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Pink Floyd
What is Pink Floyd known for?
The British rock band Pink Floyd formed in 1965 and was at the forefront of 1960s psychedelia. They popularized the concept album for mass rock audiences in the 1970s. They experimented with their sound and incorporated sound effects, spacy guitar and keyboards, and extended improvisation in such songs as “Interstellar Overdrive.”
Who were the original members of Pink Floyd?
The principal members of Pink Floyd were lead guitarist Syd Barrett, bassist Roger Waters, drummer Nick Mason, keyboard player Rick Wright, and guitarist David Gilmour.
What was Pink Floyd’s first hit song?
Pink Floyd’s first hit song was "Arnold Layne," released in 1967.
When was Pink Floyd inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?
Pink Floyd was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996.
Pink Floyd,Britishrockband at the forefront of 1960spsychedelia who later popularized theconcept album for mass rock audiences in the 1970s.
The principal members of Pink Floyd were leadguitaristSyd BarrettbassistRoger Waters, drummerNick Mason, keyboard playerRick Wright, and guitaristDavid Gilmour.
Formation and debut album
- Syd Barrett (original name Roger Keith Barrett; born January 6, 1946 Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England—died July 7, 2006, Cambridge),
- Roger Waters (born September 6, 1943, Great Bookham, Surrey)
- Nick Mason (born January 27, 1945, Birmingham, West Midlands)
- Rick Wright (in full Richard Wright; born July 28, 1945, London—died September 15, 2008, London)
- David Gilmour (born March 6, 1944, Cambridge)
Formed in 1965, the band went through several name changes before combining the first names of a pair of Carolina bluesmen, Pink Anderson and Floyd Council. Their initial direction came from vocalist-guitarist-songwriter Barrett, whose mixture ofblues,music hall styles,Lewis Carroll references, and dissonant psychedelia established the band as acornerstone of the British underground scene. They signed with EMI and early in 1967 had their first British hit with the controversial “Arnold Layne,” a song about a transvestite. This was followed by their debut album,The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, a lush, experimental record that has since become arock classic. Their sound was becoming increasingly adventurous, incorporating sound effects, spacy guitar and keyboards, and extended improvisation such as “Interstellar Overdrive.”
The Dark Side of the Moon
- The Piper at the Gates of Dawn (1967)
- A Saucerful of Secrets (1968)
- More (1969)
- Ummagumma (1969)
- Atom Heart Mother (1970)
- Meddle (1971)
- Obscured by Clouds (1972)
- The Dark Side of the Moon (1973)
- Wish You Were Here (1975)
- Animals (1977)
- The Wall (1979)
- The Final Cut (1983)
- A Momentary Lapse of Reason (1987)
- The Division Bell (1994)
- The Endless River (2014)
By 1968 Barrett, who had overusedLSD and was struggling withschizophrenia, was replaced by guitarist Gilmour. Without Barrett’s striking lyrics, the band moved away from the singles market to concentrate on live work, continuing itsinnovations in sound and lighting but with varying degrees of success. After recording a series of motion-picture soundtrack albums, they entered the American charts withAtom Heart Mother (1970) andMeddle (1971).
Making records that are song-based but thematic in approach and that include long instrumental passages, the band did much to popularize the concept album. They hit the commercial jackpot withThe Dark Side of the Moon (1973). A bleaktreatise on death and emotional breakdown underlined by Waters’s dark songwriting, it sent Pink Floyd soaring into the megastar bracket and remained in the American pop charts for more than a decade. The follow-up,Wish You Were Here (1975), includes “Shine On You Crazy Diamond,” a song for Barrett, and, though it went to number one in both theUnited States andBritain, it was considered anticlimactic and pompous by many critics.
Split and later albums
By the release ofAnimals (1977), it was clear that Waters had become the band’s dominant influence, and there was increasing internal conflict within Pink Floyd. Their sense of alienation (from both one another and contemporary society) was profoundly illustrated by the tour for 1979’s best-selling albumThe Wall, for which a real brick wall was built between the group and the audience during performance. After the appropriately namedThe Final Cut (1983), Pink Floyd became inactive, and legal wrangles ensued over ownership of the band’s name. Waters, who dismissed Wright afterThe Wall and took over most of the songwriting, was even more firmly in control. As a result the band split, but, much to Waters’schagrin, Gilmour, Mason, and Wright reunited, continuing as Pink Floyd.
- Awards And Honors:
- Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum (1996)
- Grammy Award (1994)
- Date:
- 1965 -c. 1994
- Related People:
- Syd Barrett
- Roger Waters
- David Gilmour
- Rick Wright
- On the Web:
- All About Jazz - Pink Floyd (Feb. 06, 2026)
In the late 1980s Wright, Gilmour, and Mason released two albums, including the ponderousA Momentary Lapse of Reason (1987) andThe Division Bell (1994), while Waters pursued a solo career. Waters reunited with his former bandmates for a single performance at theLive 8 benefit concert in 2005. Gilmour and Mason later used recordings made with Wright (who died in 2008) to create what they said was the final Pink Floyd album,The Endless River (2014). Pink Floyd was inducted into theRock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996.
