Steve Hackett has earned the reputation of being one of Britain's finest composers and guitarists. Peter Gabriel invited him to join Genesis in 1970 and his involvement led to 8 albums. His complex and distinctive playing contributed heavily to their early success, developing an elegance and sophistication which have become his trademark and he has since achieved consistent solo success internationally. Over that time Steve has discovered an equal talent for composing for the classical guitar. This is an artist who has retained his integrity and yet has enjoyed sales in the millions worldwide through his various band and solo projects, who delivers not only as a brilliant rock guitarist and songwriter but as a sensitive composer in the classical vein. As a musician, it is his undertaking of the instrument as a whole, be it acoustic, electric or digital; as a craftsman, it is the attention to detail within his music that has inspired so many others; as an individual, it is music alone that is his motivation and always will be.

Hackett's first solo album was recorded in 1975 and has been followed by a further fifteen releases including three collections of exquisite acoustic guitar work. 1983's "Bay Of Kings " was the first expression of his growing philosophy of 'music without props' and, accompanied by his brother, John, on flute he recorded an album of seamless simplicity which was for him a natural progression. Steve went on to enjoy a hugely successful 'acoustic' tour during which the Financial Times reported that the only two artistes who had sold out London's prestigous Barbican Concert Hall that year were the London Symphony Orchestra and Steve Hackett! Although not originally a classical player, Steve endeavours to enlarge the existing repertoire by writing timeless pieces for acoustic guitar and one of these was given the seal of approval by Yehudi Menuhin when he used it as the theme to his television documentary From Kew To The Findhorn Foundation.

Bay Of Kings 1993 Reissue cover © 1993 Kim Poor

Photo:  Armando Gallo

With each succeeding release Steve has continued to push the sound envelope a little further, constantly seeking to keep alive a spirit of risk and experimentation. This articulate and committed approach to music has acted like a compass, pointing the way not only for his solo work, but also guiding his involvement in outside projects. In 1986 Steve formed GTR with Steve Howe and the subsequent tour produced a top ten US single and platinum album as well as attracting immense media coverage from MTV and nationwide press and radio. It was noted by Time magazine and Billboard that during one two week period in August all of the current and past members of Genesis had albums in the Billboard Top Twenty! A total of five albums between them. However his response to the 'stadium rock' of GTR was to turn yet again to the 'little orchestra' and, inspired by his earlier success, he recorded a second album of acoustic guitar pieces, "Momentum". This was released in the Spring of 1988 and he performed extensively throughout Britain and Europe that year, culminating in the Soviet Union where he entertained a record-breaking crowd of over 90,000 with just one nylon strung guitar.

In December 1989, outraged by the forced repatriation of the Vietnamese Boat People, Steve instigated Rock Against Repatriation and, together with a host of other artists recorded a new version of the classic song 'Sailing' which was released and charted in February 1990. In 1992 Hackett realised a long held ambition by collaborating with the London Chamber Orchestra on a performance of Vivaldi's Guitar Concerto at London's prestigious South Bank. It is precisely this ability to successfully bridge the musical spectrum that has earned him the admiration both of rock contemporaries and leading classical players such as Yehudi Menuhin. 1993 saw him take yet another new direction with Guitar Noir which, as the title suggests, explores the deeper shadows of compostion and of the instrument. This inspired combination of layered textures of sounds was without doubt his most adventurous electric work yet	Photo: Paul Cox

However Steve's greatest musical flowering was to come with the 1997 release on EMI Classics of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" - a series of original compositions for classical guitar and orchestra inspired by the play. The album fulfilled another of Steve's ambitions - to record with The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra - and put him in the UK's classical Top 10!

Meanwhile, continual demand from fans for 'the old stuff' prompted Steve to take what he described as "an affectionate backwards glance" at some of the pieces he recorded with his old band between 1971 and 1977. A massive team of Steve's contemporaries - plus The Royal Philharmonic - was assembled to record "Genesis Revisited" and produced some startling and impressive new perspectives on these 20th Century classics.

Like many of his former collaborators who have succeeded artistically on their own terms, Steve Hackett has remained true to his muses, someone who cannot be easily packaged and indeed has an aversion to the trappings of rock stardom. Yet, there can be no denying that Hackett is a legend whose reputation rests on sheer talent, sensitive playing and a never failing ability to challenge and intrigue his audience.