Peter Hammill

Peter Hammill, as a solo artist or in the band he formed, Van der Graaf Generator, has been a working singer, songwriter and musician for the last fifty-five years. At the age of seventy-five, he is still going strong – though admittedly at a slightly slower pace than in past years.

He has been an influential figure for other artists in many different fields and has explored many different styles of music across a recording career of more than fifty albums. He has always remained a fiercely independent figure and was a pioneer of home recording. 

Formed in Manchester in 1968, Van der Graaf Generator were a hugely influential band who toured the length and breadth of the UK and Europe. They went through numerous personnel changes, breaking up and reforming several times until finally calling it a day in 1977.

Throughout the later years of the twentieth century and into the twenty-first Peter toured worldwide, solo and with a variety of small line-ups. In all these formats he was known for the intimacy and intensity of his performance.

In 2004 Van der Graaf Generator recorded a reunion album, 'Present', and in 2005 again began to perform live. Since 2006 they have been a trio and have continued to record and tour. In this period Peter has effectively had two careers, as a solo artist and as a member of the band.

He continues to be an exciting and dynamic performer with an astonishing back catalogue. While he was never a household name his career has been – and continues to be – richly rewarding. For those who know and love his music he is a towering figure.

Presented by Regular Music