Peter Hammill
| Peter Hammill | |
|---|---|
Peter Hammill onstage at NEARfest, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, June 2008
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Peter Joseph Andrew Hammill |
| Born |
5 November 1948 Ealing, London, England |
| Origin | Manchester, England |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter, record producer |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards, bass guitar |
| Years active | 1968–present |
| Labels | Charisma, S-Type, Virgin, Naive, Foundry, Enigma, Fie! |
| Associated acts | Van der Graaf Generator |
| Website | www |
Peter Joseph Andrew Hammill (born 5 November 1948) is an English singer-songwriter. He is a founding member of the progressive rock band Van der Graaf Generator. Most noted for his vocal abilities, his main instruments are guitar and piano. He also acts as a record producer for his own recordings and occasionally for other artists. In 2012, he was recognised with the Visionary award at the first Progressive Music Awards.
Peter Hammill was born in Ealing, west London, and moved with his family to Derby when he was 12. He attended Beaumont College, Old Windsor, and Manchester University, where he studied Liberal Studies in Science.
Hammill's solo career has coexisted with Van der Graaf Generator's activities. The band was offered a contract by Mercury Records in 1968, that only Hammill signed. When Van der Graaf Generator broke up in 1969 he wanted to record his first solo album. In the summer of 1969 Hammill had a residency at The Lyceum and played weekly solo concerts there. Eventually the intended solo album was released under the Van der Graaf Generator banner as their first album (The Aerosol Grey Machine). Hammill's first real solo album was Fool's Mate (1971), containing songs from the early (1967/68) Van der Graaf Generator days.
When Van der Graaf Generator broke up again in August 1972, Hammill resumed his solo career. Songs that were intended for Van der Graaf Generator now ended up on his solo albums, notably "Black Room" (on Chameleon in the Shadow of the Night) and "A Louse Is Not a Home" (on The Silent Corner and the Empty Stage). For the majority of both his solo songs and the band's songs he is credited as the sole songwriter, and some of his solo albums feature all the members of Van der Graaf Generator. In general, Hammill's solo work is thematically concerned with more personal matters, while the band's songs deal with broader themes.
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