Gary Wright
Encyclopedia
Gary Malcolm Wright is an American
musician
, best known for his song, "Dream Weaver
". He was the piano player on Harry Nilsson
's version of "Without You".
.
A former child actor, Wright appeared in the 1954 original Broadway
production of the long-running musical, Fanny
(888 performances), having originated the role of Acolyte and then subsequently replacing Lloyd Reese in the role of Cesario, the son of Fanny. The title role of Fanny was originated by Florence Henderson
who later gained worldwide fame as matriarch Carol Brady in the long-running TV series, The Brady Bunch
. According to Henderson, Reese had to be replaced by Wright because (in her own words): "He (Reese) was a New York boy and puberty struck very early. It wasn't long till he looked like my boyfriend!"
. The songs released were "Working After School" and "Lisa". In the 1960s, Wright went to Europe
to continue studying psychology
. In 1967, he joined the band
Spooky Tooth
as singer and keyboardist
. In 1970 Wright was involved as a record producer
with the Liverpool
based folk music
band Arrival
, and he was also a member of the folk rock
band Howl the Good who had played alongside Arrival at the Isle of Wight Festival 1970
. During this period, he also befriended George Harrison
and was invited to contribute piano to Harrison's All Things Must Pass
.
After Spooky Tooth split up in 1974, Wright continued his solo
career, culminating in "Dream Weaver
". The single
peaked at #2 for three weeks on the Billboard Hot 100
in 1976, sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc
by the RIAA in March 1976. It was later featured in the Wayne's World
feature film
and soundtrack album as well as in the 1996 film The People vs. Larry Flynt
and 2010's Toy Story 3
. Later in 1976, his follow-up single "Love Is Alive" also reached #2 (for two weeks).
Ronnie Montrose
played guitar
on the song "Power of Love" from Wright's album, The Dream Weaver
.
Although The Dream Weaver was a hit album and would go multi-platinum
, his subsequent releases were not nearly as popular, either critically or commercially, and his career quickly stalled. But Wright continued to make albums throughout the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. Wounded Bird Records
reissued The Light of Smiles, Touch and Gone, Headin' Home
and The Right Place in October 2008; all except Headin' Home featured extra tracks.
Wright's last success on the Billboard Hot 100 was in 1981, when he returned with "Really Wanna Know You" (co-written by Ali Thomson
).
His 1981 song "Comin' Apart", from the album The Right Place, was sampled
by Armand Van Helden
for the 2004 club
song titled "My My My
". The song was remix
ed in 2006 by Andreas S. Jensen
. "Heartbeat", also from The Right Place, was re-recorded in 2007 as a dance track by Topmodelz
. In 1984 Chaka Khan
included her cover version of "Love Is Alive" (re-titled "My Love Is Alive") on her album I Feel for You
.
In 1986, Wright contributed the song "Hold On to Your Vision" to the soundtrack of the Sylvester Stallone
movie Cobra.
"Better By You, Better Than Me
," a song written by Wright for Spooky Tooth, was covered by Judas Priest
on their 1978 album Stained Class
.
In 2008, Wright toured with Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band
. In November 2008, Wright released the six-track EP
, Waiting to Catch the Light, on the Larkio Music label. In late 2008, Wright also released The Light of a Million Suns, which featured a re-recorded version of "Love Is Alive" in which son Dorian gets a recording credit.
In 2010, Wright toured again with Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band, along with Rick Derringer
, Edgar Winter
, Richard Page
, Wally Palmer
, and Gregg Bissonette
.
Wright released a new album in June 2010 called Connected. Special guests on the record include Ringo Starr
, Joe Walsh
, and Jeff "Skunk" Baxter.
with wife Rose. He has two adult sons, Dorian and Justin. The latter son is a member of the band Intangible.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
, best known for his song, "Dream Weaver
Dream Weaver (song)
"Dream Weaver" is a song by Gary Wright that was a hit single in the US, reaching #2 in the Billboard charts while it reached #1 in the Cash Box charts in 1976. Taken from the album The Dream Weaver released the previous year, it features Wright on vocals and keyboards, and Jim Keltner on drums...
". He was the piano player on Harry Nilsson
Harry Nilsson
Harry Edward Nilsson III was an American singer-songwriter who achieved the peak of his commercial success in the early 1970s. On all but his earliest recordings he is credited as Nilsson...
