King Crimson was a rock band that was founded in London in 1969. The band is often referred to as a foundational, progressive rock band. They have incorporated many influences and instrumentation throughout their history, including jazz and folk music and classical and experimental music. Although they have received little radio or video airplay, they have had a significant influence on many current musical artists. King Crimson was founded in England but has had both American and English personnel since 1981. Although the band’s original line-up was led by Robert Fripp, there have been 18 musicians and two lyricists who have passed through the ranks. However, a greater level of stability was reached later in their history with Adrian Belew being a constant member since 1981. Although the initial line-up was influential, it lasted just one year. King Crimson was an insecure band between 1970 and 1971. They experienced many personnel changes, and had to make decisions between live sound and studio. The band was more stable by 1972 and had developed an improvisational sound that mixed hard rock, jazz fusion, and contemporary classical music. In 1981, they reformed with a new lineup. This time, the band was influenced by gamelan and new wave music. They then broke up for about a decade. King Crimson has merged elements of their 1980s and 1970s sound, with more modern musical influences like industrial rock and grunge, since their second reformation in 1994. The band has continued to incorporate additional elements into their music into the 21st Century. Recent developments include drum and bass-styled rhythm loops, extensive use of MIDI/guitar synthesis, and more. King Crimson has experienced a series of periods of hiatus, initiated by Robert Fripp. Their current status is unclear. Fripp’s online diary entries suggest that he doesn’t feel the strong desire to work in the King Crimson context. However, he and the other members of the band continue to work within “ProjeKCts”, a related group of bands. This is a continuing succession of spin-offs of the main band, which was started in 1997. The latest example being the song-based “Jakszyk, Fripp, and Collins”. Wikipedia
