David Gilmour may have recruited the harmonies of David Crosby and Graham Nash for his latest solo album, Rattle That Lock, but the Pink Floyd guitarist looked to London's Wandsworth Prison for some extra pizazz. Gilmour hired the inmates in the Liberty Choir to provide back up vocals for the title track of his latest LP, due out on September 18.
"It's wonderful seeing all these guys singing in the prison along with people from the South London Choir," Gilmour told the BBC. "They are close to the end of their sentences, and they then have a place outside prison where they feel part of the community, and that's very good for them, to feel valued."
Gilmour first heard of the Liberty choir when his son, Charlie, spent four months in Wandsworth following a conviction of violent disorder during a student protest, UltimateClassicRock notes. Seeing his son behind bars gave him a chance to "see how the system worked, and there's a lot wrong with the system, but there are many other initiatives that people are taking into their own hands within prisons and for prisoners. This one, with the dual thing of doing it inside prison and on the outside as well, is a different step that we think is very good."
The Liberty Choir also incorporates members form the South London Choir while practices are held inside the prison. After speaking with the inmates, Gilmour felt at ease knowing the program was helping them, acting as a creative outlet as well as a safe haven. "[T]hey all think it's a fantastic program and are very keen for it to be widened and spread to other prisons," he said. "It gives them real hope and optimism that they don't just come out of prison into a vacuum and the same temptations. This gives them at least one night a week with something to do where they feel valued, and they can join in with something artistic that is uplifting."
The 69-year-old musician recently teamed up with fellow Pink Floyd members, sans Roger Waters, to craft one last Pink Floyd LP, The Endless River. Now, he'll continue to embark on solo efforts with the lyrical assistance of his wife, Polly Samson.
