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Pink Floyd

Formed in 1965 by Syd Barrett, Nick Mason, Roger Waters and Rick Wright, Pink Floyd soon became the unofficial house band for London's psychedelic counterculture.

The group, named after American bluesmen Pink Anderson and Floyd Council, gained an early reputation for catering to patrons of London's infamous UFO (pronounced YOU-fo) club with cerebral improvisations and intense light shows.

With Barrett's mental decline and eventual replacement by David Gilmour after the group's debut LP, "The Piper at the Gates of Dawn" (1967), the band evolved into a master of concept albums, mostly under the direction of Waters.

"Dark Side" and beyond

"Dark Side of the Moon" (1973) remained on the Billboard chart for a record 15 years, becoming the fourth best-selling record of all time. "Wish You Were Here" (1975) and "The Wall" (1979) continued the Floyd reputation for solid songwriting, world-class musicianship, and meticulous production.

All along, Pink Floyd treated audiences to sold-out stadium concerts filled with laser lights, fog machines, and giant inflatables.

Following Waters' bitter split from the band in 1983, the group fell under the leadership of Gilmour, and continued to produce albums and break concert records while Waters pursued a solo career.

On Jan. 17, 1996, Pink Floyd was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Gilmour, Mason and Wright were in attendance; Waters and Barrett were not.

Passings

A decade later, on July 7, 2006, Barrett died at his Cambridge home, succumbing to pancreatic cancer and diabetes-related complications at the age of 60.

Wright died at his home in London on Sept. 15, 2008, after a brief bout with cancer. He was 65.

Reunions

In more recent years, Waters and the other surviving members of Pink Floyd have made a handful of appearances, mostly for charity events.

July 2, 2005, marked the first such appearance, with the band reunited for Bob Geldof's Live 8 event.

July 10, 2010, Waters and Gilmour made a surprise appearance at a private charity event to benefit the Hoping Foundation.

Shortly after, it was revealed Gilmour had agreed to join Waters on one date of his tour of "The Wall," in exchange for Waters's Hoping Foundation appearance. That reunion happened May 12, 2011, at London's 02. Gilmour performed "Comfortably Numb" during the show, and reappeared at the end along with Mason for the show's coda.

read about every pink floyd album




Photos, top to bottom:

  1. June 1967, from left: Roger Waters, Syd Barrett, Nick Mason, and Rick Wright (Photo: Andrew Whittuck)
  2. Publicity photo, 1971, from left: Wright, Waters, Mason and David Gilmour
  3. Live 8 concert, London; July 2, 2005, from left: Gilmour, Waters, Mason and Wright