Former Hawkwind and David Bowie violinist and keyboardist Simon House has died, aged 76

Simon House, the former violinist and keyboardist for Hawkwind and David Bowie, has died aged 76. No cause of death was given.

House was confirmed to have passed away by his daughter Holly on Sunday (May 25). A statement was issued by Brian Perera, whose label Cleopatra Records would release several of House’s later recordings.

“It’s with heavy hearts that we say goodbye to our dear friend and brilliant collaborator,” he wrote on the Cleopatra Records account. “Simon wasn’t just a musician — he was a sonic architect who helped shape the sound of a generation. He shared the stage with legends: David Bowie, Lemmy-era Hawkwind, and Nik Turner, always leaving his unmistakable mark.

“From the art-rock brilliance of Bowie’s “Boys Keep Swinging” era to the boundary-pushing tours with Nik and Cleopatra in the ’90s, Simon’s electrifying violin and cosmic keyboard work lifted every track, every show, every moment. His vision brought depth, texture, and soul — he simply made everything better.We miss you deeply, Simon. Rest easy, my friend. Your sound lives on.”

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Born in Nottingham on August 29, 1948, House started his journey as an acclaimed musician when moving to London in the 60s. There, in the countercultural scenes of Notting Hill and Ladbroke Grove, House joined his first band, High Tide.

Though he initially played bass with them, High Tide founder and ex-Misunderstood guitarist Tony Hill suggested he experiment with the violin instead. Around this time, he would also play keyboards with the band, and House would go on to record two albums with High Tide until their dissolution.

House’s involvement with Hawkwind would begin when its members gatecrashed a High Tide gig at the All Saints Church Hall on 29 August 1969 – coincidentally, on House’s 21st birthday. He would officially join the band at the end of 1973, where he was hired to replace Hawkwind’s synth player at the time, Del Dettmar.

He would significantly expand Hawkwind’s sound from their space-rock beginnings to a new orchestral flamboyance on their acclaimed fourth album, 1974’s ‘Hall Of The Mountain Grill’. He would gain his first writing credit on the album’s title track, and would provide the romantic background strings on ‘Wind Of Change’. From there, House would help craft Hawkwind albums from thereon until 1978, where he would join David Bowie’s live band.

Bowie had known of House since his early High Tide performances, and House would tour with the legend on his ‘Isolar II’ world tour from March 1978. He would also help provide mandolin, violin and backing vocals on Bowie’s 1979 record ‘Lodger’, including its hit single ‘Boys Keep Swinging’.

House would continue to work as a session musician in the 1980s, and would go on to rejoin Hawkwind in 1989. After contributing to their ‘Space Bandits’ and ‘Palace Springs’ albums, House would then leave in 1991 and rejoin for two more periods: 2000-2002 and 2005-2007.

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