Hugh Hopper

British progressive rock and jazz fusion musician who mainly played the bass guitar, but also the saxophone, guitar and mellophone as well as being a composer and an author. He was born in Canterbury, Kent, England, on 29 April 1945. He died from leukaemia in Whitstable, Kent, on 7 June 2009. Brother of Brian Hopper. Hugh Hopper was part of the so-called 'Canterbury scene'. Originally a member of The The Wilde Flowers, he became roadie of Soft Machine eventually replacing Kevin Ayers in 1969, when the latter left, and stayed with the group until 1973, into what is considered the classic and most famous incarnation of the band. After leaving Soft Machine, he played mostly in the jazz / jazz rock vein with a vast number of different bands, many of them adopting a name with the word 'Soft' as a reference to the success of Soft Machine.