Many musicians have collaborated with other names throughout their careers. Listening to their favorite artist on a project with another prominent name is a dream come true for the fans, and both sides benefit from such an effort. From Queen and David Bowie’s hit ‘Under Pressure’ to Michael Jackson and Eddie Van Halen’s iconic collab ‘Beat It,’ there are many memorable collaborations in rock music history written in letters of gold.
Working with another great artist is a highly-beneficial move for a musician. For instance, ‘Walk This Way’ helped Aerosmith regain their place in the scene when they were declining in prominence. As mentioned above, artists also receive other fans’ support and appreciation for a new collaboration. On top of it, it also has financial benefits. However, it turns out that Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour has a different motive behind his wish to collaborate with other names in the industry.
David Gilmour is famous for his phenomenal solos and genuine stage shows with Pink Floyd, but there is also another reason he won the rock music fans’ hearts. The iconic guitarist is widely recognized for his charity work and doesn’t see any issue with sacrificing his favorite items for a good cause. Gilmour even sold all of his guitars, including the famous Black Strat, to raise money for the environmentalist charity ClientEarth.
Besides selling his possessions, David Gilmour also uses the projects he has worked on with other artists for charity. Speaking to Q Magazine in 1990, David Gilmour said he asked the musicians he collaborated with to send a cheque to a charity of their choice, such as Amnesty International or Greenpeace. However, this wasn’t always a norm — the guitarist paid Stevie Winwood for using his studio and gave him $1,000 daily.
“I just say to anyone I’m working for, ‘Send a cheque for whatever you like to the charity of your choice,’” said David Gilmour, revealing his condition to agree to collaborate with another musician. “Though sometimes I specify Amnesty International or Greenpeace. It becomes something to do with their conscience, not mine – I’m not going to check up.”
Asked about his collaboration with Stevie Winwood on the album ‘About Face,’ Gilmour said, “I paid him good money, about $1,000 a day, and he wanted me to use his studio and pay for the studio time. It seemed perhaps a little high. But he didn’t owe me any favors, and I didn’t know him very well. I’ve always loved Stevie Winwood. I used to see the Spencer Davis Group when I was 18 and he was about 16. He used to play a great guitar and piano — I wanted to hit the little f*cker; he was so good!”
In 2005, Pink Floyd reunited at the Live 8 concert in Hyde Park for charity, and the album sales of ‘Echoes: The Best of Pink Floyd’ increased. David Gilmour used this as an opportunity to make donations to charities and advised others to do the same. Besides, he collaborated with Paul McCartney on ‘No More Lonely Lights’ and told him to give his session fee to a charity of his choice. Apparently, the guitarist tries to seize every chance to encourage charity work.
