In December 1967, Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason invited Gilmour to join the band to cover for the increasingly erratic Barrett.
Gilmour accepted; they initially intended to continue with Barrett as a non-performing songwriter.
One of the band's business partners, Peter Jenner, said: "The idea was that Dave would ... cover for Barrett's eccentricities and when that got to be not workable, Syd was just going to write.
Just to try to keep him involved."
By March 1968, working with Barrett had become too difficult and he agreed to leave the band.

Gilmour took up lead vocal roles with keyboardist Richard Wright.
After the successes of The Dark Side of the Moon (1973) and Wish You Were Here (1975), Waters took greater control of the band, writing and singing lead on most of Animals (1977) and The Wall (1979).
Wright was fired during the Wall sessions; the relationship between Gilmour and Waters deteriorated during the making of the Wall film and the album The Final Cut.
The final Pink Floyd performance of The Wall took place on 17 June 1981, at Earl's Court, London, which became Pink Floyd's last appearance with Waters for almost 25 years.

By the late 1970s, Gilmour had begun to think that his musical talents were being underused by Pink Floyd.
In 1978 he channelled his ideas into his first solo album, David Gilmour, which showcased his guitar playing and songwriting.
Music written during the finishing stages of the album, but too late to be used, was incorporated into a song by Waters, which became "Comfortably Numb", included on The Wall.

The negative atmosphere surrounding the creation of The Wall album and film, compounded by The Final Cut's virtually being a Waters solo album, led Gilmour to produce his second solo album, About Face, in 1984.
He used it to express his feelings about a range of topics, from the murder of John Lennon to his relationship with Waters.
Gilmour toured Europe and the US along with support act the Television Personalities, who were dropped from the line-up after Dan Treacy revealed Syd Barrett's address on stage.
Mason also made a guest appearance on the UK leg of the tour, which despite some cancellations eventually turned a profit.
When he returned from touring, Gilmour played guitar with a range of artists, and also produced the Dream Academy, who had a US top ten hit with "Life in a Northern Town" in 1986.


In 1985, Waters declared that Pink Floyd were "a spent force creatively".
Gilmour and Mason responded with a press release stating that Waters had quit the band and that they intended to continue without him.
Gilmour assumed control of the group and produced the Pink Floyd album A Momentary Lapse of Reason in 1987, with contributions from Mason and Richard Wright.
Gilmour said he felt Pink Floyd albums had become too driven by lyrics under Waters' leadership, and attempted to "restore the balance" of music and lyrics on Momentary Lapse.
It was followed by The Division Bell in 1994.
In 1986, Gilmour purchased the houseboat Astoria, moored it on the River Thames near Hampton Court and transformed it into a recording studio.
The majority of the two Pink Floyd albums released about this time, as well as Gilmour's 2006 solo album On an Island, were recorded there.

On 2 July 2005, Waters temporarily reunited with Gilmour to perform at Live 8.
The performance caused a temporary sales increase of Pink Floyd's album Echoes: The Best of Pink Floyd.
Gilmour donated his 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."
He called upon all Live 8 artists to donate their extra revenue to Live 8 fundraising.
After the concert, Pink Floyd turned down an offer to tour the US for £150 million.

In 2006, Gilmour said that Pink Floyd would most likely never tour or write material 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 December 1967, Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason invited Gilmour to join the band to cover for the increasingly erratic Barrett. Gilmour accepted; they initially intended to continue with Barrett as a non-performing songwriter. One of the band's business partners, Peter Jenner, said: "The idea was that Dave would ... cover for Barrett's eccentricities and when that got to be not workable, Syd was just going to write. Just to try to keep him involved." By March 1968, working with Barrett had become too difficult and he agreed to leave the band.
Gilmour took up lead vocal roles with keyboardist Richard Wright. After the successes of The Dark Side of the Moon (1973) and Wish You Were Here (1975), Waters took greater control of the band, writing and singing lead on most of Animals (1977) and The Wall (1979). Wright was fired during the Wall sessions; the relationship between Gilmour and Waters deteriorated during the making of the Wall film and the album The Final Cut. The final Pink Floyd performance of The Wall took place on 17 June 1981, at Earl's Court, London, which became Pink Floyd's last appearance with Waters for almost 25 years.
By the late 1970s, Gilmour had begun to think that his musical talents were being underused by Pink Floyd. In 1978 he channelled his ideas into his first solo album, David Gilmour, which showcased his guitar playing and songwriting. Music written during the finishing stages of the album, but too late to be used, was incorporated into a song by Waters, which became "Comfortably Numb", included on The Wall.
The negative atmosphere surrounding the creation of The Wall album and film, compounded by The Final Cut's virtually being a Waters solo album, led Gilmour to produce his second solo album, About Face, in 1984. He used it to express his feelings about a range of topics, from the murder of John Lennon to his relationship with Waters. Gilmour toured Europe and the US along with support act the Television Personalities, who were dropped from the line-up after Dan Treacy revealed Syd Barrett's address on stage. Mason also made a guest appearance on the UK leg of the tour, which despite some cancellations eventually turned a profit. When he returned from touring, Gilmour played guitar with a range of artists, and also produced the Dream Academy, who had a US top ten hit with "Life in a Northern Town" in 1986.

In 1985, Waters declared that Pink Floyd were "a spent force creatively". Gilmour and Mason responded with a press release stating that Waters had quit the band and that they intended to continue without him. Gilmour assumed control of the group and produced the Pink Floyd album A Momentary Lapse of Reason in 1987, with contributions from Mason and Richard Wright. Gilmour said he felt Pink Floyd albums had become too driven by lyrics under Waters' leadership, and attempted to "restore the balance" of music and lyrics on Momentary Lapse. It was followed by The Division Bell in 1994. In 1986, Gilmour purchased the houseboat Astoria, moored it on the River Thames near Hampton Court and transformed it into a recording studio. The majority of the two Pink Floyd albums released about this time, as well as Gilmour's 2006 solo album On an Island, were recorded there.
On 2 July 2005, Waters temporarily reunited with Gilmour to perform at Live 8. The performance caused a temporary sales increase of Pink Floyd's album Echoes: The Best of Pink Floyd. Gilmour donated his 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." He called upon all Live 8 artists to donate their extra revenue to Live 8 fundraising. After the concert, Pink Floyd turned down an offer to tour the US for £150 million.
In 2006, Gilmour said that Pink Floyd would most likely never tour or write material 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 
David Gilmour