Pink Floyd Members: Syd Barrett, Roger Waters, David Gilmour, Richard Wright & Nick Mason

Pink Floyd had five famous members: Syd Barrett, Roger Waters, David Gilmour, Richard Wright, and Nick Mason. The band formed in London in 1965 and became one of the most influential rock groups in history.

The five core members of Pink Floyd were:

Nick Mason – drums

Syd Barrett – guitar, vocals (1965–1968)

Roger Waters – bass, vocals

David Gilmour – guitar, vocals

Richard Wright – keyboards

Pink Floyd Members Timeline (1965–1994)

1965 – 1968, the Psychedelic era

• Barrett, Waters, Wright, Mason
• Gilmour joins in 1968

1968 – 1979, the Classic era

• Waters, Gilmour, Wright, Mason
• Dark Side of the Moon
• Wish You Were Here
• Animals

1979 – 1985, the Waters-led era

• Waters, Gilmour, Mason
• Wright was absent for The Wall tour period

1987 – 1994, the Gilmour-led era

• Gilmour, Mason, Wright
• A Momentary Lapse of Reason
• The Division Bell

FAQ About Pink Floyd Members

Who was the original Pink Floyd guitarist?

Syd Barrett was the band’s original guitarist and primary songwriter.

Who replaced Syd Barrett in Pink Floyd?

David Gilmour joined the band to assist Syd in 1968, eventually replacing him entirely when Syd was unable to continue.
» Read about Syd Barrett

Which Pink Floyd members are still alive?

Nick Mason, Roger Waters and David Gilmour are alive.

Syd Barrett in 2006, and Richard Wright died in 2008.

Will Pink Floyd Tour Again or Reunite?

No.

Did Members of Pink Floyd Know Each Other as Kids?

It’s important to know that fate had intertwined the lives of Pink Floyd’s members long before becoming one of the most influential bands in history.

Roger Waters and Syd Barrett met at Morley Memorial Junior School in Cambridge, and continued through high school. At one point, Barrett was actually taught by Roger Waters’ mother Mary. The two watched a concert in ’61 and dreamed about forming their own band…

Roger Waters, Nick Mason, and Richard Wright all met in school at London’s Regent Street Polytechnic, while studying architecture.

David Gilmour and Syd Barrett had attended Cambridgeshire College of Arts and Technology in 1962, and had learned guitar together, busking on the streets of London.

How was Pink Floyd formed?

Waters, Wright and Mason had formed a band called Sigma 6, a precursor to Floyd.

Barrett, Waters, Wright and Mason began playing music together 1965. Barrett was on lead vocals and guitar, Waters on bass, Wright on keyboard and Mason on drums.

David Gilmour would join the band a bit later.

Who came up with Pink Floyd’s Name? And What Does It Mean?

Syd Barrett dreamed up the Pink Floyd name of the band after two blues men he admired: PINK Anderson and FLOYD Council.

It was originally called The Pink Floyd Sound, before shortening to just Pink Floyd.

Where was Pink Floyd’s First Show?

One of Pink Floyd’s earliest gigs was as the opening act on the first night for a new club called the UFO Club. Floyd quickly became the house band.

They were Influenced by avant garde art, they experimented with sound, visuals and lights in a time when London was exploding with a creative style that would become psychedelic rock. Syd was a driving creative force in the band, writing catchy whimsical and childlike lyrics with tongue-in-cheek LSD inspired imagery.

What Was Pink Floyd’s First Album?

The band released “The Piper at the Gates of Dawn” in August, 1967 and it hit top 10 in the UK.

When did David Gilmour join Pink Floyd?

David Gilmour officially joined Pink Floyd around New Years Day in 1968, the first rehearsal was around January 8. Gilmour was formally announced as the new member of the band on February 18, 1968.

As Floyd’s popularity skyrocketed, the band’s creative driving force Syd Barrett became increasingly erratic. Waters simply once quipped that Syd “got very weird very quickly”.

Syd had originally invited his childhood friend and future Pink Floyd member David Gilmour to watch Floyd during their See Emily Play session, but Gilmour described being alarmed by how Syd didn’t recognize him when he arrived.

Barrett’s behavior grew more problematic. They had to cancel a major gig in 1967 due to him. When they set out on their first US tour, during highly coveted performances on major television like American Bandstand and Pat Boone Show, he just mutely presented a thousand yard dead-eyed stare when asked questions. It was alarming.

So the band brought Syd’s childhood friend David in as the fifth member, to help be a reliable anchor and support for Syd.

