The Top Keyboardists of All-Time

The death of Keith Emerson in March of 2016 gave rise to many a conversation of how incredible a keyboardist Keith was, and where might he land in our top keyboardist list? Here are a few of our favorites…

Jon Lord of Deep Purple brought the Hammond Organ to the stage in the mid-60s, changing the role of the keyboardist in rock. “Hush” and “Smoke on the Water” are two great examples of what a piano/organ is meant to contribute to rock and roll.

You can’t put together a list of great keyboardist without mentioning Rick Wakeman of Yes. Rick ruled the ‘progressive rock’ sound for decades, opening the door to Yes’s commercial acceptance.

David Paich of Toto is simply the most commercial pianist of our time, still touring today.

Although he’s often overlooked, the Doors Ray Manzarek brought so much value to rock and roll. Ray was the backbone of the group.

Honorable mentions include Traffic’s Steve Winwood, Leon Russell, Thijs Van Leer of the group Focus, David Bryan from Bon Jovi, and Tony Banks from Genesis.


Photo credit: Jonas Rogowski