David Gilmour ranks among rock’s foremost guitarists, recognized for his sharp yet melodic phrasing both within the British art-rock ensemble Pink Floyd and through his independent work. He stepped in after the departure of the band’s founder, Syd Barrett, taking over vocal and guitar duties while shaping key releases such as The Dark Side of the Moon (1973) and Wish You Were Here (1975). Once a bitter split with primary songwriter Roger Waters occurred, Gilmour took charge of Pink Floyd beginning in 1987, steering the group through an expansive later chapter that included multiple global tours and the 1994 album The Division Bell. Beyond producing and contributing session performances for artists ranging from Kate Bush and the Dream Academy to Paul McCartney, Gilmour has maintained a thriving solo path highlighted by the chart-topping On an Island (2006) and Rattle That Lock (2015). His fifth studio effort, 2024’s Luck and Strange, incorporated input from family members, among them lyricist and spouse Polly Samson along with singer and harpist daughter Romany Gilmour.
Born in Cambridge, England, on March 6, 1946, Gilmour grew up with parents active in education: his father taught zoology at Cambridge University while his mother worked as a school instructor. During his youth he formed a close bond with fellow pupil Roger Barrett, later known as Syd. The two reconnected at Cambridgeshire College of Arts and Technology, where both developed an interest in music and began practicing guitar alongside Barrett’s acquaintance Roger Waters. In 1963 Gilmour entered the R&B-oriented outfit Jokers Wild; two years later he and Barrett spent the summer busking across France, an excursion that yielded little financial return. Back in England he performed briefly with Flowers and a refreshed lineup of Jokers Wild rebranded as Bullitt, while Barrett and Waters joined keyboardist Richard Wright and drummer Nick Mason in the Tea Set, soon renamed Pink Floyd. By 1967 the group had become a sensation in London’s psychedelic underground thanks to singles “Arnold Layne” and “See Emily Play” plus the album Piper at the Gates of Dawn. Yet Barrett’s mental condition had deteriorated, leading to erratic stage behavior that sometimes left him frozen or playing unrelated material. Gilmour was therefore brought aboard to handle guitar and vocals during Barrett’s lapses; after several performances it became clear that additional support could not stabilize the situation, resulting in Barrett’s dismissal. Gilmour thereby assumed the role of lead guitarist, though he continued to produce and play on Barrett’s two solo albums prior to his friend’s withdrawal from music.
Gilmour’s first appearance on a Pink Floyd recording came with 1968’s A Saucerful of Secrets, after which the band’s style shifted from concise psychedelic pop toward expansive progressive and experimental territory. His guitar work grew central to their sonic identity, and he expanded his songwriting contributions, a progression that reached its peak with 1973’s The Dark Side of the Moon, a worldwide commercial triumph that cemented the group’s stature among Britain’s leading acts. Further success arrived with 1975’s Wish You Were Here, yet as Waters increasingly controlled composition and concepts, Gilmour sought additional outlets. He had already guested on albums by Roy Harper and Hawkwind; during sessions for 1977’s Animals he began his debut solo record, issued in 1978 under the title David Gilmour. That same year he co-produced Kate Bush’s The Kick Inside and supplied guitar to Wings’ Back to the Egg. Pink Floyd’s 1979 release The Wall achieved another major commercial peak, with Gilmour co-writing the standout “Comfortably Numb,” though internal strains intensified throughout its making and after the protracted sessions for 1983’s The Final Cut, prompting a temporary disbandment.
In the aftermath Gilmour issued his second solo album, 1984’s About Face, and lent guitar to projects by Paul McCartney, Bryan Ferry, Pete Townshend, and Supertramp while producing the Dream Academy’s debut. Waters launched his solo career with 1984’s The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking and pursued legal action to end Pink Floyd’s partnership, but the court ruled in favor of Gilmour, Wright, and Mason. Consequently Gilmour assumed leadership and primary songwriting duties, reviving the band with 1987’s A Momentary Lapse of Reason. An extensive tour followed—the first large-scale outing since the elaborate Wall performances—and yielded the 1988 live album Delicate Sound of Thunder. After returning from the road Gilmour maintained session activity, appearing with figures as varied as Warren Zevon and Elton John while preparing new Pink Floyd material. Several fresh compositions surfaced on the 1992 video La Carrera Panamerica documenting an automobile race in Mexico that Gilmour and Mason entered, yet the next full studio album, The Division Bell, arrived only in 1994. Another major world tour ensued, during which the group performed The Dark Side of the Moon complete on numerous nights; one such concert was captured on the 1995 live set Pulse. An archival collection drawn from 1980 and 1981 Wall shows appeared in 2000 without new studio content. Gilmour rejoined Waters, Mason, and Wright for a single Pink Floyd appearance at the 2005 Live 8 benefit in London, though lucrative reunion offers were declined. He delivered a well-received series of acoustic performances in London in 2002 and released the solo album On an Island in 2006. A substantial tour supported the record; the London concert was filmed for the 2007 DVD Remember That Night: Live at the Royal Albert Hall, while a Gdansk shipyard date with orchestra surfaced on the 2008 album Live in Gdansk. In 2010 he collaborated with ambient electronic act the Orb on Metallic Spheres.
Following Richard Wright’s death in 2008, Gilmour chose to conclude Pink Floyd’s chapter in 2014 by working with Nick Mason and producers Phil Manzanera, Youth, and Andy Jackson to finish 1994 recordings that became The Endless River, issued that November. He next completed his fourth solo album, again partnering with Manzanera for Rattle That Lock, which appeared in September 2015 and reached the top of the Billboard 200. Apart from music, Gilmour has supported numerous charitable efforts; in 2003 he sold his London residence and directed the 3.6 million pounds proceeds to Crisis, an organization aiding the homeless.
Forty-five years after Pink Floyd’s Live at Pompeii filming in the ancient Roman amphitheater, Gilmour returned for two July 2016 concerts as part of the ongoing Rattle That Lock tour. These marked the first rock performances presented to an audience inside the stone venue. The productions featured lasers, pyrotechnics, and a large circular screen displaying specially commissioned films that accompanied chosen songs. The set drew from Gilmour’s career both solo and with Pink Floyd, including “One of These Days,” the sole number also performed at the 1971 Pink Floyd Pompeii show, plus six tracks from Rattle That Lock and two from On an Island. Both evenings also incorporated “The Great Gig in the Sky” from The Dark Side of the Moon. Director Gavin Elder captured the events in 4K with art direction by Gilmour’s wife, award-winning novelist Polly Samson; the resulting audio and video packages appeared in fall 2017.
Amid the 2020 COVID-19 lockdown Gilmour presented a sequence of intimate livestreams featuring himself and family members performing acoustic covers of material by Syd Barrett, Leonard Cohen, and others. Several months later the standalone single “Yes I Have Ghosts” emerged, showcasing daughter Romany Gilmour on harp and vocals. Two years afterward he and Mason briefly reconvened Pink Floyd for the charity single “Hey, Hey, Rise Up!” benefiting Ukraine following the Russian invasion. Gilmour then commenced work on his subsequent solo album with producer Charlie Andrew. His first LP since 2015 and fifth overall, 2024’s Luck and Strange, proved highly collaborative, drawing lyrics from Samson and contributions from children Romany and Gabriel Gilmour. The title track also includes a posthumous keyboard performance by Wright, originally recorded in 2007.
