. Fripp also composed the startup sound of Microsoft's Windows Vista operating system, in collaboration with Tucker Martine and Steve Ball. This could be seen as "one-upmanship" by Microsoft after Brian Eno was chosen by Apple to write the startup sound for Windows 95. Fripp married singer and actress Toyah Willcox on 16 May 1986 and for many years they lived at and renovated Reddish House, the former home of Cecil Beaton, in the village of Broad Chalke in Wiltshire. During the COVID-19 lockdowns, Fripp and Willcox uploaded many short, humorous videos to YouTube, usually covers of well-known songs, in a series titled Toyah and Robert's Sunday Lunch.
Artist Website: dgmlive.com
Featured Albums: Robert Fripp
Related Artists: Giles, Giles & Fripp, King Crimson, Fripp & Eno, David Sylvian
Collections: Music Visionaries
