Syd Barrett

As the visionary singer/songwriter/guitarist behind the original, groundbreaking incarnation of Pink Floyd, Syd Barrett changed the face of pop music. He was one of the true pioneers of psychedelia, his being a particularly British blend of whimsy, hallucinogenic drugs, and freak-friendly, extraterrestrial pop-rock. Due to acid damage and emotional problems, he barely made it to the second Floyd album, but after getting himself dropped from the band, he embarked on a brief, fascinating solo career in the early 1970s before becoming a recluse at his mother's house in Cambridge. Although rumors of home recordings and even a full-blown comeback circulated for years, Barrett died in 2006 from diabetes-related complications at the age of 60.

• pop
• psychedelic
• pop rock