Syd Barrett, real name Roger Keith Barrett, was a well-known English singer, guitarist, and artist. He was the main vocalist, guitarist, and songwriter for the renowned band Pink Floyd, of which he is best known as a founding member. The band’s name is also attributed to him. The majority of the tracks on the band’s self-titled debut album were written by him. In reality, in London in the late 1960s, his LSD-inspired lyrics became extremely popular. Due to his drug-induced erratic conduct, he was fired from Pink Floyd in 1968. Barrett put out two intriguing and significant albums, “The Madcap Laughs” and “Barrett,” during his brief solo tenure. They were not, however, financially prosperous. After that, he started the short-lived ensemble Stars. He was involved in the music industry for less than ten years despite having a lot of potentials. He ultimately developed mental illness and diabetes, and he now lives alone in Cambridge. His mental illness was a recurring subject in Pink Floyd’s later albums and songs, including “The Dark Side of the Moon” and “Shine On, You Crazy Diamond,” after he left the group. At the age of 60, Barrett passed away from pancreatic cancer on July 7, 2006.
Early Youth & Life
Syd Barrett was born on January 6, 1946, to Winifred Barrett and physician Arthur Max Barrett in Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England. At the time of his father’s cancer death in December 1961, Barrett was almost 16.
He used to perform the piano, ukulele, banjo, and guitar when he was younger. He also enjoyed writing poems and drawing, and his high school poetry was recognized with awards.
He started out going to Morley Memorial Secondary School. He enrolled in the Cambridge Technological College in 1962 after beginning his studies at the Cambridgeshire High School for Boys in 1957. Geoff Mott and The Mottoes was the name of the short-lived ensemble he started.
He began singing the Beatles’ tunes at gatherings and outings at that time after becoming inspired by them. At that time, he also began writing songs. He enlisted in Camberwell College of Arts in London as a young man to pursue a painting degree.
Syd Barrett’s Career
Syd Barrett reunited with his Cambridge high school friend Roger Waters in London. The Sigma 6 was the name of the band that Waters, Richard Wright, and Nick Mason had founded. Barrett joined the group after one of the original members departed, and the group underwent a number of name changes before being given the name Pink Floyd in 1965 by Barrett in honor of Floyd Council and Pink Anderson, two American blues musicians.
The ensemble recorded three Barrett songs—”Double O Bo,” “Butterfly,” and “Lucy Leave”—in 1965 along with Beatles tributes. In 1965, Barrett also experienced his first acid excursion, which signaled the start of his professional decline.
Pink Floyd’s debut album, “The Piper at the Gates of Dawn,” was published in 1967. The majority of the songs on the album and those subsequently found on Barrett’s solo albums were written by him. The record was hailed as one of the year’s finest rock albums.
Due to his substance use, Barrett began acting erratically by the middle of 1967. He wasn’t a productive part of the band and didn’t write any songs for their upcoming albums. Although he did compose some songs, none of the band’s albums included any of them.
Barrett didn’t show up for the band’s 1967 tour, so Pink Floyd was forced to find a replacement. As Barrett’s behavior grew more erratic, they recruited David Gilmour as the second guitarist. Barrett was fired by Pink Floyd on April 6, 1968.
Barrett spent a year out of the spotlight after departing Pink Floyd. The two solo albums he issued in 1970, “The Madcap Laughs” and “Barrett,” both failed to find a market. Five separate producers worked on “The Madcap Laughs” over the course of a year as it was being recorded. Barrett, Syd Barrett’s final record, was produced with assistance from keyboardist Richard Wright and guitarist David Gilmour of Pink Floyd.
In 1972, Barrett created the Stars, a short-lived band with Twink on drums and Jack Monck on bass. Barrett’s unreleased music from 1968 to 1970 was included on the album “Opel,” which was subsequently released by EMI Records with his permission in 1988.
He had quit the music business by 1990 and had completely faded from public view until his passing many years later. The Best of Syd Barrett: Wouldn’t You Miss Me? was an album that EMI Records published in the UK and the US in 2001. The first-ever single from the record, “Bob Dylan Blues,” was included on it.
An introduction to Syd Barrett, an album featuring some of his songs, was released in 2010 by Harvest/EMI and Capitol Records. Numerous artists have drawn inspiration from Barrett’s music and performance methods. Barrett has received acclaim from the music industry for being an inventive guitarist who used original techniques and consistently experimented with various musical and sonic effects.
Syd’s Bigger Productions
Syd Barrett’s finest work can be found on the album “The Piper at the Gates of Dawn.” The record was available in both the US and the UK. See Emily Play, Astronomy Domine, and Interstellar Overdrive were three songs that did well. On Rolling Stone magazine’s ranking of the 500 greatest albums of all time, the album was ranked 347th in 2012.
Syd’s Individual Existence
Libby Gausden, Lindsay Korner, Jenny Spires, and Iggy the Eskimo were just a few of the women Syd Barrett had intimate relationships with, but he never wed or had kids. Gayla Pinion and he were once betrothed, but their marriage never materialized.
He left the music industry in 1978 and lived the remainder of his life in anonymity. In Cambridge, he moved in with his mother. He began painting and gardening. He only communicated with his sister Rosemary in his later years.
He was never given a formal diagnosis for any mental condition, despite the fact that it is thought he had a mental illness.
He battled diabetes for a number of years. He began using psychedelic drugs in the 1960s, particularly LSD. He had insanity as well. The pancreatic disease claimed his life on July 7, 2006. He was 60. After his passing, a French couple purchased his home in Cambridge’s St. Margaret’s Square.
His artwork, scrapbooks, and other items were auctioned off in Cambridge, raising £120,000 for charity. Barrett reportedly left his two siblings and two sisters for £1.7 million, which he received from royalties and recordings.
Estimated Net Worth
English singer and artist Syd Barrett had a $5 million fortune. Syd Barrett, who was born Roger Keith Barrett in 1946 in Cambridge, England, is best known for being the band’s lead singer and founding member. Barrett entered at the Camberwell College of Arts in 1964 to pursue a painting degree.