Hellmut Hattler (born 12 April 1952 in Ulm, Germany) is a German jazz and rock bassist and composer. Hattler took much of his early influences from Jimi Hendrix. As a child, he received violin lessons, and in the 1960s, he played guitar. Joining Peter Wolbrandt's band marked the debut of his changeover to the bass. In May 1971, he founded the pop group Kraan with the Wolbrandt brothers Peter and Jan and Johannes Pappert. Kraan's early Krautrock style later developed towards fusion, combining rock, jazz and ethnic elements. Apart from his own projects, Hattler has toured and recorded with many international musicians of various genres including Tina Turner, Billy Cobham, Joachim Kühn, Torsten de Winkel, Alphonse Mouzon, and Nippy Noya.