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All Music Guide:
A solo performer and the space rock band Hawkwind's "resident poet," Robert Calvert was born in Pretoria, South Africa in 1945. As an infant, he and his family relocated to London, where he grew up to first begin working as a building surveyor; however, his long-held literary aspirations drew him into the late-'60s counterculture movement, and soon he was a regular contributor to the underground magazines of the era. Upon meeting Hawkwind guitarist Dave Brock, Calvert became a satellite member of the group, infrequently appearing during their live sets to recite poems and dramatic monologues; in 1972, he wrote their massive hit "Silver Machine," although his original vocals were later overdubbed by bassist (and future Motörhead kingpin) Lemmy Kilmister. Calvert's vocal did remain intact on the follow-up Hawkwind single, "Urban Guerrilla," a portrait of a terrorist which was quickly deleted in the wake of an IRA bombing in London. He and the group subsequently toured, yielding a 1973 concert set, Space Ritual Alive, which featured such Calvert contributions as "Sonic Attack," "In the Egg," and "Wage War." Shortly after the record's release, however, he left the band to mount a solo career, bowing in 1974 with the concept album Captain Lockheed & the Starfighters, recorded with the aid of friends including Brian Eno, Arthur Brown, Vivian Stanshall, and Jim Capaldi. Eno subsequently produced 1975's Lucky Leif & the Longships, but the next year, Calvert turned to the theater, penning The Stars That Play with Laughing Sam's Dice, a drama based on the life of Jimi Hendrix.
In 1977, Calvert rejoined Hawkwind for the LP Quark, Strangeness & Charm; when the group went on hiatus not long after, he and Brock formed the Hawklords, which recorded one album, 1978's 25 Years On, before swiftly disbanding. Calvert then returned to his solo career, and also began working on Hype, a novel about the music industry; issued in 1982, the book also spawned a spin-off LP, titled Hype as well. His subsequent work moved more toward electronics and minimalism, culminating in 1984's Freq and 1986's Test-Tube Conceived; he died of a heart attack on August 14, 1988, with a Hawkwind benefit performance in honor of his widow and son following a few months later.
Wikipedia:
Robert Calvert (9 March 1944 – 14 August 1988) was a writer, poet, and musician.
Biography
Born Robert Newton Calvert in Pretoria, South Africa, Calvert's parents moved to England when he was two years of age and later attended school in London and Margate. He began his career by writing poetry and in 1967 formed a Street Theatre group Street Dada Nihilismus. He was best known as the lead singer, poet and frontman of Hawkwind intermittently from 1972–1979 during which time he co-wrote their hit single "Silver Machine" and directed their Space Ritual Tour. Calvert suffered from bipolar disorder, at one point being sectioned under the Mental Health Act, Lemmy would sing on the single version of "Silver Machine", his vocal an overdub of a live recording taken at the Roundhouse in London. "They tried everyone else singing it except me" Lemmy later said.
During periods away from Hawkwind duties, and after finally leaving the group in 1979, Calvert worked on his solo career, his creative output including albums, stage plays, poetry, and a novel. His first solo album, Captain Lockheed and the Starfighters, attained mainstream success.
His other musical collaborators include Michael Moorcock, Brian Eno, Arthur Brown, Jim Capaldi, Steve Pond, Inner City Unit, Vivian Stanshall, Nektar, John Greaves, Adrian Wagner, Amon Düül II, and Spirits Burning (posthumously).
Calvert died of a heart attack in 1988 in Ramsgate, England.
Nik Turner, and other former Hawkwind musicians are currently collaborating as Hawklords as a tribute to Calvert.
