Roger Waters

Roger Waters

Roger Waters is an English musician, singer and songwriter from Great Bookham, United Kingdom, born in 1943. He co-founds Pink Floyd in 1965 and also has early involvement with Architectural Abdabs. In Pink Floyd, he serves as bassist, then becomes the group’s main lyricist, conceptual leader and co-lead vocalist after Syd Barrett leaves in 1968.

Pink Floyd develops into one of the most successful and critically acclaimed rock groups of the era, with major concept albums including The Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here, Animals, The Wall and The Final Cut. Waters leaves the band in 1985 after creative disagreements, and a legal dispute over the band name and material follows before an out-of-court settlement in 1987.

As a solo artist, Waters releases The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking, Radio K.A.O.S., Amused to Death and Is This the Life We Really Want?. He also works on soundtrack and classical material, including Music from The Body with Ron Geesin, When the Wind Blows, Ça Ira, and Igor Stravinsky's The Soldier's Tale. Ça Ira is an opera based on a French libretto by Étienne and Nadine Roda-Gil about the French Revolution.

In 1990, Waters stages The Wall – Live in Berlin, which draws an audience of about 450,000 and becomes one of the largest rock concerts ever held. He is inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996 and the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2005 as a member of Pink Floyd. That same year, he reunites with the band for the Live 8 global awareness concert, their only performance together since 1981.

Since 1999, Waters tours extensively as a solo artist, presenting large-scale performances of Pink Floyd albums. His The Wall Live tour runs from 2010 to 2013 and becomes the highest-grossing tour by a solo artist at the time. His work often includes political and social commentary, and he is known for left-wing political positions and support for the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement. His criticism of Israel and comparisons with Nazi Germany lead to accusations of antisemitism, which he denies, saying his criticism is aimed at Israeli government policy rather than Jewish people.

Waters’ political statements lead to controversy and to cancellations or sanctions involving Major League Baseball, BMG, the city of Frankfurt, hotels in Argentina and authorities in Poland. He is associated with the labels Us & Them Productions Limited, Pink Floyd Music Publishers Ltd. and Roger Waters Music Overseas Ltd., and his music spans progressive rock, art rock, blues rock, crossover prog, folk rock, opera and related rock styles.