Artist Profiles: Steve Hackett

Innovative guitarist, vocalist and composer Stephen Richard Hackett, better known as Steve Hackett, was born February 12, 1950, in Pimlico, London, England.

Steve Hackett is a celebrated rock musician. He was the lead guitarist with Genesis during the band’s progressive rock era.

With Genesis, Hackett recorded some of the band’s finest albums: Nursery Cryme (1971), Foxtrot (1972), Selling England by the Pound (1973), Live (1973), The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway (1974), A Trick of the Tail (1976), Wind & Wuthering (1976), and Seconds Out (1977).

Hackett released his first solo album, Voyage of the Acolyte, in 1975, while he was still a member of Genesis. Indeed, the album has a very similar progressive rock sound as Genesis. It featured Steve’s brother, John Hackett and two Genesis bandmates: Mike Rutherford and Phil Collins.

Hackett left Genesis in 1977. Afterward, he released several solo albums where he showcased his talent as a guitarist and his multidimensional music sensibility, composing musical pieces that spanned various genres, including progressive rock, blues, classical, world music and mainstream rock.

Hackett co-founded a mainstream AOR band called GTR with Steve Howe (Yes) in 1986. The group released a self-titled album, GTR. Hackett left GTR in 1987 and the group disbanded.

Hackett continued with his solo career. He has released albums and toured worldwide on a regular basis since. In 2012, Hackett released a remarkable double album titled Genesis Revisited II, featuring recreations of early Genesis material featuring some of the best progressive rock musicians and vocalists in the European scene.

Hackett continued to release solo albums, where he combines progressive rock, straight ahead rock, blues and other styles, including Wolflight (2015), The Night Siren (2017), and At the Edge of Light (2019).

In recent years, Steve Hackett has been presenting classic Genesis songs with his live band, offering stunning renditions preserving the feel of the original, early Genesis era. Hackett has released several live albums of his Genesis Revisited performances: Genesis Revisited: Live at Hammersmith (Inside Out Music, 2013), Genesis Revisited: Live at the Royal Albert Hall (Inside Out Music, 2014), and Genesis Revisited Band & Orchestra: Live at the Royal Festival Hall (Inside Out Music, 2019).

Steve Hackett’s autobiography A Genesis In My Bed is scheduled to be published in July 2020.

In 2021, Hackett released two albums, the classical guitar acoustic recording Under A Mediterranean Sky and a rock and world music production titled Surrender of Silence.

Working closely with long-time musical partner Roger King, Hackett used his time during the 2020s lockdown to take the listeners on an extraordinary musical journey around the Mediterranean. Hackett painted vivid images of stunning landscapes and celebrating the diverse cultures of the region. He demonstrated the exquisite beauty of the nylon guitar, at times venturing into the exotic ethnic and often supported by dazzling orchestral arrangements.

“A lot of acoustic ideas had been forming over the years, and it felt like the perfect time to create this album,” said Hackett, “a time to contemplate the places we’ve visited around the Mediterranean with the kind of music which evolved from the world of imagination.

“Because we can’t really travel, substantially at the moment, I hope that the album will take people on that journey. Whether you sit down and listen to it or drift off to it with a glass of wine…”

Hackett commented on the album Surrender of Silence: “It’s a ‘no holds barred’ album, riding that wave, unleashing those demons, dreams and nightmares, all crashing together over the shore.

“I enjoyed the power of this album allowing my guitar to scream in joy and rage… and once again flying across those oceans to distant lands. It’s terrific to connect creatively with musicians from far flung places, particularly when we’ve all been unable to meet. We all have a voice in our cacophony of sound and we cry out together in the Surrender of Silence!”

The Circus And The Nightwhale was released on February 16th, 2024, via InsideOut Music. It is a rite-of-passage concept album with a young character named Travla at the center of it, The Circus And The Nightwhale’s 13 tracks have an autobiographical edge. The material includes ballads, blues, progressive rock and much more. He said about his 30th solo release: “I love this album. It says the things I’ve been wanting to say for a very long time.”

