Biography of Roger Waters
Roger Waters is a legendary British musician, actor, songwriter, and the frontman of one of the most popular rock bands called Pink Floyd. He is one of the most influential figures in the history of rock and roll, always maintaining an active stance as a pacifist and advocate for justice.In 1984, Roger left Pink Floyd to dedicate himself to a solo career. He independently released several studio albums, including what critics called "one of the most literary albums in the history of rock music" – The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking.
Childhood, Youth, Family
George Roger Waters was born in the fall of 1943 to Eric Fletcher Waters and Mary Whyte in the town of Great Bookham in the southern English county of Surrey. Two years earlier, his older brother John was born.His parents were teachers, and his mother also ran a school. Both were members of the Communist Party and were very religious.
Eric Waters died during World War II in an Anglo-American operation in Italy. Mary tried to give her sons a strict upbringing, but she couldn't replace their father.
Recalling his school years, Roger said that at first, his classmates seemed like savage sadists straight out of Charles Dickens' novels. Waters himself was an exemplary and very intelligent boy from an early age. He did well in school, read a lot, was quite athletic, and played football. In his teenage years, he became interested in jazz and blues compositions and listened to Billie Holiday and Bessie Smith.
After finishing school, Waters enrolled in the London Polytechnic Institute, studying at the faculty of architecture. A trend of the time was the formation of musical bands within higher education institutions. Roger, who had learned to play the guitar, was no exception and formed a musical group with his classmates Richard Wright and Nick Mason. After assembling a simple repertoire, the students began performing at various events and parties.
Pink Floyd
The rock band Pink Floyd got its name in 1965 when Syd Barrett joined the amateur group and suggested naming it after the legendary bluesmen Pink Anderson and Floyd Council.Two years later, their debut album The Piper at the Gates of Dawn was released. Syd wrote almost all the lyrics for the compositions included in it. Three years after its founding, guitarist David Gilmour joined the band. Due to drug addiction amidst phenomenal success, Syd Barrett left the group. Thus, in 1968, Roger became the frontman, finally able to fully express himself.
The rivalry over songwriting credits between him and Wright escalated into an open conflict, leading to Richard leaving the band. Roger also left shortly after, believing the group should disband as it had run its course. The last album with Waters was "The Final Cut," released in 1983, inspired—negatively—by the conflict between Britain and Argentina over the Falkland Islands.
However, David Gilmour took the lead of Pink Floyd, convincing Wright to return and recruiting new musicians. The band began preparing a new album, while Waters filed a lawsuit, believing that his former colleagues had no right to use the name Pink Floyd and perform the old songs.
Eventually, the prolonged conflict ended with a settlement, and Roger later regretted initiating the process, even performing with the group in 2005 at a reunion concert. However, the differences were too deep, and a revival of Pink Floyd in its original lineup did not follow, especially since Richard Wright passed away in 2008.
Solo Career
In 1984, Waters began his solo career by releasing his debut studio album, The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking, featuring a character named Reg who advocates for monogamy. The album included contributions from renowned guitarist Eric Clapton and saxophonist David Sanborn.Some Pink Floyd and Waters fans argue that this solo album can only be nominally called a debut, as in 1970, Roger, in collaboration with Ron Geesin, recorded an experimental soundtrack for Roy Battersby's film "The Body," released on the album Music from The Body.
His subsequent solo albums were Radio K.A.O.S. (1987), Amused to Death (1992), and the opera Ca Ira (2005), but he did not achieve the same success as with Pink Floyd and stopped writing for a while, touring the world with his old hits.
In 1996, Waters was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Pink Floyd.
An interesting experience for the musician was adapting Igor Stravinsky's theatrical production "The Soldier's Tale." He took on the role of the narrator, while members of the chamber music festival performed the musical parts.
By 2023, Waters had released two more studio albums: The Lockdown Sessions and The Dark Side of the Moon Redux.
Roger Waters' Personal Life
From an early age, Waters was in love with his childhood friend, Judy Trim. They got married when Pink Floyd was already a popular band. Her image appeared on the cover of the first edition of the album "Ummagumma."According to the musician, when he played "The Dark Side of the Moon" for his wife, she burst into tears, which he took as a sign of impending success.
They lived together for only six years before deciding to divorce due to Waters' infidelities. Judy's patience ran out in the summer of 1974. There were no children in this marriage.
When Harry grew up, he became a guitarist in Waters' touring band, while India pursued a career in modeling.
In 1992, after 16 years of marriage, Waters and Christie divorced. Within a year, the musician remarried. This time, his chosen one was actress Priscilla Phillips, who gave birth to Waters' son Jack.
However, Roger couldn't maintain this family either. Eight years later, he and Priscilla divorced, and in 2004, the musician proposed to actress, director, and producer Laurie Durning. She accepted the proposal, but the marriage took place only in 2012, and three years later, the couple divorced without disclosing the reasons for their decision.
Waters was 78 years old when he announced his new marriage. Creole Camila Chavez worked as his personal driver, and in 2021, her status was "elevated" to the musician's wife.
The wedding took place at Roger's American estate in Bridgehampton. The bride looked original in cowboy boots and a white lace dress cinched with a black belt.
Camila rarely appeared with Waters at public events, but once accompanied him to the Cannes Film Festival.
Roger Waters Today
The musician has always expressed his opinion on various world events, especially those related to military actions in various hotspots. In 2024, he defended the Arab state and called the actions of Israelis in the Gaza Strip an occupation. Waters initiated a concert in support of Palestinians in one of the temples of the British capital. He performed the song Wish You Were Here, stating that this time he dedicated it to the Arab people.Interesting Facts
- Waters' release of his first studio solo album, The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking, sparked numerous controversies and protests, particularly from the feminist community. The issue was that the cover featured a naked hitchhiking girl, modeled by soft-core porn actress Linzi Drew. The cover was designed by Gerald Scarfe. The album received harsh negative reviews from the media, with Roger's performance being called musical nonsense. On many reissues of the record, the girl's bare backside was covered with a wide black stripe.
- In 2023, Roger Waters' concerts in Frankfurt and Munich were banned in Germany. The reason for the cancellation of his performances was accusations of anti-Semitism. Waters then announced that he would sue the German authorities to overturn the unjust decision and called the campaign against him unconstitutional. The situation took an unexpected turn: the performer was supported by colleagues who filed a counter-petition to annul the ban. It was signed by musicians Eric Clapton, Nick Mason, Brian Eno, actresses Susan Sarandon, Julie Christie—gathering over ten thousand signatures.
- According to Waters, the concept for the album Animals was tied to George Orwell's dystopian novel Animal Farm. Various social groups were represented as animals, and the album cover featured a floating inflatable pig (composition "Pigs on The Wing"). Roger called it a symbol of hope and later used it first at Pink Floyd concerts and then in his own performances.
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