Pink Floyd

Pink Floyd became one of rock’s biggest album acts through a body of work that included The Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here, Animals and The Wall. The English band formed in London in 1965 with Syd Barrett on guitar and vocals, Nick Mason on drums, Roger Waters on bass guitar and vocals, and Richard Wright on keyboards and vocals. David Gilmour joined on guitar and vocals in 1967. Their early recordings made them one of Britain’s first psychedelic groups, pairing extended compositions and studio experimentation with philosophical lyrics and elaborate live presentations.

With Barrett as principal songwriter, Pink Floyd scored 1967 hits with “Arnold Layne” and “See Emily Play” and released their debut album, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn. Barrett left in 1968 because of deteriorating mental health. The group then pursued a more exploratory path on records including A Saucerful of Secrets and Meddle. By the early 1970s, Waters had become the band’s primary lyricist and thematic leader, developing the concepts behind its most commercially successful work.

The Dark Side of the Moon arrived in 1973, followed by Wish You Were Here in 1975, Animals in 1977 and the rock opera The Wall in 1979. The musical film Pink Floyd – The Wall, released in 1982, won two BAFTAs. Pink Floyd also composed several film scores. Their catalogue produced hit singles across several decades, from “Money” and “Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2)” to “Not Now John,” “On the Turning Away” and “High Hopes.” The Dark Side of the Moon and The Wall were inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, and both rank among the best-selling albums of all time.

Internal tensions led to Wright’s departure in 1981 and Waters leaving in 1985. Gilmour and Mason continued under the Pink Floyd name, with Wright later returning; the lineup released A Momentary Lapse of Reason in 1987 and The Division Bell in 1994, each supported by major tours. Gilmour, Mason and Wright reunited with Waters for Live 8 in 2005. Barrett died in 2006 and Wright in 2008. The final Pink Floyd studio album, The Endless River, was released in 2014 from unreleased material recorded during The Division Bell sessions. In 2022, the band released “Hey, Hey, Rise Up!” in protest of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Pink Floyd have sold more than 250 million records worldwide, were inducted into the US Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996 and the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2005, and received the Polar Music Prize in 2008.