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David Gilmour

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For other people named David Gilmour, see David Gilmour (disambiguation).
David Gilmour
David Gilmour playing his iconic black Fender Stratocaster in concert in Munich, Germany on 29 July 2006
David Gilmour playing his iconic black Fender Stratocaster in concert in Munich, Germany on 29 July 2006
Background information
Birth nameDavid Jon Gilmour
Also known asDave Gilmour
GenresRock, progressive rock, psychedelic rock, art rock, blues rock
Occupation(s)Musician, singer-songwriter, producer
Instrument(s)Vocals, guitar, steel guitar, bass, keyboards, synthesizer, saxophone, banjo, mandolin, harmonica, drums, talk box, percussion, programming
Years active1963–present
LabelsCapitol, Columbia, Sony, EMI
Websitewww.davidgilmour.com

David Jon Gilmour,[1] CBE (born 6 March 1946) is an English rock musician and multi-instrumentalist who is best known as the lead guitarist, one of the lead singers and one of the main songwriters in the progressive rock band Pink Floyd. In addition to his work with Pink Floyd, Gilmour has worked as a producer for a variety of artists, and has enjoyed a successful career as a solo artist. Gilmour has been actively involved with many charities over the course of his career. In 2003, he was appointed CBE for services to music and philanthropy and was awarded with the Outstanding Contribution title at the 2008 Q Awards.[2] Rolling Stone magazine put him at #82 on its list of The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time and described as "one of rock's most distinctive guitarists".

Early life

Gilmour was born in Cambridge, England. His father, Douglas Gilmour, was a senior lecturer in zoology at the University of Cambridge and his mother, Sylvia (née Wilson), was a teacher and film editor who raised her family at Grantchester Meadows, later immortalised by a Roger Waters song on Pink Floyd's Ummagumma.[3] He has a younger brother who is also a musician.

Gilmour attended The Perse School on Hills Road, Cambridge, and met future Pink Floyd guitarist and vocalist Syd Barrett, along with bassist and vocalist Roger Waters who attended Cambridgeshire High School for Boys, also situated on Hills Road. He studied modern languages to A-Level, and along with Barrett, spent his lunchtime learning to play the guitar. They were not yet bandmates however, and Gilmour started playing in the band Joker's Wild in 1962. Gilmour left Joker's Wild in 1966 and busked around Spain and France with some friends. However, they were not very successful, living virtually a hand-to-mouth existence. In July 1992, Gilmour stated in an interview with Nicky Horne on BBC radio that he ended up being treated for malnutrition in a hospital.[4] In 1967, they returned to England.

Pink Floyd

Gilmour was approached in late December 1967 by drummer Nick Mason, who asked if he would be interested in joining Pink Floyd, which he did in January 1968, making Pink Floyd briefly a five-piece band. He filled in for Syd Barrett's guitar parts when the frontman was unable to take a consistent part in Floyd's live performances. Syd Barrett "left" the group due to his erratic behaviour—commonly believed to have been caused by excessive use of LSD—when the band chose not to pick Barrett up one night for a gig; and Gilmour by default assumed the role of the band's lead guitarist. He took over most of the band's lead vocal duties with bassist Roger Waters and keyboard player Richard Wright also occasionally singing in Barrett's stead. However, after the back-to-back successes of The Dark Side of the Moon and then Wish You Were Here, Waters took more control over the band, writing much of Animals and The Wall by himself. Wright was fired during The Wall sessions and the relationship between Gilmour and Waters would further deteriorate during the making of The Wall film and the 1983 Pink Floyd album The Final Cut.

