The band Pink Floyd was formed in 1964. Barrett named the band (which had been previously known as "The Tea Set," "The Screaming Abdabs" and "Leonard's Lodgers") after two obscure bluesmen, Pink Anderson and Floyd Council.

Barrett wrote most of the Floyd's early material; he was also an innovative guitarist, exploring the sonic possibilities of distortion, feedback and especially the echo machine. One of Barrett's trademarks was playing his Fender Esquire guitar by sliding a Zippo lighter up and down the fretboard to create the mysterious, otherworldly sounds that became associated with the group.


As Pink Floyd were hailed by critics and achieved public acclaim, the pressures placed on the already sensitive Barrett proved too much. There are many stories about Barrett's bizarre and intermittently psychotic behaviour, several of which are undoubtedly apocryphal, although some are known to be true.