Look up fender in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Fender may refer to:

• Fender (vehicle), the American English term for a portion of a vehicle that encloses or covers the wheels, called a wing in British English
• Fender (boating), a bumper, usually air or foam filled, used to keep boats from banging into docks or each other
• A low metal framework in front of a fireplace, intended to catch hot coals, soot, and ash.
• Fender Musical Instruments Corporation, a brand of stringed musical instruments, famous for its electric guitars such as the Stratocaster and the Telecaster and its large selection of basses
• Fender Rhodes piano, a brand of electric piano, named this between 1959 and 1974 after a buyout by Fender Musical Instruments Corporation
• A stack of slabs/disc of high quality rubber with plastic facing (usually UHMWPE), which is used to absorb the impact of the gravity take up mass in a belt conveyor system.
• Fender, a fictional character from the movie Robots
• A part of a Western saddle

Fender as a surname may refer to:

• Andrew Fender, British local politician
• Brian Fender, British academic administrator
• Chuck Fender (born 1972), American music artist
• Freddy Fender (1937–2006), Mexican-American musician
• Leo Fender (1909–1991), American guitar maker, founder of the eponymous company
• Norman Fender (1910-1983), Welsh dual-code rugby international player
• Percy Fender (1892–1985), English cricketer

This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

This article is about Johnny Marr, guitarist of The Smiths, The Cribs, and Modest Mouse, whose birth name was John Maher. For the former Buzzcocks drummer, see John Maher (Buzzcocks drummer).

Johnny Marr
Johnny Marr in 2010.
Background information
Birth name	John Martin Maher
Born	(1963-10-31) 31 October 1963 (age 48) Ardwick, Manchester, England
Genres	Alternative rock, indie pop, indie rock
Occupations	Musician, songwriter, guitarist
Instruments	Guitar, vocals, keyboards, piano, harmonica, mandolin, harmonium, Saxophone
Years active	1982–present
Labels	Various
Associated acts	The Smiths, Electronic, Johnny Marr and the Healers, Modest Mouse, The The, The Cribs, Pet Shop Boys, Oasis, John Frusciante, Talking Heads, Billy Bragg, Pretenders, Happy Mondays
Notable instruments
Rickenbacker 330 Fender Jazzmaster Gibson SG Fender Jaguar Fender Telecaster Gibson ES-355

Johnny Marr (born John Martin Maher; 31 October 1963) is an English musician and songwriter. Marr rose to fame in the 1980s as the guitarist in The Smiths, with whom he formed a prolific songwriting partnership with Morrissey. Marr has been a member of Electronic, The The, and Modest Mouse. In 2008, he joined The Cribs after touring with them on 2008's NME Awards Tour, a group in which he would remain until 2011.

Marr's jangly Rickenbacker guitar-playing in The Smiths proved to be popular among other musicians and has influenced many guitarists that followed particularly in the Britpop era.

Marr was voted the fourth best guitarist of the last 30 years in a poll conducted by the BBC in 2010.^[1]

Childhood and personal life[link]

Marr was born in Ardwick, Manchester, the son of Irish immigrants.^[2] His parents came from Athy in County Kildare. In 1975^[3] he attended the Roman Catholic St Augustine's Grammar School, which in 1977^[4] merged with other schools to form a comprehensive school, St John Plessington High School. Marr had aspirations to be a professional football player, and was approached by Nottingham Forest and had trials with Manchester City (which he supports). In an interview with FourFourTwo magazine, Marr said "I was good enough for City, but they didn't follow up because I was probably the only player out there wearing eyeliner."^{[citation needed]} He currently resides in Manchester with his wife Angie and their children, daughter Sonny and son Nile. Johnny is an honorary board member of Rock For Kids. He is also teetotal and vegan, and runs regularly.

The Smiths[link]

The Smiths were formed in early 1982 by Marr and fellow Manchester resident Steven Patrick Morrissey (he had not yet abandoned his first and middle name), an unemployed writer. Marr's jangly Rickenbacker and Fender Telecaster guitar playing became synonymous with the Smiths' sound. Marr's friend Andy Rourke joined as bass player and Mike Joyce was recruited as drummer. Signing to indie label Rough Trade Records, they released their first single, "Hand in Glove", on 13 May 1983.

By February 1984, The Smiths fanbase was sufficiently large to launch the band's long-awaited eponymous debut album to number two in the UK chart. Early in 1985 the band released their second album, Meat Is Murder. This was more strident and political than its predecessor, and it was the band's only album (barring compilations) to reach number one in the UK charts. During 1985 the band completed lengthy tours of the UK and the US while recording the next studio record, The Queen Is Dead. In 1989 Spin magazine rated The Queen Is Dead as number one of "The Greatest Albums Ever Made". Spin was not alone in this designation—numerous periodicals rank The Smiths and their albums, especially 'The Queen Is Dead', high on their best ever lists. NME, for example, has dubbed the Smiths the most important rock band of all time.^{[citation needed]}

However, all was not well within the group. A legal dispute with Rough Trade had delayed the album by almost seven months (it had been completed in November 1985), and Marr was beginning to feel the stress of the band's exhausting touring and recording schedule. He later told NME, "'Worse for wear' wasn't the half of it: I was extremely ill. By the time the tour actually finished it was all getting a little bit... dangerous. I was just drinking more than I could handle."^[5] Meanwhile, Rourke was fired from the band in early 1986 due to his use of heroin (though he was reinstated in short order). In early 1987 the single "Shoplifters of the World Unite" was released to chart success, as well as mild controversy and concern from parents.^{[citation needed]}

Despite their continued success, personal differences within the band – including the increasingly strained relationship between Morrissey and Marr—saw them on the verge of splitting. In August 1987, Marr left the group, and auditions to find a replacement for him proved fruitless. By the time Strangeways, Here We Come (named after Strangeways Prison, Manchester) was released in September, the band had split up. The breakdown in the relationship has been primarily attributed to Morrissey's becoming annoyed by Marr's work with other artists and Marr's growing frustration with Morrissey's musical inflexibility.