Gilmour, in the early 1970s with Pink Floyd

After recording Animals, Gilmour thought that his musical talents were being underused, and channeled his ideas into his self-titled first solo album (1978), which showcases his signature guitar style, as well as underscoring his songwriting skills. A tune written during the finishing stages of this album, but too late to be used, became "Comfortably Numb" on The Wall.[5]

The negative atmosphere surrounding the creation of The Wall album and subsequent film, compounded by The Final Cut's virtually being a Roger Waters solo album, led Gilmour to produce his second solo album About Face in 1984.[6] He used it to express his feelings about a range of topics, from the murder of John Lennon,[6] to his relationship with Waters. He has since admitted that he also used the album to distance himself from Pink Floyd. He toured Europe and the US along with support act The Television Personalities,[6] who were promptly dropped from the line-up after revealing Syd Barrett's address on stage.[6] Mason also made a guest appearance on the UK leg of the tour,[6] which despite some cancellations eventually turned a profit.[7] When he returned from touring, Gilmour played guitar with a range of artists, and also produced The Dream Academy, who had a top ten hit with "Life in a Northern Town".[8]

In 1985, Waters declared that Pink Floyd was "a spent force creatively".[6][9] However, in 1986, Gilmour and drummer Nick Mason issued a press release stating that Waters had quit the band and they intended to continue without him.[6][9] Gilmour assumed full control of the group and produced A Momentary Lapse of Reason in 1987 with some contributions from Mason and Richard Wright.[6] Wright officially rejoined the band after the release of the album for a lengthy world tour and helped create 1994's The Division Bell.[6] Gilmour explained:

I had a number of problems with the direction of the band in our recent past, before Roger left. I thought the songs were very wordy and that, because the specific meanings of those words were so important, the music became a mere vehicle for lyrics, and not a very inspiring one. Dark Side of the Moon and Wish You Were Here were so successful not just because of Roger's contributions, but also because there was a better balance between the music and the lyrics than there has been in more recent albums. That's what I'm trying to do with A Momentary Lapse of Reason; more focus on the music, restore the balance.

In 1986, Gilmour purchased the houseboat Astoria which is moored on the River Thames near Hampton Court, and transformed it into a recording studio.[9] The majority of the two most recent Pink Floyd albums, as well as Gilmour's 2006 solo release On an Island, were recorded there.[9]

Gilmour at Live 8 in July 2005

On 2 July 2005, Gilmour played with Pink Floyd—including Roger Waters—at Live 8. The performance caused a temporary 1343% sales increase of Pink Floyd's album Echoes: The Best of Pink Floyd.[10] Gilmour donated all of his resulting profits to charities that reflect the goals of Live 8 saying:

Though the main objective has been to raise consciousness and put pressure on the G8 leaders, I will not profit from the concert. This is money that should be used to save lives.[10]

Shortly after, he called upon all artists experiencing a surge in sales from Live 8 performances to donate the extra revenue to Live 8 fund-raising. After the Live 8 concert, Pink Floyd were offered £150 million to tour the United States, but the band turned down the offer.[11]

On 3 February 2006, he announced in an interview with the Italian newspaper La Repubblica[12][13] that Pink Floyd would most likely never tour or write material together again. He said:

I think enough is enough. I am 60 years old. I don't have the will to work as much anymore. Pink Floyd was an important part in my life, I have had a wonderful time, but it's over. For me it's much less complicated to work alone.

He said that by agreeing to Live 8, he had ensured the story of Floyd would not end on a sour note.

There was more than one reason, firstly to support the cause. The second one is the energy consuming an uncomfortable relationship between Roger and me that I was carrying along in my heart. That is why we wanted to perform and to leave the trash behind. Thirdly, I might have regretted it if I declined.

Gilmour in 2009

On 20 February 2006, Gilmour commented again on Pink Floyd's future when he was interviewed by Billboard.com, stating, "Who knows? I have no plans at all to do that. My plans are to do my concerts and put my solo record out."

