Ian Hunter Patterson (better known as
Ian Hunter) (born 3 June 1939) is an English singer-songwriter who is best known as the lead singer of the English rock band
Mott the Hoople, from its inception in 1969 to its dissolution in 1974, and at the time of its 2009 reunion. Hunter was a musician and songwriter before joining Mott the Hoople, and continued in this vein after he left the band. He embarked on a solo career despite ill health and disillusionment with commercial success, and often worked in collaboration with
Mick Ronson,
David Bowie's sideman and arranger from the
Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars period.