Referring to the songs recorded in the band's last session together (B-sides for the "Girlfriend in a Coma" single, which preceded the album's release), Marr said "I wrote 'I Keep Mine Hidden', but 'Work Is a Four-Letter Word' I hated. That was the last straw, really. I didn't form a group to perform Cilla Black songs."^[6] In 1989, in an interview with young fan Tim Samuels (who later became a BBC journalist) Morrissey said that the lack of a managerial figure and business problems were to blame for the band's eventual split.^[7]

In 1996, Smiths' drummer Mike Joyce took Morrissey and Marr to court, claiming that he had not received his fair share of recording and performance royalties. Morrissey and Marr had claimed the lion's share of The Smiths' recording and performance royalties and allowed ten percent each to Joyce and Rourke. Composition royalties were not an issue, as Rourke and Joyce had never been credited as composers for the band. Morrissey and Marr claimed that the other two members of the band had always agreed to that split of the royalties, but the court found in favour of Joyce and ordered that he be paid over £1 million in back pay and receive 25% thenceforth. As Smiths' royalties had been frozen for two years, Rourke settled for a smaller lump sum to pay off his debts and continued to receive 10%. Morrissey was described by the judge as "devious, truculent and unreliable".^[8]

Both Marr and Morrissey have repeatedly said in interviews that they will not reunite the band. In 2005, VH1 attempted to get the band back together on its Bands Reunited show but abandoned its attempt after the show's host, Aamer Haleem, failed to corner Morrissey before a show. In December 2005 it was announced that Johnny Marr and the Healers would play at Manchester v Cancer, a benefit show for cancer research being organised by Andy Rourke and his production company, Great Northern Productions.^[9] Rumours suggested that a Smiths reunion would occur at this concert but were dispelled by Johnny Marr on his website.^[10] What did eventuate was Rourke joining Marr onstage for the first time since the Smiths broke up, performing "How Soon Is Now?".

In an October 2007 interview on BBC Radio Five Live, Marr hinted at a potential reformation in the future, saying that "stranger things have happened so, you know, who knows?" Marr went on to say that "It's no biggy. Maybe we will in 18 or 32 years' time when we all need to for whatever reasons, but right now Morrissey is doing his thing and I'm doing mine, so that's the answer really." This was the first indication of a possible Smiths reunion from Marr, who previously had said that reforming the band would be a bad idea.^[11]

Marr's guitar playing "was a huge building block" for more Manchester bands that followed The Smiths. The Stone Roses guitarist John Squire has stated that Marr was a major influence.^[12] Oasis lead guitarist Noel Gallagher has called The Smiths an influence, especially Marr whom he described as a "fucking wizard", also stating that "he's unique, you can't play what he plays."^[13] He also stated that "when The Jam split, The Smiths started, and I totally went for them."^[12] Radiohead guitarist Ed O'Brien has acknowledged that he idolised The Smiths in the 1980s; the band pays homage to The Smiths in their song "Knives Out". After O'Brien played with Johnny Marr in New Zealand in 2001, he acknowledged that Marr was the reason he had picked up a guitar as a teenager.^{[citation needed]}

Post-Smiths[link]

The Pretenders, The The, Electronic (1987–1999)[link]

After Marr left the Smiths in August 1987, he was very briefly an official member of the Pretenders. In late 1987, he toured with the band and appeared on the single "Windows of the World" b/w "1969". He then left the Pretenders, and recorded and toured with The The from 1988 through 1994, recording two albums with the group. He simultaneously formed Electronic with New Order's Bernard Sumner. Electronic were intermittently active throughout the 1990s, releasing their final album in 1999.

Session work (1987–2002)[link]

In 1992 he recorded a cover version of Ennio Morricone's The Good, the Bad and the Ugly for the NME compilation Ruby Trax together with Billy Duffy. Fellow Manchester band Happy Mondays also once tried to court him to be a member of their band, which did not work out.^[14]

He has also worked as a session musician and writing collaborator for artists including Pet Shop Boys, Billy Bragg, Black Grape, Jane Birkin, Talking Heads, and Beck. Marr played guitar on several Pet Shop Boys songs; he continues to have guest appearances on their albums, with his most significant contribution on Release (2002). The only remix that Johnny Marr has ever done was for the Pet Shop Boys—it was a mix of his favourite track from their 1987 album, Actually, called "I Want to Wake Up," and was released as the b-side to 1993's "Can You Forgive Her?" He later worked as a guest musician on the Oasis album Heathen Chemistry. He also joined Oasis on stage at a gig in 2001, playing "Champagne Supernova" and "I Am the Walrus".

