Pink Floyd, one of the most successful and influential groups ever, formed in the 1960s when Roger Waters, Nick Mason and Richard Wright were studying at college in London. They added Roger ‘Syd’ Barrett, a Cambridge friend, who named the band after bluesmen Pink Anderson and Floyd Council.
Debut album The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn is still considered one of the greatest psychedelic albums, but in 1968 Syd Barrett’s erratic behaviour prompted his replacement by David Gilmour, another friend. Pink Floyd developed the members’ compositional and improvisational talents, and built a large audience via many live tours, releasing a succession of hit albums, including The Dark Side Of The Moon, Wish You Were Here, and The Wall.
Roger Waters left in 1985, but the band enjoyed continuing success with the studio albums A Momentary Lapse Of Reason and The Division Bell, accompanied by world tours. The final Pink Floyd release was 2014’s The Endless River, another worldwide #1 album.
7 August 2008