Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd was formed in 1965 and originally consisted of Roger Waters, Nick Mason, Richard Wright, and Syd Barrett. In 1968, David Gilmour joined the lineup, and shortly thereafter, Barrett departed. It was this final lineup that was to achieve worldwide commercial and critical success with albums such as The Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here, Animals and The Wall.
Barrett provided major musical and stylistic direction in the early works of Pink Floyd, but left the group in 1968 amidst speculation of mental illness compounded by heavy drug use. Barrett was only active as a rock musician for seven years, recording two albums with Pink Floyd, and two in his solo career before heading into self–imposed seclusion for more than 30 years.
As one of rock music’s most successful acts, Pink Floyd sold more than 200 million albums worldwide. Dark Side of the Moon is third on the list of most albums ever sold, with more than 45 million copies; The Wall sold another 30 million to date—both hit Number 1 on the Billboard charts. In all, Pink Floyd released 14 studio albums, three live albums, three box sets, 26 singles, and 10 music videos. Pink Floyd was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996, the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2005, and awarded a Grammy in 1995.
