Before he melted minds with Pink Floyd, Gilmour came into this world as a gift from the rock gods across the pond in Cambridge, England. When he was old enough, his parents encouraged him to pursue his passion for music. Soon, he borrowed a guitar from a neighbor, but never gave it back!

After teaching himself to play guitar, he met future bandmates Syd Barrett and Roger Waters in high school and roamed around Europe playing music with friends before joining Pink Floyd at the behest of then-drummer Nick Mason. After putting out the formative Piper at the Gates of Dawn and during the recording of A Saucerful Full of Secrets, Barrett had to leave the band due to health issues, and Gilmour largely took the reins on Pink Floyd.

A Saucerful of Secrets, which they self-produced, became a success, and the day following its UK release, the band performed their very first free concert in Hyde Park! That July, they went on their first significant tour, visiting the US and accompanied by The Who.

Two years later in 1970, Pink Floyd released Atom Heart Mother, which went on to become the band’s first No. 1 album and spent 18 weeks on the UK charts! They toured extensively across the United States and Europe, and their success at this point was evidently solidified

In 1971, the band’s release Meddle was able to show Gilmour’s prowess within the band, as Rolling Stone said,

"Meddle not only confirms lead guitarist David Gilmour's emergence as a real shaping force with the group, it states forcefully and accurately that the group is well into the growth track again.”

The album was a huge success, peaked at No. 3 on the UK charts, and produced the band’s fourth-most played track, “One of these Days.”

In 1973, the band released The Dark Side of the Moon, which would go on to become the band’s biggest album. It is considered one of the best rock albums of all time, and was certainly one of the most commercially successful rock albums of all time, as it was a No. 1 hit in the US and remained on the Billboard charts for more than 14 years and sold more than 45 million copies. The album is the third best-selling album in the world!

The album spawned their hit single, “Money,” which remains their most performed song of all time, having been played more than 500 times! Their second- and third-most performed songs, “Us and Them” and “Time” also came from this album. In fact, 7 of their 10 most played songs come from Dark Side!

These ventures allowed Gilmour to display his guitar and songwriting talents more than he found he was able to in Pink Floyd, as he shared the spotlight with Roger Waters while working on music for the band. On his second album, Gilmour expressed his opinions on John Lennon’s murder as well as his rocky relationship with Waters.

After 1985 and until 1994, Gilmour was able to take full control of the band when Waters quit. He produced A Momentary Lapse of Reason two years later, which debuted at No. 3 in the UK and US.

The band spent the next few years focusing on their personal pursuits, and reunited in 1993 to produce a new album and go on tour. Their tour included an eclectic mix of the band’s biggest hits, as well as the entirety of Dark Side! The tour was Pink Floyd’s last, as they effectively disbanded in 1994.

In 2014 they released The Endless River, a work of instrumental and ambient music based on material recorded during the Division Bell sessions. Though the band has performed together a few times since 1994, Gilmour has since said there is little hope for the band to get back together, as he is now more comfortable working on his own.

And work on his own, he has! Gilmour released his third solo album, On an Island, in 2006, to rave reviews. It debuted at No. 1 on the charts and earned Gilmour his first top ten charting album in the US as a solo artist, as it peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard 200 and went on to become certified platinum!

In 2017, he released Live at Pompeii, which was a live album and film, after releasing his top ten hit and fourth studio album Rattle That Lock, two years prior. Gilmour has since stated that he has many songs left over from that album which are almost ready for his next album!

Gilmour's last solo tour was in 2016. During his solo shows, he mostly performs Pink Floyd hits and deep cuts, with "Comfortably Numb," "Run Like Hell," "Money" and "Wish You Were Here" being his top most performed tracks. "Blue Light" is his most performed solo song.

Stay tuned for another tour when his fifth solo album is finally announced. 73 is looking bright for Gilmour!