Hugh Hopper Progressive rock/jazz bass guitarist and composer. Date of Birth: 29.04.1945 Country: Great Britain

Biography of Hugh Hopper

Hugh Hopper was a progressive rock/jazz bass guitarist and composer. He was born on April 29, 1945, in Whitstable, Kent, England, and grew up in Canterbury.

In 1963, Hopper became a member of The Daevid Allen Trio, a group whose style blended free jazz and blues. In 1965, Hopper, along with his brother Brian, Robert Wyatt, Kevin Ayers, and Richard Sinclair, formed the pop group The Wilde Flowers. Although the group did not release any albums, it later gave rise to two influential bands: Soft Machine and Caravan.

Initially, Hopper served as the manager of Soft Machine, but he was already composing music for the group's first album. When they recorded their second album, "Volume Two," Hopper joined as their bass guitarist. During this time, he also contributed to the recording of Syd Barrett's solo album.

Hopper worked with The Softs until 1973. In 1972, before leaving Soft Machine, he released his first solo album titled "1984." Afterward, Hopper collaborated with various groups such as Stomu Yamashta's East Wind, Isotope, Gilgamesh, and The Carla Bley Band.

In the early 1980s, Hopper took a break from music for several years but returned in the mid-1980s, actively collaborating with different groups including Pip Pyle's Equipe Out and Phil Miller's In Cahoots. He also began playing with a group of Dutch musicians called "Hopper Goes Dutch." After the addition of French guitarist Patrice Meyer, the band was renamed "The Hugh Hopper Franglo-Dutch Band."

In 2002, Hopper and three other Soft Machine musicians (Elton Dean, drummer John Marshall, and guitarist Allan Holdsworth) performed and recorded under the name "Soft Works." With the addition of guitarist John Etheridge (also a former member of Soft Machine), they became known as "Soft Machine Legacy." By 2006, they had released three albums: "Live in Zaandam," "New Morning - The Paris Concert," and the studio album "Soft Machine Legacy."

Hopper also appeared on Tim Bowness' album "No-Man." More recently, he recorded two solo albums. He collaborated with Japanese musician and composer Yumi Hara Cawkwell in a duo called "HUMI." In early 2008, they had planned a tour, which was unfortunately canceled due to Hopper's deteriorating health.

In June 2008, Hopper was diagnosed with leukemia and underwent chemotherapy. He had to cancel all scheduled concerts for a period of time.