Nik Turner, born Nicholas Robert Turner on August 26, 1940, in Oxford, Oxfordshire, England, was an English saxophonist, flautist, vocalist, and songwriter best known as a member of the space rock band Hawkwind. After studying clarinet and saxophone in the early 1960s and traveling through Europe, he met Dave Brock in Haarlem in 1967 and joined Hawkwind in 1969. He contributed to albums including In Search of Space in 1971, Doremi Fasol Latido in 1972, and Space Ritual in 1973, co-writing tracks including “Brainstorm” and “Master of the Universe”. After departing Hawkwind in 1976, he released the Sphynx project studio album Xitintoday in 1978 and the solo studio album Prophets of Time in 1994. Rejoining Hawkwind from 1982 to 1984, he appeared on live albums including Zones in 1983 and This Is Hawkwind, Do Not Panic in 1984. He later formed Nik Turner's Fantastic All Stars, releasing the studio album Kubanno Kickasso! in 2001. He performed with ensembles including Anubian Lights and Spaceseed, and released solo studio albums Space Fusion Odyssey in 2015 and Life in Space in 2017. Turner died in Pembrokeshire, Wales, on November 10, 2022, at age 82.
