Pink Floyd's original name before 'The Pink Floyd Sound' and the blues connection

Before they became The Pink Floyd Sound (later just Pink Floyd), the band was known as The Tea Set. They played under that name through early 1965, mostly covering blues and R&B. But when they showed up for a gig and found another band called The Tea Set already on the bill, they needed a last-minute change.

Syd Barrett came up with the new name on the spot. He had a blank record sleeve in his room that listed two bluesmen: Pink Anderson and Floyd Council. He liked the sound of the two names together. The band went with “The Pink Floyd Sound” for a while, then dropped “The” and “Sound” as they moved toward psychedelic rock.