Syd Barrett was a British singer/songwriter best known for his enigmatic nature and work with the legendary psychedelic rock band, Pink Floyd. Born in Cambridge in 1946, he spent a good chunk of his youth performing in local bands before meeting up with Roger Waters and the rest of what would ultimately become Pink Floyd's initial lineup. Though Barrett's run with the band lasted only a few years, he was very influential on the development of its psychedelic sound, contributing much of the songwriting on the band's 1967 debut album, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn. He was asked to leave the group in 1968 after drug use and a string of erratic behaviors made him too big of a question mark going forward. Over the next few years, Barrett's use of LSD and other psychedelic substances effected his temperament, causing him to become withdrawn and more socially reclusive than he'd been previously. Still, he managed to record a couple of much-beloved solo albums during this period, including 1970's excellent The Madcap Laughs, proving he still had some command over his idiosyncratic songwriting talents. Barrett lived out the remainder of his life away from the spotlight, often in the care of friends and family, until he passed away in 2006 at the age of 60.
