- Born: January 06, 1946 in Cambridge, England
- Member of: Pink Floyd
- Genre: Rock & Alternative
- Influenced by: The Beatles
- Followed By: Welcome, Circus Devils, Guy Blackman, Mystery Jets, Gwendolyn, The Lears, Jasmine Love Bomb, Placebo Royale, Jason Edge, The Coral, Thom Yorke, The Mars Volta, The Mountain Goats, Carnival Art, Marc Teamaker, The Brotherhood of Lizards, Pere Ubu, Radio, Kelley Stoltz, Jamnes Welshons, Super Furry Animals, Baby Lemonade, Concord Ballet Orchestra Players, Gigolo Aunts, Arnold, The Teardrop Explodes, Father Murphy, The Church, The Green Pajamas, The Soft Boys, David Bowie, The Fall, Television Personalities, Virgineers, Danielson Famile, The Squires of the Subterrain, RPWL, Ex Reverie, Jennifer Gentle, Mansun, The House of Love, Family Fodder, Donny Hue, Anton Barbeau, The Birdwatcher, Avey Tare and Panda Bear, Jeff Kelly, The Dukes of Stratosphear, Vic Conrad, The Family Cat, Obscured by Clouds, Camper Van Beethoven, Shannon Hoon, Robyn Hitchcock, Eugene Chadbourne, Martin Newell, Citizens, Drowsy, Babylonian Tiles, Faine Jade, Plastics Hi-Fi, Can, Chris Cornell, Daníel Ágúst, Bobb Trimble, Marty Willson-Piper, Gods and Monsters, Julian Cope, The Flaming Lips, Blur, Cleaners from Venus, The Dials, Satin Peaches, Mercury Rev, Trevor Childs, Nick Castro, Guided by Voices, Edward Ka-Spel, The Bevis Frond, Three 4 Tens, Richard Youngs
- Similar Artists: Nick Garrie-Hamilton, Nick Drake, The Bonzo Dog Band, David Bowie, John Cale, Arthur Brown, Donovan, Roky Erickson, King Crimson, Love, Moby Grape, Pere Ubu, Soft Machine, Skip Spence, Kevin Ayers, The Deviants, Scott Walker, Guided by Voices, Brian Eno, Jimi Hendrix, Mirrors, Meic Stevens
Like a supernova, Roger "Syd" Barrett burned briefly and brightly, leaving an indelible mark upon psychedelic and progressive rock as the founder and original singer, songwriter, and lead guitarist of Pink Floyd. Barrett was responsible for most of their brilliant first album, 1967's The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, but left and/or was fired from the band in early 1968 after his erratic behavior had made him too difficult to deal with (he appears on a couple tracks on their second album, A Saucerful of Secrets). Such was his stature within the original lineup that few observers thought the band could survive his departure; in fact, the original group's management decided to keep Syd on and leave the rest of the band to their own devices. Pink Floyd never recaptured the playful humor and mad energy of their work with Barrett.
After a period of hibernation, Barrett re-emerged in 1970 with a pair of albums, The Madcap Laughs and Barrett, which featured considerable support from his former bandmates (especially his replacement, David Gilmour, who produced most of the sessions). Members of Soft Machine also play on these records, which have a ragged, unfinished, and folky feel. Barrett's eccentric humor, sly wordplay, and infectious melodies range from brilliant to chaotic on his solo work. Lacking the taut power of his recordings with the Floyd in 1967, they nevertheless remain fascinating and moving glimpses into a creative psyche gone awry after (it is theorized) too much fame and too many drugs too early. With increasing psychological problems, Barrett withdrew into near-total seclusion after these albums and never released any more material.
Although they attracted little attention upon their release, his albums also attracted a cult audience. Barrett's music and mystique achieved a lasting influence that continues to grow over two decades later. Latter-day new-wave psychedelic acts like Julian Cope, the Television Personalities, and (especially) Robyn Hitchcock acknowledge Barrett's tremendous influence on their work. The Barrett cult became large enough to warrant the release of an entire album of previously unreleased material and outtakes, Opel, in the late '80s, as well as his sessions for the BBC. As for the man himself, after 1973 he remained hidden away at his mother's home in Cambridge, turning away both curious fans and any offers to play music (though he did show up at sessions for Pink Floyd's 1975 album Wish You Were Here, and once the band recognized him, they declined his offer to participate). The occasional photo of Barrett surfaced over the years, revealing him to be a perfectly normal, if grumpy, looking fellow. After battling diabetes for several years, Barrett died peacefully in July 2006 at the age of 60. ~ Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide