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David Jon Gilmour, CBE (born March 6, 1946 in
Cambridge, England) is a guitarist, singer and songwriter best known as a member
of the band Pink Floyd. In addition to his work with Pink Floyd, Gilmour has
also worked as a record producer for a variety of artists. Gilmour has been very
active in many charity organizations over the course of his career and in 2003
he was appointed CBE for this work.
****
Born March 6, 1946
in Cambridge, England
Genre(s) Progressive rock
Affiliation(s) Pink Floyd
Label(s) Capitol Records
Columbia Records
Sony Records
EMI
Notable guitars Fender Stratocaster #0001
Years active 1963 - present
****
Early
life
Gilmour was born and grew up in the affluent
Grantchester Meadows area of Cambridge. His father, Douglas Gilmour, was a
senior lecturer in zoology at Cambridge University and his mother, Sylvia, was a
teacher.
Gilmour attended The Perse School on Hills Road,
Cambridge, and met future Pink Floyd bandmate Syd Barrett who attended Hills
Road College, also situated on Hills Road. He took modern languages A-Levels,
and along with Syd, he spent his lunchtimes learning to play the guitar. They
were not bandmates however, and Gilmour started playing in the band Joker's Wild
in 1963. Gilmour left Joker's Wild in 1966 and busked around Spain and France
with some friends. They were't particularly successful, living a hand-to-mouth
existence. Indeed, Gilmour ended up in hospital being treated for
malnutrition.[citation needed] In 1967, they returned to England, driving a van
with fuel stolen from a building site in France.
Pink
Floyd
Gilmour was asked to join Pink Floyd late 1967
making Pink Floyd briefly a five piece. He was used to fill in for Barrett's
guitar parts when the front man was unable to take a consistent part in Floyd's
live performances. When Syd Barrett "left" the group (when the band chose not to
pick him up one night for a gig due to his increasingly erratic behaviour on
stage), Gilmour by default assumed the role of the band's lead guitarist and
shared lead vocal duties with Roger Waters and Richard Wright in Barrett's
stead. Gilmour's guitar playing and song writing became major factors of Pink
Floyd's world-wide success during the 1970s.[citation needed] However, after the
back-to-back successes of first Dark Side of the Moon and then Wish You Were
Here, Waters took more and more control over the band, writing most 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.
In 1985, Waters declared that "as far as he was
concerned Pink Floyd was over". However, in 1986, Gilmour and drummer Nick Mason
issued a press release saying that Waters had quit the band and they intended to
continue on without Waters. Gilmour assumed full control of the group and
created A Momentary Lapse of Reason in 1987 with some contributions from Mason.
Wright rejoined the band for a lengthy world tour and helped create 1994's The
Division Bell as well. 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. The majority of the two most recent Pink Floyd albums and
Gilmour's 2006 solo release, On An Island, were recorded there.
On July 2, 2005, Gilmour played with Pink Floyd —
including Roger Waters — at Live 8. The performance caused a temporary 1,343%
sales increase of Pink Floyd's album Echoes: The Best of Pink Floyd.[citation
needed] As a result, Gilmour vowed to donate 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.
Shortly after, he also called upon all artists
experiencing a surge in sales from Live 8 performances to donate the extra
revenue to Live 8 fundraising.
On February 3, 2006, he announced in an interview
with the Italian newspaper La Repubblica [1][2] 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.
On February 20, 2006, Gilmour changed his stance on
Pink Floyd's future when 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." The tone of that statement seems to imply that either he has not
ruled out any more one-off gigs or a farewell concert. Also 2007 will mark the
40th anniversary of Pink Floyd as a professional recording and touring band and
reports are out that some big occasion will go down to celebrate Pink Floyd's
40th anniversary.[citation needed]
Other
projects
During Pink Floyd's quiet spells, he has amused
himself as a producer and even concert sound engineer, for a wide variety of
acts including former bandmate Syd Barrett, Kate Bush, Grace Jones, Tom Jones,
Elton John, B.B. King, Paul McCartney, John Lennon, Sam Brown, Jools Holland,
Bob Dylan, Pete Townshend, The Who, Supertramp, Levon Helm, Robbie Robertson,
Alan Parsons, various charity "supergroups" and many more.
