Steve Hackett's longstanding keyboardist, producer and musical partner, Roger King, has clarified rumours surrounding his retirement, and confirming that the upcoming US tour with Hackett and his band will be his last. Hackett had previously mentioned in an interview that King would be stepping back.
In a statement on Facebook, King said, "Good day all. Thanks for all the lovely good wishes about my 'retirement' - it's all rather humbling and very much appreciated. Just one small clarification - I won't necessarily be retiring completely (who knows what's next?) but the US tour with Steve in the fall will be my last. The travel, you know - it loses its appeal after a while. It has been, I have to say, a blast and a real privilege for nearly thirty years, and I can't overstate my gratitude to Steve and all the other brilliant folk who have made it possible. Pastures new await, grazing or otherwise..."
King started out as an engineer at Island Records' in-house studio in the 1980s. He first worked with Hackett on 1996's Genesis Revisited album and has been a constant on every album since, as well as a key part of Hackett's touring band and production team. He also featured on and produced the lone Squackett album, Life Within A Day, that Hackett recorded with late Yes bassist Chris Squire in 2012.
Away from Hackett, he was also a member of The Mute Gods, Nick Beggs' melodic prog vehicle that also featured drummer Marco Minnemann, and who released three well-received albums on InsideOut.
According to the Genesis News website, "A replacement for Steve Hackett’s live band has apparently already been found, but has not yet been announced."
Posted by stevehackettofficial on
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