Van der Graaf Generator

Formed in Manchester, England in 1967, Van der Graaf Generator (VDGG) is an influential progressive rock band and the first band singed to the legendary Charisma Records. Founded by singer, songwriter, and guitarist Peter Hammill and drummer Chris Judge Smith, the band went through some line-up changes by the time they signed their contract with Charisma in 1969. VDGG released their debut album, The Aerosol Gray Machine , later that year. By this time, the band featured Guy Evans on drums and Hugh Banton on organ and piano, both of whom would remain VDGG members throughout their entire career. Initially, they didn't find great success in their homeland, but they began building a following with albums like The Least We Can Do Is Wave To Each Other(1970), H to He, Who Am the Only One (1970), and Pawn Hearts (1971), which featured the popular track "Man-Erg". VDGG broke up in 1972 but reconvened in 1975 - with David Jackson on saxophone and flute - and released a series of albums including Godbluff, Still Life (1976), World Record (1976) and The Quiet Zone / The Pleasure Dome (1977) before splitting again. Their influence on the darker, edgier progressive rock bands continued, inspiring the band to reunite in 2005. They went onto release new music including the albums Present ( 2005), A Grounding in Numbers (2011) and Do Not Disturb (2016).Throughout VDGG's entire career, Hammill has maintained a successful solo career.