He also recorded two solo albums which both hit the
U.S. Top 40 and went Gold, his 1978 self-titled debut and 1984's About Face.
In 2001 and 2002, he held a small number of
acoustic solo concerts in London and Paris, along with a small band and choir,
which has been documented on the In Concert release.
His third solo album, On An Island, was released on
March 6, 2006, his 60th birthday and one day later in the U.S. Produced by
Gilmour with Phil Manzanera and Chris Thomas, the album features orchestrations
by renowned Polish composer Zbigniew Preisner. The album features David Crosby
and Graham Nash on harmonies, Robert Wyatt on cornet and percussion and Richard
Wright on Hammond organ and vocals. Other contributors include Jools Holland,
Phil Manzanera, Georgie Fame, Robert Wyatt, Andy Newmark, B. J. Cole, Chris
Stainton, Willie Wilson, Rado ‘Bob’ Klose on guitar and Leszek Możdżer on piano.
The album also features Gilmour's debut on saxophone.
David Gilmour toured Europe, the U.S. and Canada
from March 10 to May 31 for On An Island. There were 10 shows total in the U.S.
and Canadian leg of the tour. Pink Floyd alumnus Richard Wright, and frequent
Floyd collaborators Dick Parry, Guy Pratt and Jon Carin have accompanied him on
the tour. There were some further shows in July and August of 2006 in Europe.
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 confirmed Gilmour's popularity by
entering the UK charts at #1. The album was also certified platinum in Canada on
April 10, 2006, with sales of over 100,000 copies. The album also gave Gilmour
his first U.S. Top 10 album as a solo artist.
Musical style
Gilmour is renowned for a very precise solo style,
rooted in blues and often using extreme note bends and sustain. His solos are
noted for being well-composed, economical, lyrical and emotional. In interviews,
Gilmour has explained that what he sees as his lack of technique led him to
concentrate on melody over speed and 'virtuosity', and this is borne out by the
enduring appeal of his solos. To this end, he has also been an experimenter and
innovator in the use of amplifiers and guitar effects.
Whilst chiefly associated with the Fender
Stratocaster, Gilmour's sound is more the result of choice of notes and playing
style than specific equipment. Indeed one of his most famous solos ("Another
Brick in the Wall Part II") was played on a Gibson Les Paul.
Although mainly known for his guitar work, Gilmour
also plays bass guitar (which he did on numerous Floyd tracks, including "One of
These Days" (additional), "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" (Additional), "Pigs
(Three Different Ones)", "Sheep" and "Hey You"), drums, keyboards, and lately,
the saxophone. [3] In fact, on the compilation album A Collection of Great Dance
Songs, Gilmour had to re-record the song "Money" due to licensing problems, and
played all instruments himself (except for saxophone and drums)[4].
In 1996, Gilmour was inducted into the Rock and
Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Pink Floyd.
In August 2006, Gilmour's solo on "Comfortably
Numb" was voted the greatest guitar solo of all time. [[5]] in a poll by viewers
of TV music channel Planet Rock.
Family
life
Gilmour has four children from his first marriage,
to Ginger; Alice (b.1976), Clare (b.1980), Sara (b.1982) and Matthew (b.1985).
They originally attended a Waldorf School, but Gilmour called their education
there "horrific". [6] He has four children from his second marriage (to Polly
Samson) - one adopted (Samson's son with Heathcote Williams, Charlie) and three
biological, Joe, Gabriel and Romany.
Philanthropy
In May 2003, Gilmour sold his London house in
Little Venice to Earl Spencer (brother of Lady Diana) and contributed the £3.6
million ($5.9 million) he made to a housing project for the homeless and
mentally ill. Charities to whom Gilmour has lent support include the European
Union Mental Health and Illness Association, Greenpeace, Amnesty International,
The Lung Foundation, Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy, Crisis and — at the behest
of his friend Paul McCartney — PETA.
In November 2003, he was made a CBE, for
philanthropy and for services to music.
Other
interests
Gilmour is also an experienced pilot. Under the
guise of his company, Intrepid Aviation, he had amassed an impressive collection
of historical aircraft. He decided to sell Intrepid, for the following reason
(taken from a BBC radio interview in 2002):
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...
Name
preference
Though generally polite, friendly and easygoing,
David Gilmour is annoyed when reporters address him as "Dave". He claims never
to have used that nickname, preferring his given name, David. However, the three
other members of Pink Floyd have often referred to him as "Dave" when giving
their own interviews.
