Former colleagues Robert Fripp and Brian Eno are among those who have been paying tribute to lyricist and music producer Pete Sinfield, who died on Thursday, aged 80.
Sinfield was a major part of King Crimson up until 1972, notably giving the group their name and sourcing Barry Godber's eye-catching cover art for the band's groundbreaking 1969 debut In The Court Of The Crimson King. Later he produced Roxy Music's debut album and their hit single Virginia Plain, before working with Italian prog rockers PFM and Emerson, Lake & Palmer, famously writing the lyrics for Greg Lake's seasonal hit single I Believe In Father Christmas. Later he would write pop hits for a variety of artists ranging from Buck's Fizz, Five Star and Celine Dion.
Sinfield was born in Fulham, London on December 27, 1943. He worked briefly as a travel agent and for a computer company but it was socialising with members of the Chelsea School Of Art that led to him teaching himself to play guitar and begin to write poetry.
He met musician Ian McDonald after forming 60s psychedelic band the Creation. It was McDonald who pushed Sinfield to concentrate on his lyric writing and through whom he would connect with Robert Fripp and Michael and Peter Giles, who would evolve into King Crimson after Greg Lake replaced Peter Giles.
Sinfield co-produced the first four King Crimson albums between 1969 and 1971, In the Court Of The Crimson King, In the Wake of Poseidon, Lizard and Islands, and wrote the band's lyrics, famously saying of his role in the band, "I became their pet hippie, because I could tell them where to go to buy the funny clothes that they saw everyone wearing". Robert Fripp asked him to leave the band in January 1972 following the completion of a US tour for Islands.
As well as working with Roxy Music, PFM and ELP, Sinfield released his own solo album, 1973's Still, for ELP's Manticore label, on which he worked with Crimson alumni in Greg Lake, Ian Wallace, Boz Burrell and Mel Collins and future Crimsonite John Wetton, as well as Keith Christmas, B.J. Cole, Keith Tippett, Sunffy Walden and more.
Sinfield would contribute lyrics to ELP's Works Volumes 1 and 2 (both 1977) and 1978's much-maligned Love Beach album, before working with Procol Harum's Gary Brooker on his 1979 solo debut album No More Fear Of Flying.
After a period in Ibiza Sinfield hooked up with English record producer and songwriter Andy Hill and moved into the popular music market, writing Buck's Fizz's 1982 No. 1 single The Land Of Make Believe as well as writing hits for the likes of Leo Sayer, Cliff Richard, Five Star, Agnetha Fältskog, Cher and Celine Dion, as well as continuing to work with fellow Crimson members David Cross, Ian McDonald and future Crimson singer and guitarist Jakko Jakszyk.
Prog met Sinfield when he was invited by Fripp to attend a Steven Wilson/King Crimson playback at AIR Studios in 2009, alongside Michael Giles, Bill Bruford, David Cross, John Wetton and Mel Collins (see pic below).
In recent years, with his health declining, Sinfield had retired to the Suffolk coastal town of Aldeburgh.