Johnny Marr and the Healers (2000–Present)[link]

In 2000 Johnny recruited drummer Zak Starkey (son of Ringo Starr), Cavewaves guitarist Lee Spencer and ex-Kula Shaker bassist Alonza Bevan for his new project Johnny Marr and the Healers. The band had taken two years to come together as Marr had wanted members to be chosen "by chemistry". Their debut album Boomslang was released in 2003, with all lyrics and lead vocals by Marr. A second album was originally scheduled for release in April 2005, and a short tour was expected soon after, but Marr has since stated that the band is on the "side burner" for the time being (Manchester Evening News, May 2007). Drummer Starkey is currently involved with the Who, and Bevan has regrouped with Kula Shaker. In 2011, Johnny began performing with the Healers again. The new Healers line up consists of James Doviak on guitar, Max James on bass and Andy Knowles on drums.

Seven Worlds Collide (2001–2009)[link]

In 2001, Marr performed two Smiths songs and music by others with a supergroup called 7 Worlds Collide consisting of members from Pearl Jam, Radiohead, Split Enz and others, assembled by Neil Finn of Split Enz and Crowded House in 2001. A second set of concerts took place in December 2008/January 2009, and an album of new studio material titled The Sun Came Out was released in August 2009 to raise money for Oxfam.

Modest Mouse (2006–2009)[link]

In addition to his work as a recording artist, Marr has worked as a record producer. In 2006, he began work with Modest Mouse's Isaac Brock on songs that eventually were featured on the band's 2007 release, We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank. The band subsequently announced that Marr was a fully fledged member, and the reformed line-up toured extensively throughout 2006–07.^[15] During 2008, when Modest Mouse opened for R.E.M. during their summer tour of the United States, Marr would come on stage during the encore of R.E.M.'s set, for "Fall on Me" and, toward the end of the tour, "Man on the Moon". Johnny Marr and R.E.M.'s guitarist Peter Buck have often been compared by alternative music fans as having a similar guitar style.^{[citation needed]}

While with Modest Mouse, Marr was named an Honorary Patron of the University Philosophical Society, Trinity College, Dublin.^{[citation needed]}

The new album reached number one on the American Billboard charts in late March 2007. For Marr this is the first time he has had a number one record in the US. The highest chart position before that was with Electronic, who made the Top 40 in the singles chart with "Getting Away With It".^[16]

In 2007 Marr was appointed as a Visiting Professor in Music at the University of Salford, where he delivered an inaugural lecture (on 4th November 2008), and a series of workshops and masterclasses to students on the BA (Hons) Popular Music and Recording programme.^[17]

The Cribs (2008–2011)[link]

Marr performs as part of the Cribs at Washington, D.C.'s 9:30 Club in 2010.

In January 2008, Marr was reported to have been contributing his skill and experience to a secret songwriting session with Wakefield indie group The Cribs. Sources revealed that they worked together for a week at Moolah Rouge recording studio in Stockport – a favourite haunt of Bolton's Badly Drawn Boy, Damon Gough and fellow northern indie heroes I Am Kloot – and had penned a number of new songs.^[18] He also played at the Glasgow Barrowlands, Manchester Academy, Oxford Academy, Bristol Carling Academy, Leeds University, Cardiff University and Brixton Carling Academy with the Cribs on the NME Awards Tour. On 23 February 2008, XFM reported that Marr was to become a full member of the Cribs. On 28 February 2008, he also played onstage with the Cribs at NME Big Gig at the O2. Marr also played along with the Cribs at the Reading & Leeds Festival 2008, singer Ryan Jarman introduced Johnny as the newest member of the band, "Johnny Jarman". In 2009 Marr recorded an album with the band titled Ignore the Ignorant, which was released on 7 September.^[19] On Soccer AM in 9 September he explained he met up with the Cribs' bass player in Portland and it has gone from strength to strength. He says the Cribs latest album, Ignore the Ignorant, which came out last year, is "as good as anything I've done".^[20]

On April 2011 it was confirmed that Marr would no longer be part of the band.^[21] Marr, who had been understood to officially leave the band in January, released a statement in which he affirmed that he would be working on solo material "over the next year or so."^[22]

Recent soundtrack and session work[link]

In the late 2007, Marr's daughter Sonny performed backing vocals on the track "Even a Child" on Crowded House's album Time on Earth, on which her father Johnny played guitars.

Marr played a large role in making the score for the 2010 science-fiction/drama film Inception, which was written and directed by Christopher Nolan. Using a 12-string-guitar, he produced repetitive, simple melancholic tones that became a character theme for the protagonist, played by Leonardo DiCaprio. "I kept coming up with this phrase ‘churned-up,'" Marr said, "You’ve got this character who all the way through the film has this underlying turmoil." Longtime composer Hans Zimmer penned soundtrack.^[23] On 13 July 2010, Marr performed with an orchestra for a live internet broadcast of the soundtrack.^{[citation needed]}

In 2011, Marr worked on the Nuevo Noir movie The Big Bang.

Discography[link]

Albums (as band member)[link]

The Smiths[link]

• The Smiths (1984)
• Hatful of Hollow (1984)
• Meat Is Murder (1985)
• The Queen Is Dead (1986)
• The World Won't Listen (1987)
• Louder Than Bombs (1987)
• Strangeways, Here We Come (1987)
• Rank (1988)

The The[link]

• Mind Bomb (1989)
• Dusk (1992)

Electronic[link]

• Electronic (1991)
• Raise the Pressure (1996)
• Twisted Tenderness (1999)

Johnny Marr and the Healers[link]

• Boomslang (2003)

Modest Mouse[link]

• We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank (2007)
• No One's First and You're Next (2009)

The Cribs[link]

• Ignore the Ignorant (2009)

7 Worlds Collide[link]

• The Sun Came Out (2009)

Albums (as a guest musician)[link]

For a complete discography, see the article Johnny Marr guest musician recordings.

