Remembering When David Gilmour Joined Pink Floyd in 1968 and Changed the Band (And Progressive Rock) Forever

In the latter years of Pink Floyd, David Gilmour became the face of the band, the guy who led them in their artistic endeavors. On top of that, his lyrical guitar work served as an integral part of their greatest successes in the 70s and 80s.

For those reasons, many people tend to overlook that Gilmour wasn’t an original member of the band. Instead, he was initially hired to help them through a rough patch caused by the struggles of their original artistic visionary.

The Days of Syd

David Gilmour ran in the same circles as some of the members of Pink Floyd in their pre-fame days. Most notably, he was good friends with Syd Barrett when they were both students in Cambridge. He even taught Barrett a thing or two on guitar when they were both getting familiar with the instrument.

Barrett would go on to form Pink Floyd with fellow members Roger Waters, Rick Wright, and Nick Mason. Gilmour, meanwhile, found work with the band The Jokers Wild. That outfit concentrated on cover songs of popular material, which was a good strategy to get gigs in those times.

Meanwhile, Barrett’s visionary artistic tendencies defined the early days of Pink Floyd. He wrote and sang the band’s early hits “See Emily Play” and “Arnold Layne”. In addition, he dominated the action on their stellar 1967 album The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn. But sadly, Barrett’s time in the spotlight would turn out to be short-lived.

Calling an Old Friend

Throughout 1967, as Pink Floyd toured to promote their music, Barrett’s behavior turned wildly unpredictable. While it’s impossible to put a fine point on what happened, the consensus is that Barrett’s heavy usage of psychedelic drugs caused a preexisting mental condition to flare up.

The other three band members struggled to come up with ideas on how to proceed. They couldn’t count on their live performances to be coherent when they never knew what Barrett was going to do on stage, if he did anything at all. That’s when the idea to find another guitarist to help compensate for Barrett’s behavior came to them.

The men immediately remembered David Gilmour. By 1967, The Jokers Wild had run their course. Gilmour had cycled through a few more bands who came and went. When approached by Nick Mason around Christmas 1967 about joining Floyd, Gilmour didn’t hesitate. His membership in the band was announced to the world in early 1968.

A Perfect Fit for Floyd

Gilmour immediately helped stabilize Pink Floyd. From his days playing in cover bands, he had learned how to mimic the styles of other guitarists. That meant he could replicate what Barrett had done. His easygoing personality also improved the chemistry within the band, which had been frayed as they decided what to do about their leader.

Initially, the band thought they might work out a situation where Barrett stayed off the road and concentrated on writing songs, a la what the Beach Boys tried with Brian Wilson. But Barrett’s material became increasingly bizarre and uncommercial, so that didn’t work either.

Before a gig in February 1968, the band members decided they wouldn’t pick up Barrett for the show that night. That essentially ended Barrett’s tenure in Pink Floyd. The presence of David Gilmour helped ensure that they wouldn’t be folding their tents, even with the loss of their former frontman.

(Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)