Hugh Hopper | Artist

Hugh Hopper was a British progressive rock and jazz fusion bass guitarist born 1945 in Whitstable, UK. Hopper was a prominent member of the Canterbury scene as a member of Wilde Flowers, then Soft Machine between 1968-73. Starting in 1963 as part of the Daevid Allen Trio, alongside Allen and Robert Wyatt, Hopper then formed Wilde Flowers, together with his brother Brian Hopper, Wyatt, Kevin Ayers and Richard Sinclair. Wilde Flowers then split to form new bands Soft Machine and Caravan. During his tenure with Soft Machine the group evolved from a psychedelic pop group to an instrumental jazz-rock fusion band. After leaving Soft Machine, Hopper bounced around between several bands and collaborative projects including Isotope, Gilgamesh, Carla Bley and Stomu Yamashta's East Wind. He also released his debut solo album 1984 in the year 1973. His second solo album, the superb Hopper Tunity Box, from 1977 is one of his strongest solo works. Up until his death in 2009, Hopper would release 23 solo and collaboration albums, working with names such as Keith Tippett, Richard Sinclair and Kramer. Standout releases include 1984, Hopper Tunity Box, Cruel But Fair, Two Rainbows Daily and Jazzloops. There have also been several excellent posthumous archival collections, such as Volume 1: Memories. Hugh Hopper also contributed his superb cascading bass sound to many classic albums by fellow artists, including The Madcap Laughs by Syd Barrett, Joy of a Toy by Kevin Ayers, and Rock Bottom by Robert Wyatt.

Artist Website: wikipedia/Hugh_Hopper hugh-hopper.com

Featured Albums: Hugh Hopper

Related Artists: Soft Machine, Gilgamesh, Isotope, Stomu Yamash'ta