Van Der Graaf Generator Biography
An eye-opening trip to San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury during the summer of 1967 inspired British-born drummer Chris Judge Smith to compose a list of possible names for the rock group he wished to form. Upon his return to Manchester University, he began performing with singer/songwriter Peter Hammill and keyboardist Nick Peame; employing one of the names from Judge Smith's list, the band dubbed itself Van Der Graaf Generator (after a machine which creates static electricity), eventually earning an intense cult following as one of the era's preeminent art rock groups.
Despite the early involvement of Judge Smith and Peame, the group found true success as a vehicle for Hammill, whose dark, existentialist lyrics made him the focus of considerable attention. After the release of the 1968 single "People You Were Going To," Judge Smith left Van Der Graaf Generator, which by then consisted of Hammill, keyboardist Hugh Banton, bassist Keith Ellis and drummer Guy Evans. The group soon split, and in 1968 Hammill entered the studio, ostensibly to record a solo album; however, he ultimately called in his ex-bandmates for assistance, and when The Aerosol Grey Machine appeared, it did so under the Van Der Graaf Generator name.
Although Ellis was replaced by Nic Potter and woodwind player David Jackson, the reconstituted group continued on for 1969's Least We Can Do Is Wave to Each Other. After 1970s H to He, Who Am the Only One, Potter departed; the Generator recorded one more LP, 1971's Pawn Hearts, before Hammill left for a solo career, putting an end to the group. After five solo efforts, however, Hammill again reformed Van Der Graaf Generator in 1975 for Godbluff. Following a pair of 1976 albums, Still Life and World Record, Banton and Jackson exited; as simply Van Der Graaf, the band recorded The Quiet Zone with new violinist Graham Smith. After a 1978 live set, Vital, the group officially disbanded, although most members made appearances on Hammill's subsequent solo records. Twice during the 1990s, Van Der Graaf also reunited for one-off gigs, and in 2005 released a reunion album, Present. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide
Popular Biographies:
Down to earth approach Biography: Down to Earth Approach included vocalist/guitarist Jonathan Lullo, guitarist Ryan McClurg, bassist John McCampbell, and drummer Peter Metzler. After a few false starts in their native New York, the...
Bleak Biography: In the midst of an incredibly prolific time for the band Lycia during the mid-'90s, bandleader Mike Vanportfleet and fellow member David Galas found time to create a side project, Bleak, to focus on...
Firehouse Biography: Firehouse arrived at the tail end of the pop-metal explosion of the late '80s and early '90s, releasing their first album in 1991. Featuring vocalist C.J. Snare, Michael Foster, Bill Leverty, and...
Pulp Biography: Most bands hit the big time immediately and fade away, or they build a dedicated following and slowly climb their way to the top. Pulp didn't follow either route. For the first 12 years of their...
Hecate enthroned Biography: The origins of the British death metal band Hecate Enthroned date back to mid-1993, when vocalist Jon and guitarist Marc and Nigel first teamed in the group Daemonium; after a year of touring Jon...
It dies today Biography: Formed in 2001 when most of their members were still in their teens, Buffalo, NY's It Dies Today have one foot in the realm of bruising death metal and another in post-hardcore, combining the two...
Circle ii circle Biography: Vocalist Zachary Stevens spent much of the 1990's singing for Floridian heavy metal institution Savatage before quitting midway through the year 2000 to attend to some family business. His personal...
Shinedown Biography: Melodic hard rockers Shinedown hail from Jacksonville, Florida and feature vocalist Brent Smith, guitarist Jasin Todd, bassist Brad Stewart and drummer Barry Kerch. Snapped up by Atlantic Records...