In the 1980s and 1990s, Marr played on three Billy Bragg recordings. In the late 1980s, he performed on albums by Bryan Ferry and Talking Heads. In the 1990s and 2000s, he performed on three Pet Shop Boys albums, and also plays guitar on their Xenomania-produced album, Yes, released in 2009. In the 1990s, he also performed on albums by M People, Beck, and Tom Jones. In the 2000s, he played on albums by bands such as Oasis, Pearl Jam, Jane Birkin, Lisa Germano and Crowded House. He also plays guitar on Girls Aloud's fifth album, Out of Control, on a track entitled "Rolling Back the Rivers in Time", as well as harmonica on the track "Love Is the Key".

He also appeared on two tracks ("Enough Of Me" and "Central") on John Frusciante's album The Empyrean which was released January 2009.

Albums (as producer)[link]

Marion[link]

• The Program (1998)

Haven[link]

• Between the Senses (2002)

Singles[link]

In addition to an extensive singles discography with the artists listed above, Johnny has appeared on singles by Sandie Shaw, Everything but the Girl, the Pretenders, Andrew Berry, A Certain Ratio, the Cult, Denise Johnson, Stex, the Impossible Dreamers (as producer) and Black Grape.

Marr’s recording of "Life is Sweet", the theme song he wrote for the Channel Four Sitcom The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret, has been released on Echo Records and made available as a download.

References[link]

• The Big Bang (2011 film) The Big Bang

External links[link]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Johnny Marr

• Official website
• Manchester v Cancer official concert website

David Gilmour
Gilmour playing his trademark black Fender Stratocaster in concert in Munich, Germany on 29 July 2006
Background information
Birth name	David Jon Gilmour
Also known as	Dave Gilmour
Born	(1946-03-06) 6 March 1946 (age 66) Cambridge, England, United Kingdom
Genres	Rock, progressive rock, psychedelic rock, art rock, blues rock, experimental rock
Occupations	Musician, Songwriter, Producer
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, bass, keyboards, drums, saxophone, harmonica, slide guitar, programming
Years active	1963–present
Labels	Capitol, Columbia, Sony, EMI
Associated acts	Pink Floyd, Jokers Wild, Deep End, Richard Wright
Website	www.davidgilmour.com
Notable instruments
'The Black Strat' Fender Stratocaster 'The Red Strat' Fender Stratocaster 'The 0001 Strat' Fender Stratocaster Fender Telecaster

David Jon Gilmour,^[1] CBE (born 6 March 1946) is an English rock musician and multi-instrumentalist who is best known as the guitarist, one of the lead singers and main songwriters in the progressive rock band Pink Floyd. It is estimated that as of 2010, the group have sold over 250 million records worldwide^[2][3], including 74.5 million units sold in the United States.

In addition to his work with Pink Floyd, Gilmour has worked as a producer for a variety of artists, and has enjoyed a successful career as a solo artist. Gilmour has been actively involved with many charities over the course of his career.

In 2003, he was appointed CBE for his charity work and was awarded with the Outstanding Contribution title at the 2008 Q Awards.^[4] In 2011, Rolling Stone Magazine ranked him number 14 in their list of the greatest guitarists of all time.^[5]

Early life[link]

Gilmour was born in Cambridge, England. His father, Douglas Gilmour, was a senior lecturer in zoology at the University of Cambridge and his mother, Sylvia (née Wilson), was a teacher and film editor who raised her family at Grantchester Meadows, later immortalised by a Roger Waters song on Pink Floyd's Ummagumma.^[6] He has a younger brother who is also a musician.

Gilmour attended The Perse School on Hills Road, Cambridge, and met future Pink Floyd guitarist and vocalist Syd Barrett, along with bassist and vocalist Roger Waters who attended Cambridgeshire High School for Boys, also situated on Hills Road. He studied modern languages to A-Level and, along with Barrett, spent his lunchtime learning to play the guitar. They were not yet bandmates however, and Gilmour started playing in the band Joker's Wild in 1962. Gilmour left Joker's Wild in 1966 and busked around Spain and France with some friends. However, they were not very successful, living virtually a hand-to-mouth existence. In July 1992, Gilmour stated in an interview with Nicky Horne on BBC radio that he ended up being treated for malnutrition in a hospital.^[7] In 1967, they returned to England.

Pink Floyd[link]

Gilmour was approached in late December 1967 by drummer Nick Mason, who asked if he would be interested in joining Pink Floyd, which he did in January 1968, making Pink Floyd briefly a five-piece band. He filled in for Syd Barrett's guitar parts when the frontman was unable to take a consistent part in Floyd's live performances. Syd Barrett "left" the group due to his erratic behaviour—commonly believed to have been caused by excessive use of LSD—when the band chose not to pick Barrett up one night for a gig; and Gilmour by default assumed the role of the band's lead guitarist. He took over most of the band's lead vocal duties with bassist Roger Waters and keyboard player Richard Wright also occasionally singing in Barrett's stead. However, after the back-to-back successes of The Dark Side of the Moon and then Wish You Were Here, Waters took more control over the band, writing much 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.

