The musicians who inspired David Gilmour: “Music in my head”
Listening to Pink Floyd is nothing short of an experience. From the moment you first play iconic albums like The Wall or Dark Side of the Moon, you’re immersed in a rich tapestry of sounds that are both thrilling and deeply layered. The band’s music isn’t shaped by a single influence—it draws from an eclectic array of inspirations, creating something far greater than the sum of its parts.
David Gilmour has never been one to limit himself musically. While many artists are inspired by someone’s music and then make art that resonates with that style, Gilmour was always open to letting a range of influences contribute towards his sound. There are a few artists who always stay at the forefront of his mind, which he describes as the “music in my head.”
“The music in my head came first from Lead Belly,” he said when describing some of the artists who were his biggest influences, “Then the Beatles, then Eric Clapton and Hendrix.”
Lead Belly was a huge early influence on Gilmour. He had a unique-sounding voice and played the guitar with an exciting tone, thanks to his affinity for the 12-string. One of the first songs that Gilmour learned on guitar was ‘Rock Island Line’, which he liked because it was satisfying to play, but it wasn’t the most complicated track out there, either.
“One of the things that you can you can actually learn one chord,” he said, “Get your fingers on that guitar in one position and not move from there, you can do the whole song and sing this old song to yourself. So it’s a great thing, part of my childhood.”
While Lead Belly might have been one of his early insights into the guitar, one of the first bands that he ever dived into the catalogue of was The Beatles. Like many people at the time, The Beatles represented a real turning point in music and opened people’s eyes to the appeal of playing in a band.
“I really wish I had been in the Beatles,” he said, “[They] taught me how to play guitar; I learnt everything. The bass parts, the lead, the rhythm, everything. They were fantastic.”
Eric Clapton helped Gilmour discover his sound and better understand how to improvise. He was a huge fan of the Eric Clapton and Peter Green albums they made under John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers. “I spent time trying to learn how to play their licks perfectly. I would suggest any young player should try to sit down and do that,” said Gilmour, “You will wind up knowing how to play their stuff quite well, but eventually, you will find your own style from that. It forces its way out of the copying.”
Finally, despite Hendrix’s reluctance to embrace psychedelic music, Gilmour also states that he made music that stays on his mind. This is hardly a surprise, as it’s difficult to find any guitarist worth their salt who hasn’t been inspired by Hendrix’s guitar ability and stage presence.
“Jimi Hendrix, fantastic. I went to a club in South Kensington in 1966, and this kid got on stage with Brian Auger and the Trinity and [held] the guitar the other way around and started playing. Myself and the whole place were with their jaws hanging open,” he said, “I went the next day to the record shops, and I said ‘You’ve got anything by this guy Jimi Hendrix?’ and they said ‘Well, we’ve got a James Hendrix’. He hadn’t yet done anything. So I became rather an avid fan waiting for his first release.”
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