In December 2006, Gilmour released a tribute to Syd Barrett, who had died on 7 July of that year, in the form of his own version of Pink Floyd's first single "Arnold Layne".[9] Recorded live at London's Royal Albert Hall, the CD single featured versions of the song performed by Pink Floyd's keyboard player (and Gilmour's band member) Richard Wright and special guest artist David Bowie.[9] The single entered the UK Top 75 charts at number nineteen and remained steady for three weeks.[14]

Since their Live 8 appearance in 2005, Gilmour has repeatedly said that there will be no Pink Floyd reunion. With the death of Pink Floyd keyboardist Richard Wright in September 2008,[9] another reunion of the core group members became impossible. Gilmour said of Wright

In the welter of arguments about who or what was Pink Floyd, Rick's enormous input was frequently forgotten. He was gentle, unassuming and private but his soulful voice and playing were vital, magical components of our most recognised Pink Floyd sound. Like Rick, I don't find it easy to express my feelings in words, but I loved him and will miss him enormously. I have never played with anyone quite like him.[15]

In May 2010 Roger Waters told the Associated Press that Gilmour "is completely disinterested in anything like [another reunion]. After Live 8, I could have probably gone for doing some more stuff, but he's not interested, so it is what it is."[16]

Other projects

Gilmour performing in Brussels in 1984, on his About Face tour

Taking time off from Pink Floyd's schedule, Gilmour also took up various roles as a producer, sideman and even concert sound engineer[6] for a wide variety of acts which included[6] former bandmate Syd Barrett, Paul McCartney, Kate Bush, Grace Jones, Tom Jones, Elton John, Eric Clapton, B. B. King, Seal, Sam Brown, Jools Holland, Bob Dylan, Pete Townshend, The Who, Supertramp, Levon Helm, Robbie Robertson, Alan Parsons, and various charity groups among others.

In 1985, Gilmour was a member of Bryan Ferry's band. He played on Ferry's album Boys and Girls, as well as the song "Is Your Love Strong Enough" for the U.S. release of the Ridley Scott-Tom Cruise film Legend. A music video for the latter was created, incorporating Ferry and Gilmour into footage from the film[6] (released as a bonus on the 2002 "Ultimate Edition" DVD release). Later that year, Gilmour played with Ferry at the London Live Aid concert;[6] his first meeting with Ferry's keyboard player Jon Carin, later to tour with Pink Floyd.

David Gilmour also took part in a comedy skit titled "The Easy Guitar Book Sketch" with comedian Rowland Rivron and fellow British musicians Mark Knopfler, Lemmy from Motorhead, Mark King from Level 42, and Gary Moore. Guitar tech Phil Taylor explained in an interview that Knopfler used Gilmour's guitar rig and managed to sound like himself when performing in the skit.[17]

He has also recorded four solo albums, all four of which charted in the U.S. Top 40 (2006's On an Island peaked at #6 in 2006, 2008's Live in Gdansk peaked at #26, his 1978 self-titled solo debut peaked at #29 in 1978 and 1984's About Face peaked at #32 in 1984).

In 1994, Gilmour played guitar for the video game Tuneland, along with the additional saxophonist for Pink Floyd, Scott Page.

In 2001 and 2002, he performed a small number of acoustic solo concerts in London and Paris, along with a small band and choir, which was documented on the In Concert release.[9] In 2003, Rolling Stone placed Gilmour at number 82 in a list of the hundred greatest guitarists of all time.[18]

On 24 September 2004, Gilmour performed a three song set (tracks 28-30) at The Strat Pack concert at London's Wembley Arena, marking the 50th anniversary of the Fender Stratocaster guitar.

Gilmour in performance, Frankfurt 2006

On 6 March 2006, his 60th birthday, he released his third solo album, On an Island,[9] and a day later it was released in the US; it debuted at #1 in the UK charts.[19] The album reached the top five in Germany and Sweden, and the top six in Billboard 200.[20][21] Produced by Gilmour along with Phil Manzanera and Chris Thomas, the album features orchestrations by renowned Polish composer Zbigniew Preisner.[9] The album features David Crosby and Graham Nash performing background vocals on the title track, Robert Wyatt on cornet and percussion, and Richard Wright on Hammond organ and vocals.[9] Other contributors include Jools Holland, Phil Manzanera, Georgie Fame, Andy Newmark, B. J. Cole, Chris Stainton, Willie Wilson, Rado ‘Bob’ Klose on guitar and Leszek Możdżer on piano.[9] The album also features Gilmour's debut with the saxophone.[9]

Gilmour toured Europe, US and Canada from 10 March to 31 May 2006 to promote On an Island. There were 10 shows in the US and Canadian leg of the tour. Pink Floyd alumnus Richard Wright, and frequent Floyd collaborators Dick Parry, Guy Pratt and Jon Carin, also accompanied him on the tour. More shows took place in Europe from July to August in 2006.