Gilmour, in the early 1970s with Pink Floyd

After recording Animals, Gilmour thought that his musical talents were being underused, and channelled his ideas into his self-titled first solo album (1978), which showcases his signature guitar style, as well as underscoring his songwriting skills. A tune written during the finishing stages of this album, but too late to be used, became "Comfortably Numb" on The Wall.^[8]

The negative atmosphere surrounding the creation of The Wall album and subsequent film, compounded by The Final Cut's virtually being a Roger Waters solo album, led Gilmour to produce his second solo album About Face in 1984.^[9] He used it to express his feelings about a range of topics, from the murder of John Lennon,^[9] to his relationship with Waters. He has since admitted that he also used the album to distance himself from Pink Floyd. He toured Europe and the US along with support act The Television Personalities,^[9] who were promptly dropped from the line-up after revealing Syd Barrett's address on stage.^[9] Mason also made a guest appearance on the UK leg of the tour,^[9] which despite some cancellations eventually turned a profit.^[10] When he returned from touring, Gilmour played guitar with a range of artists, and also produced The Dream Academy, who had a top ten hit with "Life in a Northern Town".^[11]

In 1985, Waters declared that Pink Floyd were "a spent force creatively".^[9][12] In 1986, Gilmour and drummer Nick Mason issued a press release stating that Waters had quit the band and they intended to continue without him.^[9][12] Gilmour assumed full control of the group and produced A Momentary Lapse of Reason in 1987 with some contributions from Mason and Richard Wright.^[9] Wright officially rejoined the band after the release of the album for a lengthy world tour and helped create 1994's The Division Bell.^[9] 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.^[12] The majority of the two most recent Pink Floyd albums, as well as Gilmour's 2006 solo release On an Island, were recorded there.^[12]

Gilmour at Live 8 in July 2005

On 2 July 2005, Gilmour played with Pink Floyd—including Roger Waters—at Live 8. The performance caused a temporary 1343% sales increase of Pink Floyd's album Echoes: The Best of Pink Floyd.^[13] Gilmour donated 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.^[13]

Shortly after, he called upon all artists experiencing a surge in sales from Live 8 performances to donate the extra revenue to Live 8 fund-raising. After the Live 8 concert, Pink Floyd were offered £150 million to tour the United States, but the band turned down the offer.^[14]

On 3 February 2006, he announced in an interview with the Italian newspaper La Repubblica^[15][16] 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 any more. 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.

Regarding agreeing to play at Live 8, he said:

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 20 February 2006, Gilmour commented again on Pink Floyd's future when he was 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."

In December 2006, Gilmour released a tribute to Syd Barrett, who had died on 7 July of that year, in the form of his own version of Pink Floyd's first single "Arnold Layne".^[12] Recorded live at London's Royal Albert Hall, the CD single featured versions of the song performed by Pink Floyd's keyboard player (and Gilmour's band member) Richard Wright and special guest artist David Bowie.^[12] The single entered the UK Top 75 charts at number nineteen and remained steady for three weeks.^[17]

Since their Live 8 appearance in 2005, Gilmour has repeatedly said that there will be no Pink Floyd reunion. With the death of Pink Floyd keyboardist Richard Wright in September 2008,^[12] another reunion of the core group members became impossible. Gilmour said of Wright

In the welter of arguments about who or what was Pink Floyd, Rick's enormous input was frequently forgotten. He was gentle, unassuming and private but his soulful voice and playing were vital, magical components of our most recognised Pink Floyd sound. Like Rick, I don't find it easy to express my feelings in words, but I loved him and will miss him enormously. I have never played with anyone quite like him.^[18]

In May 2010 Roger Waters told the Associated Press that Gilmour "is completely disinterested in anything like [another reunion]. After Live 8, I could have probably gone for doing some more stuff, but he's not interested, so it is what it is."^[19]

Solo projects[link]

David has recorded four solo albums, all four of which charted in the US Top 40 (2006's On an Island peaked at No. 6 in 2006, 2008's Live in Gdansk peaked at No. 26, his 1978 self-titled solo debut peaked at No. 29 in 1978 and 1984's About Face peaked at No. 32 in 1984).

The 1970s & 1980s[link]

Gilmour performing in Brussels in 1984, on his About Face tour

Taking time off from Pink Floyd's schedule, Gilmour also took up various roles as a producer, sideman and even concert sound engineer^[9] for a wide variety of acts which included^[9] former bandmate Syd Barrett, Paul McCartney, Kate Bush, Berlin, Grace Jones, Tom Jones, Elton John, Eric Clapton, B. B. King, Seal, Sam Brown, Jools Holland, Bob Dylan, Pete Townshend, The Who, Supertramp, Levon Helm, Robbie Robertson, Alan Parsons, and various charity groups among others.

In 1985, Gilmour was a member of Bryan Ferry's band. He played on Ferry's album Boys and Girls, as well as the song "Is Your Love Strong Enough" for the US release of the Ridley Scott-Tom Cruise film Legend. A music video for the latter was created, incorporating Ferry and Gilmour into footage from the film^[9] (released as a bonus on the 2002 "Ultimate Edition" DVD release). Later that year, Gilmour played with Ferry at the London Live Aid concert;^[9] his first meeting with Ferry's keyboard player Jon Carin, later to tour with Pink Floyd.

David Gilmour also took part in a comedy skit titled "The Easy Guitar Book Sketch" with comedian Rowland Rivron and fellow British musicians Mark Knopfler, Lemmy from Motorhead, Mark King from Level 42, and Gary Moore. Guitar tech Phil Taylor explained in an interview that Knopfler used Gilmour's guitar rig and managed to sound like himself when performing in the skit.^[20]

The 1990s[link]

In 1994, Gilmour played guitar for the video game Tuneland, along with the additional saxophonist for Pink Floyd, Scott Page.

