Originally named Group X, then later Hawkwind Zoo before dropping the Zoo, space rockers 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-loving open-air gigs that were prevalent at the time before releasing their self-titled debut album in 1970. Their sci-fi tripped-out 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 altered its line-up throughout the 1980s, releasing albums on their own label. While still a popular live attraction. 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. In 2000, after the annual Hawkestra reunion (an event that sees past and present members perform for avid fans), Turner decided to create xhawkwind.com, a spin-off band of ex-Hawkwind members. After Brock sued Turner for trading under the Hawkwind name, a court ruled in Brock's favor leaving Turner to perform under the name Space Ritual. In 2002, the group released the  album Take Me to Your Leader, which featured Brock, Richard Chadwick, and Alan Davey with a guest appearance from Lemmy. Davey left the band a few years later and was replaced by Jonathan Darbyshire aka Mr. Dibs. In 2009, they celebrated their 40th anniversary with a series of concerts with a special Hawkfest at the Isle of Wight rounding off the festivities in 2010. The Machine Stops (2016) was a concept album inspired by the novel by E.M. Forster. It marked the first new material from the band with new bassist Haz Wheaton. The album did well with the critics and led quickly towards a follow-up titled Into the Woods. With renewed energy, the band was more prolific than before, releasing a series of albums in quick succession: Road to Utopia (2018), All Aboard the Skylark (2019), Carnivorous (2020), and Somnia (2021). 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 passing through their ranks, several 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.