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Robert Calvert
Biography
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 1960s 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 Motorhead 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 and the Starfighters, recorded with the aid of friends including Brian Eno, Arthur Brown, Vivian Stanshall and Jim Capaldi.