Syd Barrett ✝

Roger Keith "Syd" Barrett (6 January 1946 – 7 July 2006) was an English singer, songwriter, and musician. As a founder member of the band Pink Floyd, Barrett was the lead singer, guitarist and principal songwriter in its early years and is credited with naming the band. He was ousted from Pink Floyd in April 1968 after David Gilmour took over as their new guitarist, and briefly hospitalised amid speculation of mental illness and his excessive use of psychedelic drugs.\n', ' Barrett was musically active for less than ten years. With Pink Floyd, he recorded four singles, their debut album (1967\'s The Piper at the Gates of Dawn), portions of their second album (1968\'s A Saucerful of Secrets), and several unreleased songs. Barrett began his solo career in 1969 with the single "Octopus" from his first solo album, The Madcap Laughs (1970). The album was recorded over the course of a year with five different producers and included two tracks featuring members of Soft Machine. He recorded and released one more album, Barrett (1970), produced by Gilmour and featuring contributions from former Pink Floyd bandmate Richard Wright. Two years later, Barrett left the music industry, retired from public life and strictly guarded his privacy until his death in 2006. In 1988, EMI released an album of unreleased tracks and outtakes, Opel, with Barrett\'s approval.\n', ' Barrett\'s innovative guitar work and exploration of experimental techniques such as dissonance, distortion and feedback influenced many musicians. His vocals are noted for their strong English accent. After leaving the music industry, Barrett continued painting and dedicated himself to gardening. Pink Floyd recorded several tributes to him, most notably the 1975 album Wish You Were Here, which includes the homage "Shine On You Crazy Diamond".\n', '