Richard Fraser Biography

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Richard Fraser (sometimes spelled Frazer) was a roadie and lyricist for the British progressive rock band Emerson, Lake & Palmer (ELP).

He is notable for receiving credit for their 1970 debut album's third track, the hit "Knife Edge".

He also contributed lyrics to Pictures at an Exhibition.

Fraser and bassist Greg Lake wrote the nightmarish lyrics together while Keith Emerson added some improvisations on the Hammond organ. (Lake worked with non-performing lyricists before and after, notably Peter Sinfield.)

Most of Knife Edge was "borrowed" from the first movement of LeoÅ¡ JanáÄ?ek's Sinfonietta (1926), except for the organ solo section, which is a note-for-note quotation of the Allemande of Bach's 1st French Suite in D minor, BWV 812. On the original LP, the song was credited entirely to Emerson, Lake and Fraser without any mention of JanáÄ?ek or Bach.

Lake had this to say about Fraser in March 1972:

"He was a roadie, a roadie's roadie, called 'Dynamite Legs.' We got to be good friends with him. He helped one day with the words, so we gave him the credit. We only gave him credit. We never gave him any money."

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