He grew up with access to various musical instruments, but did not develop an interest in playing the guitar until the relatively late age of twelve. By age fourteen however he had made up for lost time, having gone from just playing single notes to playing full chords and experimenting with chord progressions, despite his lack of formal training in music. His early musical influences were classical composers like Johann Sebastian Bach and opera singers such as Mario Lanza. His early British artist influences were such rock greats as Jimi Hendrix, The Beatles and King Crimson. Steve Hackett was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2010 as a member of Genesis. In 2017 Hackett released his 25th studio album The Night Siren, which made it to the charts in various European markets.