Main
musical equipment
The following is a list of equipment David either
has used on his solo or Pink Floyd recordings, as well as on current or previous
tours.
Guitars
Fender
Stratocaster; his main guitar, much modified over
the years, is a (1970) black Stratocaster with black pickguard and white pickup
covers, currently with a 1957 vintage re-issue maple neck
His main guitar for the PULSE tour was a Red '57
reissue with a set of EMG active pickups, but is seldom seen or heard on recent
tours and recordings. It does not appear on "On An Island".
Gilmour is the owner of many Stratocasters
including Strat #0001. However, this is not the first Stratocaster ever made.
Telecaster
Esquire
Gibson
A Gibson Les Paul Goldtop
Gretsch Duo-Jet
Gibson, Ovation and Martin Acoustics
Taylor Guitars Acoustics
Jedsen (tuned D-G-D-G-B-E) and Fender Lap Steel
Guitars
Amplifiers
Hiwatt (main) DR 103 heads into WEM 4x12 cabinets
loaded with Fane Crescendo speakers
Fender ‘56 Tweed Twin amp
Mesa Boogie (used on the Another Brick in the Wall
Part II solo)
Alembic F2-B bass preamp
Custom-built 'Doppola' rotating speakers
Effect pedals
Electro-Harmonix Big Muff
Electro-Harmonix Electric Mistress
MXR Dyna-Comp (pre-Dunlop 'Script' logo)
Demeter Compulator
Chandler Tube Driver
Boss CS-2 Compression Sustainer
Boss EQ Pedal
Boss MZ-2 Digital Metalizer
Rat Distortion
Arbiter Fuzz Face
MXR Phase 90 (pre-Dunlop 'Script' logo)
Uni-Vox Univibe
Dunlop Cry Baby Wah-wah pedal (reversed for
'Echoes')
Binson Echorec
Electro-Harmonix Small Stone
Digitech IPS 33B (Used for Whammy effects)
Ibanez Tube Screamer
Ernie Ball Volume Pedal
Pete Cornish all tube Pedal Boards and Custom
effects
Miscellaneous
GHS Boomer strings in a custom set
10-12-16-28-38-48
Herco Flex 75 plectrums (picks)
Cross-stitched leather guitar strap used by Jimi
Hendrix and bought for David by Polly Samson as a 60th birthday present
Evidence Audio Cables
Solo
discography
For his work with Pink Floyd, see Pink Floyd
discography between 1969 and 1994
Albums
David Gilmour (1978) UK #17; U.S. #29
About Face (1984) UK #21; U.S. #32
On an Island (2006) UK #1, U.S. #6
Hit
singles
2006 "On An Island" UK #72
2006 "Smile" UK #72
Filmography
David Gilmour Live (1984)
David Gilmour in Concert (2002)
David Gilmour live at the Albert Hall (upcoming)
(2007)
Collaborations and work for other artists
Kate Bush, single "Wuthering Heights", found on the
album The Kick Inside, 1979
Wings, "Rockestra Theme" and "So Glad to See You
Here", album Back to the Egg, 1979
Paul McCartney, "No More Lonely Nights (Ballad)",
album Give My Regards to Broad Street, 1984
Supertramp, "Brother Where You Bound", album
Brother Where You Bound, 1985
Bryan Ferry, "Is Your Love Strong Enough?", album
Legend by Tangerine Dream, 1985
Bryan Ferry, album Boys and Girls, 1985
Mason + Fenn, "Lie for a Lie" (vocal), album
Profiles, 1985
Arcadia, album So Red the Rose, 1985
The Dream Academy, production work/guitar on album
The Dream Academy, 1985
Kate Bush, "Love and Anger" and "Rocket's Tail",
album The Sensual World, 1989
Paul McCartney, "We Got Married", album Flowers in
the Dirt, 1989
Rock Aid Armenia, "Smoke On The Water", album The
Earthquake Album, 1989
The Who, Quadrophenia (1996 Hyde Park concert)
Pete Townshend, song "Give Blood"
Paul McCartney, album Run Devil Run, 1999
Alan Parsons, "Return to Tunguska", album A Valid
Path, 2004
****
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