In a press release to promote the tour, David Gilmour stated:

"I'm rather hoping that with this tour announcement, people will believe me when I say, honestly, this is the only band I plan to tour with!".

On an Island reached number one on the UK charts. On 10 April 2006, the album was certified platinum in Canada, with sales of over 100,000 copies. The album also gave Gilmour his first US Top 10 album as a solo artist.

A video recording of a show from Gilmour's solo tour, entitled Remember That Night - Live At The Royal Albert Hall[22] was released on 17 September 2007.[9] The double DVD, directed by David Mallet, contains over five hours of footage, including an on-the-road documentary and guest appearances by David Bowie and Robert Wyatt.[9] The two and a half hour concert features band members Richard Wright of Pink Floyd, Phil Manzanera of Roxy Music, Steve DiStanislao on drums, and various Pink Floyd regulars such as Dick Parry, Guy Pratt and Jon Carin.[9] The 20-page booklet accompanying the DVD, features over 80 photos selected from studio recording and touring.[9]

The final show of David Gilmour's On an Island tour took place at the Gdańsk Shipyard on 26 August 2006.[9] The concert was held before a crowd of 50,000, and marked the twenty-sixth anniversary of the founding of the Solidarity trade union.[9] The concert was notable for the inclusion of "A Great Day For Freedom" as part of the encore.[9]

The show was recorded, resulting in a live album and DVD release: Live in Gdańsk.[9] The concert was the only occasion on which Gilmour performed the tour material with an orchestra, using the 40-strong string section of the Polish Baltic Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Zbigniew Preisner, who was responsible for On An Island's orchestral arrangements.[9]

On 25 May 2009, he participated in a concert at the Union Chapel in Islington, London. The concert was part of the 'Hidden Gigs' campaign against hidden homelessness, which is organised by Crisis, a UK-based national charity campaigning against homelessness. In the concert he collaborated with the Malian musicians Amadou and Mariam.[23]

On 4 July 2009, he joined his friend Jeff Beck onstage at the Royal Albert Hall. David and Jeff traded solos on Jerusalem and closed the show with Hi Ho Silver Lining.

In August 2009, he released an online single, Chicago - Change the World, on which he sang and played guitar, bass and keyboards, to promote awareness of the plight of Gary McKinnon. A re-titled cover of the Graham Nash song Chicago, it featured Chrissie Hynde and Bob Geldof, plus McKinnon himself. It was produced by long-time Pink Floyd collaborator Chris Thomas.[24] A video was also posted on-line.[25]

On 11 July 2010, Gilmour gave a performance for the charity Hoping Foundation with Roger Waters in Oxfordshire, England.[26] Also performing were Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Nick Cage and Tom Jones. The performance was presented by Jemima Khan and Nigella Lawson. According to onlookers, it seemed clear that Gilmour and Waters had ended the their long-running feud and seemed to be the best of friends, laughing and joking together along with their respective partners. Waters has confirmed via his Facebook page that Gilmour would play Comfortably Numb with him during one of his shows on his upcoming The Wall Live tour. Gilmour performed on 12 May 2011 at the O2 arena, London, with a special 'mandolin' encore at the end of the performance.

