On This Day in 2006, the World Lost Syd Barrett, an Unrecognizable Founding Father of Psychedelic Rock

Six decades after one of the most eccentric rock figures of all time entered this world, he left it as an unsung, unrecognizable, and unseen founding father of psychedelic rock. His name was Roger, but he went by Syd. And at just 19 years old, Syd Barrett would help establish one of the most prominent psych-rock bands in the world: Pink Floyd.

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His significance and importance to the classic rock group are indescribable. From their artistic direction to the albums that the band wrote in his honor in their later years, Barrett’s spirit and voice permeate Pink Floyd’s legacy to this day. He died on July 7, 2006.

An Eccentric Founding Father of Psychedelic Rock

Syd Barrett had the shortest tenure of anyone in Pink Floyd, but his creative contributions have long outlasted his time in the band (and his life in general). The youngest member of the English rock band named Pink Floyd after two blues musicians he had in his vinyl collection: Pink Anderson and Floyd Council. Barrett and his older bandmates, Nick Mason, Richard Wright, and his childhood friend, Roger Waters, established the Pink Floyd sound in the mid-1960s and performed primarily R&B music.

The band quickly gained a reputation around the greater London area, thanks to their eccentric music, eye-catching light displays, and unique take on the ever-growing rock ‘n’ roll scene. By 1967, the band signed with EMI, marking their first foray into the commercial music industry. That same year, the band released their debut full-length album, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn. After the release, they did what most British rock bands who wanted to make it big did: they traveled to the United States to tour their new record.

The tour was a disaster, to say the least. Barrett’s deteriorating mental health led to performance cancellations, awkward interviews, and increasing concern from his bandmates. By December of 1967, Pink Floyd enlisted the help of a fifth member, David Gilmour, to steady the ship. Although Barrett stuck around for a few more months as a sort of behind-the-scenes artistic entity as the band recorded their sophomore album, the band officially announced his termination by April of the following year.

Syd Barrett Maintained His Influence From Afar

After the band he helped establish effectively kicked him out, Syd Barrett continued to pursue a solo career for a few years. His music reflected the essence of the earliest Pink Floyd years: eccentric, psychedelic, stream-of-consciousness writing all wrapped up in a late 1960s psych-folk bow. But Barrett’s mental health continued to worsen, and he left the music industry for good in 1974. Nevertheless, Barrett’s influence on Pink Floyd persisted.

Pink Floyd wrote several pieces in Barrett’s honor in their later years, including the title track to Wish You Were Here and “Shine On You Crazy Diamond.” The Wall, the band’s magnum opus rock opera, also reflected Barrett in its main character, Pink, who suffers a nervous breakdown as a rock star. Barrett even came around to the studio while Pink Floyd was recording Wish You Were Here, but because Barrett gained so much weight and shaved his head and eyebrows, the band didn’t recognize him at first.

Barrett moved back to Cambridge to live with his mother in the early 1980s. Two decades later, he died of pancreatic cancer, leaving behind an odd, reclusive, and historical musical legacy. Pink Floyd keyboardist Richard Wright said in a statement to the New York Times after Barrett’s death, “The band are very naturally upset and sad to hear of Syd Barrett’s death. Syd was the guiding light of the early band lineup and leaves a legacy which continues to inspire.”

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