Roger Waters

Roger Waters

Genres: Progressive rock, classic rock, rock, psychedelic, Pink Floyd

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About Roger Waters

George Roger Waters (born September 6, 1943) is an English musician, singer, and songwriter. He co-founded the rock band Pink Floyd in 1965, serving as the group’s bassist. After the departure of founding member Syd Barrett in 1968, Waters became Pink Floyd’s primary lyricist, conceptual leader, and co-lead vocalist until leaving the band in 1985. Pink Floyd achieved international success with several concept albums, including "The Dark Side of the Moon" (1973), "Wish You Were Here" (1975), "Animals" (1977), "The Wall" (1979), and "The Final Cut" (1983). By the early 1980s, the band had become one of the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful groups in popular music. Creative disagreements led Waters to depart in 1985, after which he entered a legal dispute with his former bandmates over the rights to the band’s name and material. The case was settled out of court in 1987. Waters’s solo career includes the albums "The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking" (1984), "Radio K.A.O.S." (1987), "Amused to Death" (1992), and "Is This the Life We Really Want?" (2017). He also composed the opera "Ça Ira" (2005), based on a French libretto by Étienne and Nadine Roda-Gil about the French Revolution. In 1990, he staged "The Wall – Live in Berlin," which drew an audience of approximately 450,000 people and remains one of the largest rock concerts ever held. Waters was 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 reunited with the band for the Live 8 global awareness concert, marking their only performance together since 1981. Since 1999, Waters has toured extensively as a solo artist, performing large-scale productions of Pink Floyd albums. His "The Wall Live" tour (2010–2013) became the highest-grossing tour by a solo artist at the time. Waters often includes political and social commentary in his work. He is known for his left-wing political positions and support of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement in protest of Israel’s policies toward Palestinians, which he has described as apartheid. His criticism of Israel and comparisons between its actions and those of Nazi Germany have led to accusations of antisemitism, which he denies, stating that his criticism is directed at Israeli government policy rather than Jewish people. His political statements have led to controversy, resulting in event cancellations and sanctions from various organizations and institutions, including Major League Baseball, BMG, the city of Frankfurt, hotels in Argentina, and authorities in Poland. Solo albums The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking (1984) Radio K.A.O.S. (1987) Amused to Death (1992) Is This the Life We Really Want? (2017) Soundtracks Music from The Body (with Ron Geesin) (1970) When the Wind Blows (1986) Re-recordings The Lockdown Sessions (2022) The Dark Side of the Moon Redux (2023) Classical Ça Ira (2005) Igor Stravinsky's The Soldier's Tale (2018)

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