Renowned initiators of 'Space Rock'. HAWKWIND's stoicism throughout the decades has seen popular support ebb and flow but strengthened a core loyal following of Dave Brock's musical visions. Initially the project of ex-BUSKER and FAMOUS CURE guitarist DAVE BROCK and Nik Turner, the band first formed in London's Ladbroke Grove as GROUP X then switched to HAWKWIND ZOO before finally settling on HAWKWIND. The first line-up comprised of Brock, Turner, former WINSTON G guitarist HUW LLOYD LANGTON, bass player John Harrison, keyboard player Dik Mik and drummer Terry Ollis. Langton had also previously been a member of FOX, a band that evolved into THE WHIP for a 1966 European tour. Upon his return to London from German shows with WINSTON G, Langton met up with Brock and HAWKWIND was borne.

Under the guidance of manager Doug Smith the band soon found themselves signed to United Artists and HAWKWIND quickly attained a substantial live following which aided strong sales of their first album. Apparently just after recording of the debut HAWKWIND would be briefly joined by seventeen year old Italian guitarist Vittorio Vergeat, subsequently to found Swiss based TOAD and to go on to release solo product under the name of VIC VERGAT.

From the start of their career HAWKWIND have proven masters of improvisation, both on record and, more erratically, onstage. At the now renowned 1970 'Isle Of Wight' festival the band performed free outside the event perimeter gaining HAWKWIND valuable national media attention for both the stunt and Turner's silver facepaint. And the group was to quickly build up a reputation as an "underground" band, regularly performing for sympathetic causes, rallies and community events.

In September of 1970 Thomas Crimble replaced Harrison. By early 1971 Crimble was out in favour of former AMON DÜÜL II bassist Dave Anderson around the same period that HAWKWIND also augmented their live presence by adding a trio of vocalists; sci-fi writer Michael Moorcock, exotic dancer Stacia and South African born poet BOB CALVERT. Whilst recording the second album, 'In Search Of Space', Langton opted out in late 1971 to deal with an illness. after an illness in late 1971. In the following years Langton taught guitar at a comprehensive school in Streatham for a year and did numerous sessions, one included writing the music for a cartoon narrated by Vivian Stanshall of the BONZO DOG DOO DA BAND. He would also tour as live musician for Pop artist LEO SAYER. Another project was the band SALT, with top Austrian artist Bobby Hammer, recording an album 'Best Of British Rock' now highly sought after on the collectors market. Other ventures included AMON DIN with Dave Anderson AMON DÜÜL's bass player, GALLERY with Rob Rawlinson on Bass from IAN HUNTER's 'Overnight Angels' band and MAGILL alongside Pete Scott from SAVOY BROWN.

Between 1974 to 1978 Langton operated WIDOWMAKER, touring the USA and recording two Billboard chart albums. This hotly tipped band included Steve Ellis of LOVE AFFAIR, Aerial Bender from MOTT THE HOOPLE, future RAINBOW and OZZY OSBOURNE bassist Bob Daisley and Paul Nicholls of LINDISFARNE. Throughout this entire period Langton occasionally joined HAWKWIND onstage as a guest.

Langton was to be superseded by Del Dettmar. As the band became more involved with the sci-fi writer Michael Moorcock successive albums displayed this interest to the fore, culminating in 1971's 'In Search Of Space', which featured an elaborate sleeve design by Barney Bubbles. Later that year Anderson's position was taken by one Ian 'Lemmy' Kilmister, whilst another line-up shuffle took place as 1972 dawned when ex-OPAL BUTTERFLY drummer Simon King ousted Terry Ollis.

1972 Calvert had joined the band on a permanent basis and in February of that year HAWKWIND performed at the London Roundhouse alternative music festival, dubbed the 'Greasy Truckers Party'. The later album of the event ('Greasy Truckers Party', United Artists UDX 203/4- 1972) featured HAWKWIND performing 'Born To Be' and 'Masters Of The Universe'. This period of intense activity was rewarded with the hit single 'Silver Machine'. Inspired by their commercial success HAWKWIND financed their 'Space Ritual' tour later to spawn the live album of the same name.

Despite their progress HAWKWIND continued to suffer severe personnel problems, with Dik Mik and Calvert drifting away in 1973. Calvert opted for a solo career, but would remain a familiar face on the edge of the HAWKWIND ranks for many years to come. Dettmar also left to emigrate to Canada and the vacant keyboard slot was filled by ex THIRD EAR BAND Simon House in time to debut for the band's spring 1974 American tour. HAWKWIND also added a second drummer in the form of ex CHICKENSHACK and VINEGAR JOE man Alan Powell, who was drafted in after King had suffered a football injury.