On 14 December 1999, Gilmour played a show at the Cavern Club in Liverpool with Paul McCartney, Mick Green, Ian Paice & Pete Wingfield.

The 2000s[link]

In 2001 and 2002, he performed a small number of acoustic solo concerts in London and Paris, along with a small band and choir, which was documented on the In Concert release.^[12] In 2003, Rolling Stone placed Gilmour at number 82 in a list of the hundred greatest guitarists of all time.^[21]

On 24 September 2004, Gilmour performed a three song set (tracks 28–30) at The Strat Pack concert at London's Wembley Arena, marking the 50th anniversary of the Fender Stratocaster guitar.

Gilmour in performance, Frankfurt 2006

On 6 March 2006, his 60th birthday, he released his third solo album, On an Island,^[12] and a day later it was released in the US; it debuted at No. 1 in the UK charts.^[22] The album reached the top five in Germany and Sweden, and the top six in Billboard 200.^[23][24] Produced by Gilmour along with Phil Manzanera and Chris Thomas, the album features orchestrations by renowned Polish composer Zbigniew Preisner.^[12] The album features David Crosby and Graham Nash performing background vocals on the title track, Robert Wyatt on cornet and percussion, and Richard Wright on Hammond organ and vocals.^[12] Other contributors include Jools Holland, Phil Manzanera, Georgie Fame, Andy Newmark, B. J. Cole, Chris Stainton, Willie Wilson, Rado ‘Bob’ Klose on guitar and Leszek Możdżer on piano.^[12] The album also features Gilmour's debut with the saxophone.^[12]

Gilmour toured Europe, US and Canada from 10 March to 31 May 2006 to promote On an Island. There were 10 shows in the US and Canadian leg of the tour. Pink Floyd alumnus Richard Wright, and frequent Floyd collaborators Dick Parry, Guy Pratt and Jon Carin, also accompanied him on the tour. More shows took place in Europe from July to August in 2006.

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 reached number one on the UK charts. On 10 April 2006, the album was certified platinum in Canada, with sales of over 100,000 copies. The album also gave Gilmour his first US Top 10 album as a solo artist.

A video recording of a show from Gilmour's solo tour, titled Remember That Night – Live At The Royal Albert Hall^[25] was released on 17 September 2007.^[12] The double DVD, directed by David Mallet, contains over five hours of footage, including an on-the-road documentary and guest appearances by David Bowie and Robert Wyatt.^[12] The two and a half hour concert features band members Richard Wright of Pink Floyd, Phil Manzanera of Roxy Music, Steve DiStanislao on drums, and various Pink Floyd regulars such as Dick Parry, Guy Pratt and Jon Carin.^[12] The 20-page booklet accompanying the DVD, features over 80 photos selected from studio recording and touring.^[12]

The final show of David Gilmour's On an Island tour took place at the Gdańsk Shipyard on 26 August 2006.^[12] The concert was held before a crowd of 50,000, and marked the twenty-sixth anniversary of the founding of the Solidarity trade union.^[12] The concert was notable for the inclusion of "A Great Day For Freedom" as part of the encore.^[12]

The show was recorded, resulting in a live album and DVD release: Live in Gdańsk.^[12] The concert was the only occasion on which Gilmour performed the tour material with an orchestra, using the 40-strong string section of the Polish Baltic Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Zbigniew Preisner, who was responsible for On An Island's orchestral arrangements.^[12]

On 25 May 2009, he participated in a concert at the Union Chapel in Islington, London. The concert was part of the 'Hidden Gigs' campaign against hidden homelessness, which is organised by Crisis, a UK-based national charity campaigning against homelessness. In the concert he collaborated with the Malian musicians Amadou and Mariam.^[26]

On 4 July 2009, he joined his friend Jeff Beck onstage at the Royal Albert Hall. David and Jeff traded solos on Jerusalem and closed the show with Hi Ho Silver Lining.

The 2010s[link]

On 11 July 2010, Gilmour gave a performance for the charity Hoping Foundation with Roger Waters in Oxfordshire, England.^[29] Also performing were Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Nick Cage and Tom Jones. The performance was presented by Jemima Khan and Nigella Lawson. According to onlookers, it seemed clear that Gilmour and Waters had ended the their long-running feud and seemed to be the best of friends, laughing and joking together along with their respective partners. Waters subsequently confirmed via his Facebook page that Gilmour would play "Comfortably Numb" with him during one of his shows on his upcoming The Wall Live tour – Gilmour performed the guitar solo on 12 May 2011 at the O2 Arena, London and, with Nick Mason, played with the rest of the band playing "Outside The Wall" at the conclusion of the show.

Gilmour released an album with The Orb in 2010 entitled Metallic Spheres,^[30] on which he co-wrote every track and their subsequent parts, and produced, played guitar and sang.

Personal life[link]

Gilmour in 2005

Gilmour's first marriage was to American-born model and artist Virginia "Ginger" Hasenbein, on 7 July 1975.^[31] He had four children from this union, Alice (born 1976), Clare (born 1979), Sara (born 1983, a fashion model^[32]), and Matthew (born 1986). The children originally attended a Waldorf School, but Gilmour called their education there "horrific".^[33] In 1994, he married journalist Polly Samson, and the couple have four children, Charlie (Samson's son with Heathcote Williams whom Gilmour adopted), Joe, Gabriel and Romany. Charlie's voice can be heard on the telephone to Steve O'Rourke, at the end of "High Hopes" (The Division Bell).