The lineup on The Circus And The Nightwhale includes Steve on electric and acoustic guitars, 12-string, mandolin, harmonica, percussion, bass, and vocals. Roger King (keyboards, programming and orchestral arrangements), Rob Townsend (sax), Jonas Reingold (bass), Nad Sylvan (vocals), Craig Blundell (drums) and Amanda Lehmann on vocals. Nick D’Virgilio and Hugo Degenhardt return as guests on the drums. Engineer Benedict Fenner appears on keyboards and Malik Mansurov is back with the tar. Finally, Steve’s brother John Hackett was present once more on flute.

In January 2025, Steve Hackett released a live album titled Live Magic At Trading Boundaries. Hackett’s annual performances at Trading Boundaries, in Sussex, UK have become a cherished tradition for the legendary guitarist in recent years. Presenting stripped down material, highlighting his acclaimed classical compositions. As Steve explained: “It’s always a joy for me to play at Trading Boundaries, a magical intimate place full of beautiful lights and exotic imagery, illuminating the darkest time of year over Christmas and New Year… It’s the perfect location for my acoustic set.”

Live Magic At Trading Boundaries collects various recordings from these shows from over the years. It also features appearances from regular collaborators including brother John Hackett on flute, Roger King on keys, Rob Townsend on flute & sax, & Amanda Lehmann on guitar & vocals.

Over the course of 19 tracks, Steve explores various facets of his catalog, including Genesis classics like ‘Blood On The Rooftops’ & ‘Horizons’, stripped down solo material such as ‘Ace Of Wands’ & ‘Hands Of The Priestess’, and splendid renditions of his much-acclaimed classical catalog like ‘Black Light’ & ‘The Journey.’ As a result, this album shows a completely different side to his playing: “Somehow, you can feel the special atmosphere through the sound of the music on this new live album, which is a complete contrast to my live rock shows.”

“I love the delicate dreamlike quality of this show with John and Rob interplaying beautifully on flute and sax, interspersed by surprising moments of power, such as the point when Roger’s keys become the sound of a full-blown pipe organ!”  The album also features two performances of tracks from Amanda Lehmann’s most recent solo album ‘Innocence and Illusion’, “Amanda’s lovely vocals on her own spellbinding songs also provide a special contrast.”

Discography:

Voyage of the Acolyte (Charisma Records, 1975)
Please Don’t Touch! (Charisma Records, 1978)
Spectral Mornings (Charisma Records, 1979)
Defector (Charisma Records, 1980)
Cured (Charisma Records, 1981)
Highly Strung (Charisma Records, 1983)
Bay of Kings (Charisma Records, 1983)
Till We Have Faces (Lamborghini Records, 1984)
Momentum (Start Records, 1988)
Guitar Noir (Camino Records, 1993)
Blues with a Feeling (Camino Records, 1994)
Genesis Revisited (Camino Records, 1996)
A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Angel Records, 1997)
Darktown (Inside Out Music, 1999)
Feedback 86 (Camino Records, 2000)
To Watch the Storms (Camino Records, 2003)
Metamorpheus (Camino Records, 2005)
Wild Orchids (Camino Records, 2006)
Tribute (Camino Records, 2008)
Out of the Tunnel’s Mouth (Wolfwork/EAR Music, 2009)
Beyond the Shrouded Horizon (Inside Out Music, 2011)
Genesis Revisited II (Inside Out Music, 2012)
Genesis Revisited: Live at Hammersmith (Inside Out Music, 2013)
Genesis Revisited: Live at the Royal Albert Hall (Inside Out Music, 2014)
Wolflight (Inside Out Music, 2015)
The Total Experience Live In Liverpool (Inside Out Music, 2016)
The Night Siren (Inside Out Music, 2017)
Wuthering Nights: Live in Birmingham (Inside Out Music, 2018)
At the Edge of Light (Inside Out Music, 2019)
Genesis Revisited Band & Orchestra: Live at the Royal Festival Hall (Inside Out Music, 2019)
Under A Mediterranean Sky (Inside Out Music, 2021)
Surrender of Silence (Inside Out Music, 2021)
Foxtrot At Fifty + Hackett Highlights: Live in Brighton (Inside Out Music, 2024)
The Circus and the Nightwhale (Inside Out Music, 2024)
Live Magic At Trading Boundaries (Inside Out Music, 2025)