David Gilmour, who was born in Cambridge, England on March 6, 1946, celebrates his birthday today. He is undoubtedly best known as the lead guitarist of Pink Floyd following his recruitment to join the legendary British progressive rock group in 1968 while co-founding member Syd Barrett was transitioning away from the band.
He soon became a primary songwriter alongside Pink Floyd bassist Roger Waters, crafting classic 1970s albums such as The Dark Side Of The Moon and Wish You Were Here. Years of conflict between Gilmour and Waters ultimately led to the breakup of Pink Floyd. Gilmour has pursued several subsequent endeavors as a solo artist, often collaborating with the highest echelon of talented musicians.
For Gilmour’s birthday today, here’s a look back at five non-Pink Floyd collaborations from recent years. First is a performance of the Syd Barrett original “Arnold Layne” which served as the 1967 debut Pink Floyd single. Gilmour is joined at London’s famed Royal Albert Hall in May 2006 by David Bowie in the below clip that also features late Pink Floyd keyboardist Richard Wright:
Folk legends David Crosby and Graham Nash were enlisted as guest vocalists on Gilmour’s 2006 solo album On An Island. Once again taken from the May 2006 shows with Wright at Royal Albert Hall, view a performance of “On An Island” here:
Gilmour was the guest of The Beatles co-founder Paul McCartney during a 1999 performance at The Cavern Club in Paul’s hometown of Liverpool, England. The footage below showcases a lineup that included Ian Paice – who that year also recorded Paul’s album Run, Run, Run – playing The Beatles hit “I Saw Her Standing There.”
Fellow legendary British rockers The Who brought their Quadrophenia Tour of 1996 and 1997 to London’s Hyde Park in June 1996. Gilmour joined Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend at the all-star charity Masters of Music Concert For the Prince’s Trust on the Quadrophenia tracks “Love, Reign O’er Me” and “Dirty Jobs.” Watch the latter performance below:
Gilmour demonstrates his blues chops in this clip from the 1997 BBC program Jools Holland’s 5th New Year’s Eve Hootenanny. Gilmour joined an all-star Rhythm & Blues Orchestra in backing renowned blues guitarist B.B. King. Here’s Gilmour riding with the King on “Pauly’s Birthday Boogie”:
[Originally published March 6, 2018.]