At the end of this American tour, whilst crossing the Canadian border, LEMMY was busted for carrying Amphetamine Sulphate, mistakenly believed to be Cocaine at the time. The bassist was dismissed and once back in England set about forming MOTÖRHEAD. Ex-PINK FAIRIES bassist Paul Rudolph succeeded Lemmy as Calvert returned whilst Stacia departed to get married!

Meantime the writer Michael Moorcock, together with HAWKWIND members Brock, Simon King, Alan Powell and Simon House, released the 'The New Worlds Fair' album on United Artists in 1975 under the name of DEEP FIX. Moorcock later published the novel 'Time Of The Hawklords', which portrayed members of the band as sci-fi hippy heroes.

In 1976 HAWKWIND signed to Charisma Records to release 'Astounding Sounds And Amazing Music', although the line-up discontinuity still plagued the band as Turner left to form SPHYNX and both Powell and Rudolph were dismissed for supposedly failing to fit in with the band's musical direction. Undeterred, Powell and Rudolph formed KICKS. Bassist Adrian Shaw was pulled in to record 'Quark, Strangeness And Charm', but House was the next member of the group to leave in 1977 to join DAVID BOWIE's touring band and gave his position over to Paul Hayles.

By the time of 'PXR5' in 1979 HAWKWIND had more or less dissolved as a working unit. Remaining members (plus new faces Paul Hayles and ex STRING DRIVEN THING and PILOT keyboardist Steve Swindells) faced legal barriers to retaining the name HAWKWIND so chose to work under the guise of HAWKLORDS. The 1978 evolution into HAWKLORDS comprised of Brock, Calvert, bassist Harvey Bainbridge, keyboardist Steve Swindells and drummer Martin Griffin.

By September 1979 the band had once more become HAWKWIND with a line-up of Brock, Bainbridge, the returning HUW LLOYD LANGTON and Simon King, who had both been reinstated after a stint in QUASAR, with former GONG keyboardist TIM BLAKE. This line-up debuted the HAWKWIND laser stage show at the Leeds Futurama festival. Their next album, 'Live '79', broke into the top 10 UK charts.

In 1980 HAWKWIND signed to Bronze Records who promptly released the archive 'Live 1979' album in order to maintain the band's chart presence. Ex CREAM drummer GINGER BAKER replaced King as next album 'Levitation' secured HAWKWIND's chart status. Further line-up problems ensued with Keith Hale replacing Blake and Martin Griffin occupying the drum stool. In July 1981 HAWKWIND signed to major label RCA, but the following year drummer Simon King threw in his lot to form London Hard Rockers TURBO.

HAWKWIND's 1984 tour line-up to promote the live album 'This Is Hawkwind-Do Not Panic' comprised of Brock, Langton, Turner, ex-GUNSLINGERS bassist Alan Davey and drummer Clive Deamer, with the obligatory guest appearances by Harvey Bainbridge and Bob Calvert. In Britain HAWKWIND were supported by WILDFIRE.

Nik Turner departed in mid 1985 to concentrate fully on his INNER CITY UNIT. Both Davey and new drummer Danny Thompson toured with DUMPY'S RUSTY NUTS on temporary leave from HAWKWIND in 1986. Brock subsequently guested on DUMPY'S RUSTY NUTS 'Get Out On The Road' album.

During the summer of 1988 Brock and Bainbridge founded a side band HAWKDOG with members of TUBILAH DOG guitarists Jerry Richards and Mark Bannister, bassist Tim Kelsall, singer Steve Mills, keyboard player Alf Hardey and drummer Andy Copeland. HAWKDOG performed HAWKWIND and TUBILAH DOG numbers alongside PINK FLOYD and FRANK ZAPPA workouts.

Later HAWKDOG shows found the band employing two drummers onstage with Richard Chadwick of SMART PILS and GROUNDHOGS and DUMPYS RUSTY NUTS man Mick Kirton. Sadly on the last day of the HAWKDOG tour on 14 August BOB CALVERT died of a heart attack.

HAWKWIND of 1988 consisted of Brock, Bainbridge, Davey, House, Richard Chadwick and Bridgett Wishart, although Kirton left at the tail end of 1988 for Korean act SARANG. For a 1988 British club tour DUMPY'S RUSTY NUTS once more utilized the temporary services of Davey.

1989 opened with further HAWKDOG dates in homage to Calvert's memory. Bainbridge was no longer part of these gigs and his position was taken by Crum. Double drums for some of the dates came from Davey and Chadwick.

In recent years an ever growing legion of compilation albums featuring original HAWKWIND material have been released. The 1995 'Brainstorm' boxed set includes a live album recorded in California during 1990. One of the more interesting releases was the Blueprint issued 'Dawn Of Hawkwind'. Compiled by DAVE BROCK the album made available pre HAWKWIND material dating to the 60s from formative artists such as HAWKWIND ZOO, DAVE BROCK and the DHARMA BLUES BAND.

