Hawkwind

Originally named Group X, then later Hawkwind Zoo before dropping the Zoo, space rock band Hawkwind was founded in 1969 by former Famous Cure members Dave Brock and Mick Slattery along with bassist John Harrison. They were joined by Nik Turner, Terry Ollis, and Sean McManus (aka Dik Mik) and were signed to United Artists in 1969. The group then performed at many hippie-approved open-air gigs before releasing their self-titled debut album in 1970. Their tripped-out, sci-fi influence was laid on heavier for their second album, In Search of Space (1971). The group – which by then featured Ian 'Lemmy' Kilmister on bass - enjoyed a Top 3 single in 1972 with “Silver Machine”, which helped to push their next album, Doremi Fasol Latido (1972) into the Top 20. Known for a revolving line-up of members, Lemmy left the group in 1975 to form Motörhead and the band recruited sci-fi author Michael Moorcock to write lyrics and play guitar and mandolin. The group continued to experience line-up changes throughout the rest of their career with many musicians passing through their ranks including Ginger Baker, Huw Lloyd-Langton, Robert Calvert, and many others. They released their albums on several major labels as well as a series of independent record labels as well. Their catalog also includes albums such as Hall of the Mountain Grill (1974), Warrior on the Edge of Time (1975), Quark, Strangeness and Charm (1977), Levitation (1980), Sonic Attack (1981), Electric Tepee (1992), Onward (2012), The Machine Stops (2016), and All Aboard the Skylark (2019). While they remained a popular live band, Hawkwind fell out of fashion with music fans for a short period of time before being touted as a legendary influence on a whole new generation of bands (and fans) in the 1990s. Once the band began attracting a younger generation of fans in the 2000s, different former members of the group put together new groups to capitalize on interest in the Hawkwind brand again. However, Dave Brock, the group’s only original member, took them to court and was successful in stopping them from incorporating the name Hawkwind in their names. During their 50+ year career, Hawkwind has released over 30 studio albums, over a dozen live albums, even more compilations, and many EPs and singles. With many members moving through their ranks, several have passed away over the years including vocalist Robert Calvert (1988), guitarist Huw Lloyd-Langton (2012), bassists John Harrison (2012) and Lemmy (2015), keyboardist Jason Stuart (2008), audio generator Dik Mik (2017), and beloved saxophonist / flutist / vocalist Nik Turner, who died on November 10, 2022. Entering their sixth decade, Hawkwind continued to release albums including Carnivorous (2020), Somnia (2021), The Future Never Waits (2023), and Stories from Time and Space (2024).