Robert Berry discusses the challenge of upholding Keith Emerson's legacy on new album '3.2 The Rules Have Changed'
Thirty years ago, rock legends Keith Emerson and Carl Palmer (of Emerson, Lake and Palmer fame) combined forces with American multi-instrumentalist and singer/songwriter Robert Berry to form the progressive rock band '3'. With their powers combined, they produced the prog-rock gem 'To the Power of Three', released in 1988 via Geffen records. The first single from the album, 'Talkin' 'Bout' reached #9 on the Billboard charts and the band toured the US to support the album. With the success of the first release, Geffen Records urged the band to go back into the studio to begin work on a second album, but Emerson felt uncomfortable with Geffen’s momentum stifling and the inconsistent strategy that ultimately cut the first album's success short, consequently prompting the band to put up their gloves. At the time of their breakup, several songs were already written for that second release, some of which were later released on Robert Berry’s solo album, 'Pilgrimage to a Point'. Ultimately, 'To the Power of Three' remained the trio's only collaborative work for three decades.