Keith Emerson was my personal gateway to rock and roll - I was kind of sheltered growing up, and didn't learn about Little Richard or Jerry Lee Lewis until much later. First heard Emerson, Lake, and Palmer as the intro to a Laserium "LaserRock" show, and nothing was quite the same afterwards. "Barrelhouse Shakedown", "Tiger in a Spotlight", "Benny the Bouncer", and the entire "Brain Salad Surgery" album kept me going through high school. RIP.