's version of "Without You".
Early life
Wright was born and raised in Cresskill, New Jersey, and attended Tenafly High SchoolTenafly High School
Tenafly High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school serving students in grades nine through twelve from Tenafly, New Jersey, United States, operating as part of the Tenafly Public Schools...
.
A former child actor, Wright appeared in the 1954 original Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
production of the long-running musical, Fanny
Fanny (musical)
Fanny is a musical with a book by S. N. Behrman and Joshua Logan and music and lyrics by Harold Rome. A tale of love, secrets, and passion set in and around the old French port of Marseille, it is based on Marcel Pagnol's trilogy of plays entitled Marius, Fanny and César.The musical premiered on...
(888 performances), having originated the role of Acolyte and then subsequently replacing Lloyd Reese in the role of Cesario, the son of Fanny. The title role of Fanny was originated by Florence Henderson
Florence Henderson
Florence Agnes Henderson is an American actress and singer. She is perhaps best known for her role of Carol Brady on the ABC sitcom The Brady Bunch from 1969 to 1974...
who later gained worldwide fame as matriarch Carol Brady in the long-running TV series, The Brady Bunch
The Brady Bunch
The Brady Bunch is an American sitcom created by Sherwood Schwartz and starring Robert Reed, Florence Henderson, and Ann B. Davis. The series revolved around a large blended family...
. According to Henderson, Reese had to be replaced by Wright because (in her own words): "He (Reese) was a New York boy and puberty struck very early. It wasn't long till he looked like my boyfriend!"
Career
In 1959, Wright made his first commercial recording with Billy Markle as the duo Gary & Billy for the 20th Century Fox Records record labelRecord label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
. The songs released were "Working After School" and "Lisa". In the 1960s, Wright went to Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
to continue studying psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
. In 1967, he joined the band
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
Spooky Tooth
Spooky Tooth
Spooky Tooth are an English rock band principally active, with intermittent breakups, between 1967 to 1974. In recent years, the band has been reconstituted at various points, and continues to perform occasionally.-Career:...
as singer and keyboardist
Keyboardist
A keyboardist is a musician who plays keyboard instruments. Until the early 1960s musicians who played keyboards were generally classified as either pianists or organists. Since the mid-1960s, a plethora of new musical instruments with keyboards have come into common usage, requiring a more...
. In 1970 Wright was involved as a record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
with the Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
based folk music
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
band Arrival
Arrival (band)
Arrival was a London-based close-harmony pop-rock band featuring singers originally from Liverpool. Following its appearance on Maynard Ferguson's 1970 UK television special and two chart hits, "Friends" and "I Will Survive", the band was booked to appear at the Isle of Wight Festival 1970.After...
, and he was also a member of the folk rock
Folk rock
Folk rock is a musical genre combining elements of folk music and rock music. In its earliest and narrowest sense, the term referred to a genre that arose in the United States and the UK around the mid-1960s...
band Howl the Good who had played alongside Arrival at the Isle of Wight Festival 1970
Isle of Wight Festival 1970
The 1970 Isle of Wight Festival was held between 26 and 31 August 1970 at East Afton Farm an area on the western side of the Isle of Wight. It was the last of three consecutive music festivals to take place on the island between 1968 and 1970 and widely acknowledged as the largest musical event of...
. During this period, he also befriended George Harrison
George Harrison
George Harrison, MBE was an English musician, guitarist, singer-songwriter, actor and film producer who achieved international fame as lead guitarist of The Beatles. Often referred to as "the quiet Beatle", Harrison became over time an admirer of Indian mysticism, and introduced it to the other...
and was invited to contribute piano to Harrison's All Things Must Pass
All Things Must Pass
All Things Must Pass is a triple album by George Harrison, recorded and released in 1970. The original vinyl release featured two LPs of rock songs as well as Apple Jam, a third LP of informal jams...
.
After Spooky Tooth split up in 1974, Wright continued his solo
Solo (music)
In music, a solo is a piece or a section of a piece played or sung by a single performer...
career, culminating in "Dream Weaver
Dream Weaver (song)
"Dream Weaver" is a song by Gary Wright that was a hit single in the US, reaching #2 in the Billboard charts while it reached #1 in the Cash Box charts in 1976. Taken from the album The Dream Weaver released the previous year, it features Wright on vocals and keyboards, and Jim Keltner on drums...
