In the early 1960s, Hine formed half of the folk duo Rupert & David with David MacIver. The duo performed in pubs and clubs and occasionally shared the stage with a then-unknown Paul Simon. The duo's one released single (on the Decca label in 1965) was a cover of Simon's "The Sound of Silence". The single was not a success, but was notable for featuring a young Jimmy Page on guitar and Herbie Flowers on bass. For several years Hine wrote songs with MacIver while working at temporary jobs, until he was helped by Deep Purple’s bassist Roger Glover, whom Hine knew from Glover’s previous band Episode 6. Hine and MacIver were signed to Deep Purple’s Purple label. Glover produced Hine’s first solo album, Pick Up a Bone (1971). Unfinished Picture (1973) followed, but neither album was successful. However, Hine now became increasingly in demand as an independent producer, first with the 1972 single "Who Is the Doctor", featuring Jon Pertwee narrating over the theme music from TV’s Doctor Who. He then produced Yvonne Elliman’s album Food of Love (1973), a second world war-themed compilation album called Colditz (1973), and Kevin Ayers’s The Confessions of Dr Dream and Other Stories (1974).
