Simon King

Who is Simon King?

Simon King is an English drummer most noted for his work with Hawkwind. He was described in 1985 by British rock magazine 'Sounds' as 'definitive rock drummer.'

His career commenced as a teenager in the late 1960s in the Oxfordshire based psychedelic group Opal Butterfly who produced two singles as well as contributing to the soundtrack to the film Groupie Girl, in which King had a cameo role.

At their demise, Opal Butterfly's frontman had been Lemmy who went on to join Hawkwind. Hawkwind were having problems with their drummer Terry Ollis so King was invited by Lemmy to play alongside Ollis, but after a couple of gigs Ollis left and his place was permanently taken up by King. His first gig as sole drummer was the Greasy Truckers Party at the Roundhouse on 13 February 1972 which was recorded and released on two Various Artists compilation albums and as the hit single Silver Machine, earning King an appearance on Top of the Pops.

King remained with Hawkwind until the 1978 Hawklords album, passing his drum duties onto Martin Griffin for personal reasons.