The Nice were one of the most important bands in the prehistory of progressive rock — a pioneering trio who, in the late 1960s, fused rock with classical music and theatrical showmanship, and in doing so laid much of the groundwork for the genre to come. Above all, they were the launchpad for Keith Emerson, whose flamboyant keyboard virtuosity here would soon make him a star with Emerson, Lake & Palmer.

The short version

Formed in 1967, The Nice began as a backing band before becoming, in their classic form, a keyboard-led organ trio built around the extraordinary Keith Emerson. They pioneered the adaptation of classical music into rock, courted controversy with a flag-burning performance of their hit “America”, and pushed toward ambitious, orchestral, long-form composition — most fully on “Five Bridges” (1970). When Emerson left to form ELP, The Nice came to an end, but their influence on progressive rock was already profound.

From backing band to organ trio

The Nice came together in London in 1967, initially as the backing group for the soul singer P.P. Arnold before striking out on their own. The original line-up featured organist Keith Emerson, bassist and singer Lee Jackson, drummer Brian Davison and guitarist David O’List. The band’s debut, “The Thoughts of Emerlist Davjack” (1967) — its title an ingenious amalgam of the members’ names — captured this psychedelic-tinged proto-prog group. But when O’List departed in 1968, The Nice made a fateful decision: rather than replace him, they carried on as a trio led by Emerson’s organ, a guitarless, keyboard-dominated format that Emerson would later carry into ELP.

Classical music meets rock theatrics

What set The Nice apart was their fusion of rock and the classics. Keith Emerson, a brilliant and audacious player, reimagined pieces by composers such as Bach, Sibelius and Bernstein as rock workouts, treating classical music not as something separate from rock but as raw material for it — a defining move that helped invent progressive rock. Just as important was his showmanship: Emerson attacked his Hammond organ physically on stage, stabbing it with knives, wrestling and riding it, in a theatrical spectacle no keyboardist had attempted before. Backed by Jackson’s bass and voice and Davison’s powerful drumming, The Nice were both intellectually ambitious and thrillingly wild.

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America, Five Bridges and the classic albums

The Nice became famous — and infamous — with “America”, a dramatic rock instrumental adaptation of Leonard Bernstein’s piece from West Side Story, recast as a protest statement. During a 1968 performance at London’s Royal Albert Hall, the band burned an American flag on stage, causing a scandal that saw them banned from the venue. Their albums grew steadily more ambitious: “Ars Longa Vita Brevis” (1968), the first as a trio, featured a side-long suite incorporating Bach and orchestra; “Nice” (1969) mixed studio and live recordings, including their celebrated reworking of Dave Brubeck’s “Blue Rondo à la Turk” as “Rondo”; and “Five Bridges” (1970) presented “The Five Bridges Suite”, a piece performed with a full orchestra that marked the fullest expression of their classical-rock vision.

Album by album

A small but pivotal catalogue from the dawn of prog. Tap any title for its guide.

The end and the road to ELP

By 1970, Keith Emerson’s ambitions had outgrown the band. He left to form Emerson, Lake & Palmer — a far bigger venture that would make him one of the most famous musicians in rock — and The Nice dissolved. The other members remained active: Lee Jackson went on to form Jackson Heights and later Refugee, the latter reuniting him with Brian Davison alongside keyboardist Patrick Moraz. In a real sense, The Nice were the essential stepping stone to ELP and to the keyboard-led, classically minded prog that followed.

The players

Keith Emerson (organ, keyboards) was the band’s star and driving force, a virtuoso and showman whose innovations here would define his later work with ELP. Lee Jackson (bass, vocals) gave the trio its voice and low-end drive, while Brian Davison (drums) supplied its powerful, jazz-tinged rhythmic foundation. Guitarist David O’List shaped the band’s earliest, more psychedelic sound before the trio took its classic form. All three core members have since passed away — Davison in 2008, Emerson in 2016 and Jackson in 2021 — but the music they made together remains a cornerstone of early prog.

Where to start

Begin with “Five Bridges” (1970), the band’s most fully realised album and the best showcase of their orchestral-rock ambition. From there, “Ars Longa Vita Brevis” (1968) captures the trio’s classical leanings, while the debut “The Thoughts of Emerlist Davjack” (1967) reveals their psychedelic beginnings. The live versions of “America” and “Rondo” are essential listening for understanding what made the band such a thrilling live force.

Why they still matter

The Nice are one of the bands that made progressive rock possible. By fusing rock with classical music, championing the keyboard-led organ-trio format, and bringing virtuosity and theatrical spectacle to the stage, they established a template that ELP and many others would build upon. Keith Emerson’s emergence here was a pivotal moment in rock history, and the band’s brief, ambitious catalogue remains a fascinating document of the genre being born. For anyone tracing the roots of progressive rock — and the rise of one of its greatest showmen — The Nice are essential.

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