Gilmour is featured on the 2010 album "Metallic Spheres" by The Orb.[27]

Musical style

Gilmour is best known for his lead guitar work. Gilmour's solo style is often characterised by blues-influenced phrasing, expressive note bends and sustain. In 2005, Gilmour was rated the 82nd greatest guitarist by Rolling Stone. In January 2007, Guitar World readers voted Gilmour's solos, "Comfortably Numb", "Time" and "Money" into the top 100 Greatest Guitar Solos ("Comfortably Numb" was voted the 4th, "Time" was voted the 21st and "Money" was voted the 62nd greatest solo of all time).[28]

In his early career with Pink Floyd, Gilmour played a multitude of Fender Stratocasters. One of his popular guitar solos ("Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2") was played on a Gibson Les Paul Gold Top guitar equipped with Bigsby tremolo bar and P-90 pick-ups.[29][30] In 1996, Gilmour was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Pink Floyd. Gilmour's solo on "Comfortably Numb" was voted as one of the greatest guitar solos of all time in several polls by listeners and critics.[31]

Although mainly known for his guitar work, Gilmour is also a proficient multi-instrumentalist. He also plays bass guitar (which he did on some Pink Floyd tracks),[9][32] keyboards, synthesizer, banjo, harmonica, drums (as heard on the Syd Barrett solo track "Dominoes",[9] and other songs where he opted to play all the instruments) and lately, the saxophone.[33]

Personal life

Gilmour in 2005

Gilmour's first marriage was to American-born model and artist Virginia "Ginger" Hasenbein, on 7 July 1975.[34] He had four children from this union, Alice (born 1976), Clare (born 1979), Sara (born 1983, a fashion model[35]), and Matthew (born 1986). The children originally attended a Waldorf School, but Gilmour called their education there "horrific".[36] In 1994, he married journalist Polly Samson, and the couple have four children, Charlie (Samson's son with Heathcote Williams whom Gilmour adopted), Joe, Gabriel and Romany. Charlie's voice can be heard on the telephone to Steve O'Rourke, at the end of "High Hopes" (The Division Bell).

Gilmour has been associated with various charity organisations. In May 2003, Gilmour sold his house in Little Venice to the ninth Earl Spencer and donated the proceeds worth £3.6 million to Crisis to help fund a housing project for the homeless. Apart from Crisis, other Charities to which Gilmour has lent support include Oxfam, the European Union Mental Health and Illness Association, Greenpeace, Amnesty International,[6] The Lung Foundation, and Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy.[6] He also donated £25,000 to the Save the Rhino foundation in exchange for Douglas Adams' name suggestion for the album that became The Division Bell.[9]

Gilmour is also an experienced pilot and aviation enthusiast. Under the aegis of his company, Intrepid Aviation,[6] he had amassed a collection of historical aircraft. He later decided to sell the company, which he had started as a hobby, feeling that it was becoming too commercial for him to handle. In a BBC interview, he stated:

Intrepid Aviation was a way for me to make my hobby pay for itself a little bit, but gradually over a few years Intrepid Aviation became a business because you have to be businesslike about it. Suddenly I found instead of it being a hobby and me enjoying myself, it was a business and so I sold it. I don't have Intrepid Aviation any more. I just have a nice old biplane that I pop up, wander around the skies in sometimes...[37]

On 22 May 2008, Gilmour won the 2008 Ivor Novello Lifetime Contribution Award[38]

Later, he was awarded for outstanding contribution for music by the Q Awards. He dedicated his award to his recently departed bandmate Richard Wright.[2]

On 11 November 2009, Gilmour received an honorary doctorate from the Anglia Ruskin University.[39]

Musical equipment

Main article: Musical equipment of David Gilmour

Discography

Pink Floyd

For the full discography, see Pink Floyd discography.

