Robert Calvert

Born in Pretoria, South Africa, in 1945, Robert Calvert later gained recognition both as a solo artist and as the space rock band Hawkwind's "resident poet." His family relocated to London during his infancy, and he grew up there, initially pursuing work as a building surveyor. His longstanding literary ambitions nevertheless drew him into the late-'60s counterculture, where he soon contributed regularly to the era's underground magazines. Meeting Hawkwind guitarist Dave Brock led him to join the group as a satellite member, during whose live sets he occasionally appeared to recite poems and dramatic monologues. In 1972 he wrote the band's massive hit "Silver Machine," though bassist (and future Motörhead kingpin) Lemmy Kilmister later overdubbed his original vocals. Calvert's own vocal remained on the follow-up Hawkwind single, "Urban Guerrilla," a portrait of a terrorist that was swiftly deleted following an IRA bombing in London. The band and Calvert then toured, resulting in the 1973 concert set Space Ritual Alive, which included his contributions "The Awakening," "10 Seconds of Forever," and "Welcome to the Future." He left the group shortly after the album's release to launch a solo career, debuting in 1974 with the concept album Captain Lockheed & the Starfighters, recorded with assistance from friends such as Brian Eno, Arthur Brown, Vivian Stanshall, and Jim Capaldi. Eno went on to produce 1975's Lucky Leif & the Longships, yet the following year Calvert shifted focus to theater, writing The Stars That Play with Laughing Sam's Dice, a drama drawn from the life of Jimi Hendrix. He rejoined Hawkwind in 1977 for the LP Quark, Strangeness & Charm; once the band entered a hiatus shortly afterward, he and Brock formed the Hawklords, which released one album, 1978's 25 Years On, before disbanding just as quickly. Calvert then resumed his solo work while also developing Hype, a novel about the music industry; published in 1982, the book inspired a related LP that shared the same title. His later recordings leaned further toward electronics and minimalism, reaching a peak with 1984's Freq and 1986's Test-Tube Conceived. On August 14, 1988, he died of a heart attack, and a few months later a Hawkwind benefit performance was staged for his widow and son.