Gilmour has been associated with various charity organisations. In May 2003, Gilmour sold his house in Little Venice to the ninth Earl Spencer and donated the proceeds worth £3.6 million to Crisis to help fund a housing project for the homeless. He has been named a vice president of the organization.^[34] Other charities to which Gilmour has lent support include Oxfam, the European Union Mental Health and Illness Association, Greenpeace, Amnesty International,^[9] The Lung Foundation, Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy,^[9] Teenage Cancer Trust, and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).^[35] He also donated £25,000 to the Save the Rhino foundation in exchange for Douglas Adams's name suggestion for the album that became The Division Bell.^[12]

Gilmour is also an experienced pilot and aviation enthusiast. Under the aegis of his company, Intrepid Aviation,^[9] he had amassed a collection of historical aircraft. He later decided to sell the company, which he had started as a hobby, feeling that it was becoming too commercial for him to handle. In a BBC interview, he stated:

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...^[36]

On 22 May 2008, Gilmour won the 2008 Ivor Novello Lifetime Contribution Award.^[37]

In autumn 2008, he was awarded for outstanding contribution for music by the Q Awards. He dedicated his award to his bandmate Richard Wright, who died in September 2008.^[4]

On 11 November 2009, Gilmour received an honorary doctorate from the Anglia Ruskin University.^[38]

Musical style[link]

Gilmour on piano, in Düsseldorf during his About Face tour in 1984

Gilmour is best known for his lead guitar work. Gilmour's solo style is often characterised by blues-influenced phrasing, expressive note bends and sustain. In 2011, Gilmour was rated the 14th greatest guitarist by Rolling Stone. In January 2007, Guitar World readers voted Gilmour's solos, "Comfortably Numb", "Time" and "Money" into the top 100 Greatest Guitar Solos ("Comfortably Numb" was voted the 4th, "Time" was voted the 21st and "Money" was voted the 62nd greatest solo of all time).^[39]

In his early career with Pink Floyd, Gilmour played a multitude of Fender Stratocasters. One of his popular guitar solos ("Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2") was played on a 1955 Gibson Les Paul Gold Top guitar equipped with P-90 pick-ups.^[40][41] In 1996, Gilmour was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Pink Floyd. Gilmour's solo on "Comfortably Numb" was voted as one of the greatest guitar solos of all time in several polls by listeners and critics.^[42]

Although mainly known for his guitar work, Gilmour is also a proficient multi-instrumentalist. He also plays bass guitar (which he did on some Pink Floyd tracks),^[12][43] keyboards, synthesiser, banjo, harmonica, drums (as heard on the Syd Barrett solo track "Dominoes",^[12] and other songs where he opted to play all the instruments) and lately, the saxophone.^[44]

Music equipment[link]

Some of the equipment Gilmour has used either on his solo or Pink Floyd records and tours.

Main electric guitars[link]

Gilmour playing a Fender Stratocaster in 1984

• Fender
  • Stratocaster
    • Gilmor's main stage and studio guitar is a 1969 Fender Stratocaster. Black with a black pickguard, it has white pick-up covers and knobs. It does not have the original neck. The guitar has a added switch that combines the neck and bridge pick-ups. It has a Seymour Duncan SSL-1C (SSL-5 Prototype) bridge pick-up. The guitar strap that Gilmour pairs with this instrument once belonged to Jimi Hendrix.
    • His main guitar for the post-Roger Waters era Pink Floyd tours was a red 1984 '57 Stratocaster reissue. It had a set of EMG SA active pick-ups. This guitar still continues to be used for specific songs during Gilmour's live performances.
    • David Gilmour owns Stratocaster # 0001. This is not the first model made.
    • Cream coloured '57 reissue Stratocaster. This guitar was used on Gilmour's 1984 solo tour and also during the early part of the 1987–1990 Pink Floyd tour. During the 1994 Pink Floyd tour it was used as a spare guitar. During Pink Floyd's Live 8 set sidesman Tim Renwick was seen playing it. It has the same EMG setup as his red '57 Reissue model. After it was used for Live 8 the neck from the cream Stratocaster was transferred to Gilmour's main black Stratocaster.
    • '57 Lake Placid Blue. (Serial number #0040). This guitar was used during The Wall recording sessions.
    • Double-neck Stratocaster. Custom made body by guitar builder Dick Knight and using standard Fender necks. It was used in the early 1970s.
    • 1959 sunburst Stratocaster body with a 1963 neck with a rosewood fingerboard. This guitar was given to Gilmour by Steve Marriott. David didn't like the guitar enough to use it for very long but did like the neck better than the original one on his black Stratocaster and the two were switched. The sunburst model was used as A spare and for slide guitar in subsequent years.
    • White with white pickguard. Used in the late 1960s. Received as a gift from the rest of the band.^[45] It was stolen in 1970.
    • Gilmour used a Stratocaster equipped with the Doug Wilkes 'Answer' sliding pick-up system on the 'Momentary Lapse of Reason' recording.
  • Telecaster
    • Blonde body with white pickguard. Used on the On an Island tour.
    • '52 Butterscotch Reissues with black pickguard. Used between 1987 and 1995. The first guitar was tuned in Dropped D rather than a standard tuning and was used for "Run Like Hell". The second served as a backup instrument and had a regular guitar tuning. Gilmour used this guitar for Astronomy Domine.
    • '59 Custom Telecaster with sunburst ash body, white binding on the body, rosewood fingerboard, and a white pickguard. A Gibson Humbucker was briefly placed in the neck position but this was removed before it was used on the Animals' recording sessions. Last seen at rehearsals during the On an Island tour.
    • '61 Telecaster used during The Wall recording sessions. Also used live in the post-Waters era for "Run Like Hell". Last seen on the Syd Barrett memory concert in 2007.
    • 1960s brown-faded body. Used in the late 1960s.
    • 1960s blonde ash body with white pickguard. This was Gilmour's main guitar during his first year with Pink Floyd, but it was lost by an airline company in 1968, prompting Gilmour to buy the brown-faded Telecaster.^[46]
  • Esquire '55 Sunburst body a.k.a. "The workmate Tele". Neck pick-up added. Used at the recording sessions for his first solo album, and The Wall recording sessions and subsequent tour. Also seen when Gilmour performed with Paul McCartney in the late 1990s.

