biography

Lake is a German-British band that enjoyed great success in both Europe and the United States between 1976 and 1979, based in Hamburg.
The original lineup included Alex Conti (guitar), Martin Tiefensee (bass), Detlef Petersen (piano and keyboards), Geoffrey Peacey (organ and keyboards), Dieter Ahrend (drums), and James Hopkins-Harrison (vocals). Lake had previously recorded three singles for Polydor in various formations since 1974.
Music publisher Gerd Müller from Francis, Day & Hunter enabled the band to record their first album at Sawmills Studio (Cornwall, UK). It was produced by Petersen, who also composed most of the songs. Hopkins-Harrison wrote the lyrics. The sound engineer was Jerry Boys, who later won a Grammy Award. In 1976, this album was released by CBS under the title “Lake” and immediately reached the top of the charts in many countries. The band developed their own unique style with their polyphonic choruses, powerful guitar riffs, and melodic ballads.
The debut album was a huge success, and Wishbone Ash chose Lake as the support act for their Germany tour. The band was highly acclaimed by both the audience and critics. In 1977, the musicians received the German Record Prize for this album.
In the first half of the year, they worked on their second album, mostly at the legendary Rockfield Studio (Wales/UK). This was followed by several festival appearances before Lake set off on a three-month tour of the United States in the fall at the invitation of Jimmy Guercio, the producer of Chicago and Blood, Sweat & Tears.
There, the band performed as the support act for Lynyrd Skynyrd, Robin Trower, Hall & Oates, and Neil Young, among others.
Lake played its way into the hearts of American audiences, and thanks to its chart success, the band ended the tour as the headliner.
After the release of their second LP, the band embarked on their first tour of Germany in 1978, with Chi Coltrane as the opening act, as well as performances at various major European festivals. Memorable performances included those with Bob Dylan and Eric Clapton as headliners at the Feyenoord Stadium in Rotterdam, at the historic Zeppelinfeld in Nuremberg, and in front of 150,000 spectators at Blackbushe Aerodrome in England. At many other festivals, they played with Chicago, Genesis, Manfred Mann’s Earthband, and Santana, among others.
Songs such as “Time Bomb” and “On the Run” achieved hit status on both sides of the Atlantic. The result was euphoric reviews and a steadily growing number of fans.
With Jimmy Guercio on the US side and Fritz Rau on the German side, two absolute giants of the music world took care of the young band.
It was Guercio who invited them to finish their second album at his legendary Caribou Ranch near Bolder (USA).
In 1979, the third album (“Paradise Island”) was released and Lake went on their second tour of Germany, with Blue (UK) as the opening act.
Lake was one of the few German bands that were as successful in the US as they were at home. In the summer, there were several festival appearances, including with Queen, Rory Gallagher, the Commodores, and Jeff Beck.
After the Horten Festival in Norway, Lake disbanded in its original line-up. The four members of the original line-up, Detlef Petersen, Martin Tiefensee, Alex Conti and Geoffrey Peacey are (together with former member Ian Cussick) working on a new album due to be released this year. New lead-singer Rob Reynolds can already be heard on the first new track “Boy on a mission” which is out now!