Pink Floyd
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David Gilmour
Guitarist
Gilmour
Background information
Born March 6, 1946
Birthplace Cambridge, England
Occupations Musician • singer • songwriter
Years active 1963 - present
Spouses Virginia Hasenbein
Polly Samson
Children Alice Gilmour
Clare Gilmour
Sara Gilmour
Matthew Gilmour
Charlie Gilmour
Joe Gilmour
Gabriel Gilmour
Romany Gilmour
Genres Progressive rock • psychedelic rock • art rock • blues rock
Instruments Guitar • vocals
Labels EMI Columbia • Harvest • Capitol • Columbia • Sony • EMI
Member of Pink Floyd
Formerly of Jokers Wild

David Jon Gilmour is an English musician and one of the two current members of Pink Floyd, alongside Nick Mason. He was invited to join the band in 1967 as co-lead guitarist and vocalist alongside former lead songwriter Syd Barrett shortly before his withdrawal from the band. Barrett's reportedly erratic behavior resulted in Gilmour often being forced to cover for him during concerts and forced him to take lead guitar duties in most of the songs on the band's second studio album (and first one to feature Gilmour), A Saucerful of Secrets.

Early years[]

David Jon Gilmour was born in Cambridge, England to Douglas and Sylvia Gilmour. Douglas worked at the University of Cambridge as a senior lecturer in Zoology, while Sylvia had been training to be a teacher. They moved around the area often before settling in Grantchester Meadows in 1956, a location that would later be the basis for his 1970 song "Fat Old Sun".

In 1957, Gilmour began his tenure at Perse School where he would meet future bandmates Roger Waters and Syd Barrett, who attended the nearby Cambridgeshire High School for Boys. Years later in 1962, Gilmour went to the Cambridgeshire College of Arts and Technology to study language and spent time practicing the guitar with Barrett who also attended. In 1963, he joined his first band, the blues rock group Jokers Wild, officially launching his musical career with one album and a single, although they would not find commercial success.

In 1965, he engaged in street performances with Barrett and others in Spain and France. He took many odd jobs during this period, including being the assistant and driver for famed fashion designer Ossie Clark. While in Paris, a reformed Jokers Wild under the name Bullitt had their equipment stolen, leading Gilmour to later return to London in May of 1967 to find new equipment. While there, he witnessed the Barrett-led Pink Floyd record their second single, "See Emily Play," only to find that the mentally suffering Barrett apparently no longer recognized him.

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