By April 1968, Gilmour had replaced Barrett entirely.

When and How Did Syd Barrett Depart Pink Floyd?

By January 1968, the band reached a point where they simply stopped picking him up for gigs. There is a famous moment in Pink Floyd lore where the members were on the way to a show at Southampton University, someone asked, “Shall we pick Syd up?” and the consensus was “Let’s not bother.”

And just that simply, the band parted ways with their dear friend, creative force and the person who gave them their name.

Leaving wasn’t an explosive, or dramatic moment, and in fact, Gilmour and Waters helped Syd release his first solo album a little less than two years later, “The Madcap Laughs“. On his second solo album, “Barrett“, Richard Wright played on the album.

Syd was famously reclusive, and effectively never discussed departing the band, so we don’t know his thoughts on the matter, though he seemed to be at peace with it.

What Happened During the Recording of Shine On You Crazy Diamond?

The band experienced a period where they struggled to define Pink Floyd and what its sound would be after the loss of Syd, and grappled with some guilt over the experience of leaving him “behind”, so to speak.

Years later by 1975, David Gilmour, Roger Waters, and Richard Wright wrote a song, “Shine On You Crazy Diamond”, with Syd in mind, which helped them come to terms with the ordeal.

And so, a strange twist of fate touched the band. In the exact moment they were recording “Diamond”, Barrett, whom nobody had seen or heard from in years, simply wandered into the studio. Waters said he at first didn’t even recognize Syd’s disheveled appearance, and was moved to tears. Though they played Syd the song, he did not seem to recognize its significance to him, nor was he particularly touched by it.

Gilmour said Barrett stayed around for a couple of days, and then, during a random moment, he slipped out without saying goodbye.

The band would never see Syd again.

What was “The Classic Pink Floyd Era“?

Pink Floyd released one of the most impressive string of hit albums in history, including Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here and Animals. This period was their “classic” era, whose members were Roger Waters, David Gilmour, Nick Mason and Richard Wright.

It was in this time that Pink Floyd became one of the biggest bands in history. The surrounding circus of pressure, extraordinary fame, prestige and money weighed heavily on the members, causing frictions that would fracture the band during and after The Wall.

What Inspired Pink Floyd to Make The Wall?

A negative moment during the last show of the Animals tour at Montreal’s Olympic Stadium famously lead to the “next”post-classic” iteration of the band.

Unruly, screaming fans setting off fireworks and acting out of control gave Roger Waters the seed to a concept that the band developed into an album: The Wall.

Because he wanted to build a wall between him and the audience. The concept developed from there.

Why did Richard Wright Leave Pink Floyd?

During the development of the wall, Richard Wright was going through a difficult divorce and disagreements between he and Waters over the demands of his equal contributions to the band blew up.

Wright was faced with spending time with his kids versus contributing more to The Wall. So he gave up his stake in the band, but stayed on as a salaried musician to complete his parts of The Wall recording, and the tour.

The irony being the tour lost money due to extremely high production costs for the elaborate sets. So because of Wright’s salary, he was the only one in the band who made money.

When did Roger Waters Leave Pink Floyd?

Tensions flared during the recording of The Final Cut in 1983 and in 1985, Waters simply notified his record labels that he was leaving, called Pink Floyd “a spent force creatively”, and presumed Pink Floyd would not exist after his departure.

Waters even brought forth a lawsuit to prevent Gilmour and Mason from using the name “Pink Floyd”, which he lost.

In the period after, Pink Floyd had a surprisingly successful run, starting with A Momentary Lapse of Reason in 1987, which hit #1 on the chart. Wright played with the band, but wasn’t a full member at this time.

When Did Richard Wright Return to Pink Floyd?

Richard Wright returned as a full member of Pink Floyd for 1995’s The Division Bell, which would be the final traditional album from the band.

What was Pink Floyd’s Last Show? When was Pink Floyd’s The Famous Live 8 Reunion?

In July 2nd, 2005, all the “classic” members, Waters, Gilmour, Mason and Wright, reunited for one concert in London’s Hyde Park. They played Breathe, Money, Wish You Were Here, and closed with Comfortably Numb.

It was their first performance together in 24 years. They declined any further reunion offer.

What Was Pink Floyd’s Last Album?

Wright died in 2008, and in 2014, Pink Floyd released one last album of mostly instrumentals from The Division Bell recordings, called The Endless River.

Gilmour and Mason declared it Floyd’s final album.

Check out our page featuring Pink Floyd Trivia, Articles, Bands & Bio

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