HAWKWIND toured Europe in 1994 with a trimmed down line-up of Brock, Davey and drummer Richard Chadwick taking along support band MONSTER MAGNET. The band also appeared at the "Rock And Blues" bikers festival in Derbyshire the same year on a bill alongside SAXON.

The same year Nik Turner toured America billed as NIK TURNER'S HAWKWIND EXPERIENCE together with original members Dettmar and King as well as PSYCHIC TV's enigmatic Genesis P. Orridge and CHROME's Helios Creed.

Still active in 1997 HAWKWIND themselves put in a session at the 'Dracfest' festival in Britain during September 1997. Tracks recorded at the 'Strange Daze '97' event would be released as part of a compilation album in America during August of 1999. HAWKWIND live tracks included 'Kauai', 'Assassins Of Allah', 'Space Is Their Palestine', 'Brainstorm' and 'In Your Area'.

Recordings from studio sessions compiled in 1997-'98 would surface as 'In Your Area' on the Canadian Griffin label in January 1999. Voiceprint Records in the UK would issue the album in April 2000 and also re-package the scarce and highly sought after the entire privately issued 'Weird Tapes' collection on CD. Also released simultaneously was 'Spacebrock', more or less a Brock solo effort, and 'Family Tree' documenting the most recent extra curricular activities of HAWKWIND members. EMI Records bowed in too as HAWKWIND's profile and status found itself on the rise again, the major label issuing the mammoth 44 track 'Epocheclipse' chronology.

Ex member Steve Swindells was back in the public eye too with an internet download single 'Y2K' credited to SWINDELLS & BIZ. Meantime ex members bassist ALAN DAVEY and drummer Danny Thompson busied themselves with their BEDOUIN project band. The band put in UK gigs during the Autumn that included supports from 'SNORKWIND', actually Davey, Thompson and Huw Lloyd Langton. BEDOUIN members also did the rounds as a MOTÖRHEAD tribute band dubbed ACE OF SPADES.

The start of 2000 would find HAWKWIND back in the charts with 'Silver Machine'- in Finland. Eclectic Progressive Rock act FIVE FIFTEEN had cut a version of the track and live shows later that year would find Nik Turner guesting. Some of these guest sessions would later turn up as bonus tracks on FIVE FIFTEEN re-issue albums. During February HAWKWIND- with a roll call of Brock, Richard Chadwick, Jerry Richards, Simon House, Harvey Bainbridge, stand in bass player Steve Taylor and onstage fire displays from Kris Tait, put in their first ever shows in New Zealand.

Chadwick, Richards and Taylor would also divide their time with side project act STAR NATION.

The 2000 album solo album from SIMON HOUSE 'Spiral Galaxy Revisited' saw reworks of HAWKWIND's 'Hall Of The Mountain Grill', 'Forge Of Vulcan' and 'Kronoglide Skyway'.

HAWKWIND put in a show, dubbed 'Hawkestra', with MOTÖRHEAD at the London Brixton Academy in November 2000 as a thirty year anniversary. Every surviving member of the band participated. Guests included live sets from TIM BLAKE, BEDOUIN and SIMON HOUSE.

To close off the millennium the band put on a New Year Party at London's Astoria venue on the 29th December. Support came courtesy of TIM BLAKE, SPACEHEAD and SPIRAL REALMS. Even Mike Moorcock, unable to be their in person, recited poetry over the P.A via a telephone link from Texas.

Langton donated his services on guest guitar to the highly rated British Black Metal band THE MEADS OF ASPHODEL 'The Excommunication Of Christ' album, performing on a cover of HAWKWIND's 'Assault And Battery'. HAWKWIND would form part of a package billing with MOTÖRHEAD and ANTHRAX at a London Wembley Arena gig in October of 2002. A run of headline shows throughout the UK followed in December. However, HUW LLOYD LANGTON contracted Legionnaires disease on a UK run of dates, this condition leaving him very fragile. Suffering from a variety of bone breakages in his arms and wrist Langton bowed out of dates in December of 2002. However, the guitarist did add guest guitar for THE MEADS OF ASPHODEL once again, appearing on 2003's ''Exhuming The Grave Of Yeshua' album.

HAWKWIND's show at the Finnish 'Ruisrock' festival in July of 2004 saw the band being joined onstage by guests MOTÖRHEAD's Lemmy Kilmister and MONSTER MAGNET's Phil Caivano. THE MEADS OF ASPHODEL's 2005 EP 'The Damascus Steel' included a cover version of HAWKWINDS 'Sword Of The East'. A brand HAWKWIND studio album, 'Take Me To Your Leader', arrived in September 2005.