Happy Birthday, Steven Wilson!

The man, the myth, the legend, Steven Wilson was born 53 years ago today, on November 3, 1967. He is one of the favorites of our team, with his solo projects, mixes, collaborations, and of course, Porcupine Tree.

Early influences of Steven Wilson were the albums "The Dark Side of the Moon" by Pink Floyd and "Love to Love You Baby" by Donna Summer. He started playing guitar first because of their parents but didn't like it at first. At the age of 11, he started exploring studio recording with very basic tools and a guitar. His first album ever was "Prayer for the Soul" by Altamont, which consisted of 15-year-old Steven Wilson and Simon Vockings. After this, Wilson advanced rapidly in his career, eventually starting to gain important traction with No-man and Porcupine Tree. This way, he became the Steven Wilson we all know and love.

Steven Wilson's influence on the progressive rock world is not one to be disregarded. Porcupine Tree, firstly, has released 10 studio albums over the course of more than 20 years. With each album came a completely different sound, surprising prog fans waiting to hear how much more a band can progress. They have songs that can be considered progressive metal, progressive rock, even alternative rock, most of all written by Steven Wilson himself. After 2010, he focused more on his solo career, where he followed a similar approach. His solo career had more mainstream influences, initiating and familiarizing many people with progressive music. Throughout the discography of important prog bands, you can see Steven Wilson's name written in the credits. He is well known as a producer in the genre, notably of Opeth, King Crimson, Jethro Tull and Yes.

There is a lot more to talk about, like No-Man, Blackfield, Bass Communion, or even the details of the things I did mention. Steven Wilson can not fit in a single post, he has to be experienced thoroughly. Yet, even a single listen of his work has influenced many people, musician or not, just like "Dark Side of the Moon" influenced him. In 52 years, he has come to be as important as Pink Floyd, not just in prog rock, but in the whole world of music.