Other electrics[link]

Along with the Fender models (his primary choice for electrics), Gilmour has also used: a Gibson Les Paul goldtop model with P-90 pick-ups and a Bigsby vibrato bridge. It was used for the guitar solo on 'Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2' and the solo in 'Comfortably Numb.' Gilmour also plays a Gretsch Duo-Jet and a Gretsch White Falcon (as well as a 'White Penguin'), a Bill Lewis 24-fret Guitar (used during Meddle and Dark Side of the Moon recording sessions) and a Steinberger GL model which was his main guitar during A Momentary Lapse of Reason recording sessions.

Acoustics[link]

Gilmour has used many different acoustic guitars throughout his career including a Gibson "Chet Atkins" classical model, a Gibson J-200 Celebrity acoustic guitar.^[47] Gilmour's list of Ovation models including a Legend 1619-4, a Legend 1613-4 nylon string guitar, both used during The Wall recording sessions.^[47][48] Martin models used include: a D-35.^[47][48] a D12-28 12-string.^[47] and a D-18.^[47] Gilmour's large acoustic collection also includes many models from Taylor, Takamine and Guild.

Steel guitar[link]

Gilmour playing lap steel guitar, 26 January 1977

Throughout his recording career David Gilmour has added a different element to his guitar style with his use of steel guitars. A 1950s Fender 1000 twin neck pedal steel guitar was used frequently in the early 1970s. Originally purchased from a pawn shop while Gilmour was in Seattle in 1970, it was used during recording of "One of These Days" from "Meddle" and "Breathe" and "Great Gig in the Sky" from The Dark Side of the Moon.^[49] Other Fenders owned by Gilmour include a Deluxe lap steel (seen during The Division Bell tour in 1994.^[49] ) and also a Champ lap steel model. Along with the Fender steel models Gilmour has also used: a Gibson EH150, and two Jedson models: one red (1977-tuned D-G-D-G-B-E for Shine On You Crazy Diamond, Parts 6–9, 1987–2006: Tuned E-B-E-G-B-E for High Hopes) and one blonde.^[49] He also uses a ZB steel model.^[48]

Bass guitars[link]

Gilmour has played bass both in the studio and onstage at different times and has played many different bass models including: an Ovation Magnum, a Fender Bass VI, Fender Precision and Jazz bass models and a Charvel fretless.(all used during The Wall recording sessions.^[48] ). He also has a Doug Wilkes built Precision-style single pick-up bass which was used on the 'Momentary Lapse of Reason' sessions. During the 1991 Amnesty International concert Gilmour used a Music Man Fretless Stingray bass while conducting the house band and again during Spinal Tap's performance of "Big Bottom". (All guitarists played bass on this song, and Gilmour played the solo)

Fender Signature Stratocaster[link]

David Gilmour Signature Stratocaster NOS in its case

In November 2006, Fender Custom Shop announced two reproductions of Gilmour's "Black" Strat for release on 22 September 2008. Gilmour's website states the release date was chosen to coincide with the release of his Live in Gdansk album.^[50] Both guitars are based on extensive measurements of the original instrument, each featuring varying degrees of wear. The most expensive is the David Gilmour Relic Stratocaster^[51] which features the closest copy of wear on the original guitar. A pristine copy of the guitar is also made, called the David Gilmour NOS Stratocaster.^[52]

Discography[link]

Pink Floyd[link]

Pink Floyd portal

• A Saucerful of Secrets (1968)
• More (1969)
• Ummagumma (1969)
• Atom Heart Mother (1970)
• Meddle (1971)
• Obscured by Clouds (1972)
• The Dark Side of the Moon (1973)
• Wish You Were Here (1975)
• Animals (1977)
• The Wall (1979)
• The Final Cut (1983)
• A Momentary Lapse of Reason (1987)
• Delicate Sound of Thunder (1988)
• The Division Bell (1994)
• P•U•L•S•E (1995)

For the full discography, see Pink Floyd discography.

Solo[link]

Albums[link]

Soundtracks[link]

• Fractals: The Colours of Infinity, Documentary (1994)^[53]

Singles[link]

• "There's No Way Out of Here" (1978)
• "Blue Light" (March 1984)
• "Love on the Air" (May 1984)
• "On an Island" (6 March 2006)
• "Smile" (13 June 2006)
• "Arnold Layne" (Live) (26 December 2006)

Filmography[link]

• David Gilmour Live 1984 (VHS) – September 1984
• David Gilmour in Concert (DVD) – October 2002
• Remember That Night (DVD/BD) – September 2007
• Live in Gdańsk (DVD) – September 2008

Collaborations and work for other artists[link]

References[link]