Solo

Main article: David Gilmour discography

References

  1. ^ "David Gilmour Official Biography". Retrieved 2 December 2007.
  2. ^ a b "Q Awards 2008 Outstanding Contribution". .qawards.co.uk. Retrieved 20 July 2011.
  3. ^ Mike Watkinson, Pete Anderson, Crazy diamond: Syd Barrett & the dawn of Pink Floyd, pg. 18, Omnibus Press (2001) ISBN 0711988358
  4. ^ "PINK FLOYD - David Gilmour Photos, Biography, Apparel". Megapinkfloyd.com. Retrieved 9 August 2010.
  5. ^ pp221-222 of A Saucerful Of Secrets: The Pink Floyd Odyssey.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Miles, Barry (1994). Pink Floyd the visual documentary ([Updated ed.] ed.). London :: Omnibus,. ISBN 0711941092. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link)
  7. ^ Blake 2008, pp. 302–309
  8. ^ Blake 2008, pp. 311–313
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y Mabbett, Andy (2010). Pink Floyd - The Music and the Mystery. London: Omnibus,. ISBN 9781849383707.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  10. ^ a b "Pink Floyd gives back". Retrieved 2 December 2007.
  11. ^ "Pink Floyd offered millions to tour". Retrieved 2 December 2007.
  12. ^ "Il requiem di David Gilmour "I Pink Floyd? Sono finiti"". Repubblica.it. 3 February 2006. Retrieved 20 July 2011.
  13. ^ No More Pink Floyd Ever[dead link]
  14. ^ "Arnold Layne chart position". Retrieved 4 December 2007.
  15. ^ (AFP) – Sep 16, 2008  (16 September 2008). "afp.google.com, Pink Floyd's Gilmour mourns bandmate Wright". Afp.google.com. Retrieved 20 July 2011.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  16. ^ "Roger Waters' New 'Wall' Tour". The San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 9 May 2010.
  17. ^ "David Gilmour - DVD Draw" - The Phil Taylor Interview
  18. ^ "100 Greatest guitarist of all time". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 30 November 2007. Retrieved 4 December 2007.
  19. ^ "David Gilmour Biography". Archived from the original on 3 December 2007. Retrieved 4 December 2007.
  20. ^ "On an Island music charts". Retrieved 4 December 2007.
  21. ^ "Billboard 200". Archived from the original on 6 January 2008. Retrieved 4 December 2007.
  22. ^ "David Gilmour (Pink Floyd) remembers that night on a 2DVD set". Side-line.com. 27 August 2007. Retrieved 20 July 2011.
  23. ^ "Pink Floyd news resource". Brain Damage. 27 May 2009. Retrieved 20 July 2011.
  24. ^ "Chicago". Retrieved 4 August 2009.
  25. ^ "McKinnon Campaign". Retrieved 4 August 2009.
  26. ^ By Daniel Kreps (12 July 2010). "Pink Floyd's Gilmour and Waters Stun Crowd With Surprise Reunion | Rolling Stone Music". Rollingstone.com. Retrieved 20 July 2011.
  27. ^ "The Orb on Gilmour's website". Davidgilmour.com. Retrieved 20 July 2011.
  28. ^ "100 Greatest Guitar Solos: 51-100". Guitar World. Retrieved 9 August 2010.
  29. ^ "FAQs | Ask Phil | Official Site". David Gilmour. Retrieved 19 January 2009. [dead link]
  30. ^ "Gilmour: Guitars & Gear". Sparebricks.fika.org. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
  31. ^ David Gilmour's Guitar Solo is Number 1 (Musicjot)/
  32. ^ "Rock Compact Disc magazine, Issue 3, September 1992". Retrieved 21 July 2011.
  33. ^ "David Gilmour". David Gilmour. Retrieved 19 January 2009. [dead link]
  34. ^ Gilmour, Ginger. "Ginger Art". Retrieved 15 July 2011.
  35. ^ "Sara Gilmour". Neptune Pink Floyd. Retrieved 15 July 2011.
  36. ^ "Daily Telegraph Article: "We Don't Need No Steiner Education"". Waldorfcritics.org. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
  37. ^ "Intrepid Aviation". Archived from the original on 21 October 2007. Retrieved 5 December 2007.
  38. ^ 2008 Ivor Novello Award Winners
  39. ^ "Cambridge City News, Cambridge Local News Stories & Latest Headlines About Cambridge | ARU honours Floyd's Gilmour with degree". Cambridge-news.co.uk. Retrieved 9 August 2010.

Bibliography

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