". The single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
peaked at #2 for three weeks on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
in 1976, sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
by the RIAA in March 1976. It was later featured in the Wayne's World
Wayne's World
Wayne's World was originally a recurring sketch from the NBC television series Saturday Night Live. It evolved from a segment titled "Wayne's Power Minute" on the CBC Television series It's Only Rock & Roll, as the main character first appeared in that show...
feature film
Feature film
In the film industry, a feature film is a film production made for initial distribution in theaters and being the main attraction of the screening, rather than a short film screened before it; a full length movie...
and soundtrack album as well as in the 1996 film The People vs. Larry Flynt
The People vs. Larry Flynt
The People vs. Larry Flynt is a 1996 American biographical drama film directed by Miloš Forman about the rise of pornographic magazine publisher and editor Larry Flynt, and his subsequent clash with the law. The film stars Woody Harrelson, Courtney Love, and Edward Norton.The film was written by...
and 2010's Toy Story 3
Toy Story 3
Toy Story 3 is a 2010 American 3D computer-animated comedy-adventure film, and the third installment in the Toy Story series. It was produced by Pixar and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It was directed by Lee Unkrich. The film was released worldwide from June through October in Disney Digital...
. Later in 1976, his follow-up single "Love Is Alive" also reached #2 (for two weeks).
Ronnie Montrose
Ronnie Montrose
Ronnie Montrose, is an Amercian rock guitarist who has headed his own bands as well as performing with a variety of musicians, including Sammy Hagar, Herbie Hancock, Van Morrison, The Beau Brummels, Boz Scaggs, Beaver & Krause, Gary Wright, Tony Williams, The Neville Brothers, Dan Hartman, Edgar...
played guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
on the song "Power of Love" from Wright's album, The Dream Weaver
The Dream Weaver
The Dream Weaver is a hit solo album by one-time Spooky Tooth keyboard player Gary Wright released in June 1975.The album was said by Wright to be the first-ever all-synthesizer/keyboard album - it features Wright on vocals and keyboards and Jim Keltner and Andy...
.
Although The Dream Weaver was a hit album and would go multi-platinum
RIAA certification
In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards...
, his subsequent releases were not nearly as popular, either critically or commercially, and his career quickly stalled. But Wright continued to make albums throughout the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. Wounded Bird Records
Wounded Bird Records
Wounded Bird Records is a CD only, re-issue record label, that was founded in 1998 in Guilderland, New York. They re-release lesser known albums from both popular and lesser known artists, including Deborah Harry, Chic, David Blue, Marilyn Martin, Gordon Haskell, Jon Anderson, Adrian Belew, Ellen...
reissued The Light of Smiles, Touch and Gone, Headin' Home
Headin' Home (album)
Headin' Home is the sixth solo album by one-time Spooky Tooth keyboard player Gary Wright released in 1979.-Track listing:All songs written by Gary Wright;except as noted#"Keep Love In Your Soul"...
and The Right Place in October 2008; all except Headin' Home featured extra tracks.
Wright's last success on the Billboard Hot 100 was in 1981, when he returned with "Really Wanna Know You" (co-written by Ali Thomson
Ali Thomson
Ali Thomson is a Scottish singer-songwriter. His brother was Doug Thomson, of the Alan Brown Sect and Supertramp. Ali began singing and playing piano in local bands and moved to London in the 1970s where he worked for Mountain Records as an office helphand. Ali signed to A&M Records in the UK and...
).
His 1981 song "Comin' Apart", from the album The Right Place, was sampled
Sampling (music)
In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...
by Armand Van Helden
Armand Van Helden
Armand Van Helden is a record producer, DJ and remixer whose biggest commercial successes came from his remixes of the 1996 Tori Amos song "Professional Widow" , which reached number 1 in the UK Singles Chart in January 1997, and his own track "U Don't Know Me ", which went to number 1...
for the 2004 club
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
song titled "My My My
My My My (Armand Van Helden song)
"My My My" is a song by Armand Van Helden. It contains a sample of the song "Comin' Apart" by Gary Wright. The track was produced in 2004 and included on the album Nympho. It is also featured in the video game Dance Dance Revolution Extreme 2 by Konami as a licensed track under the house music...
". The song was remix
Remix
A remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....
ed in 2006 by Andreas S. Jensen
Andreas S. Jensen
-Career:Andreas S Jensen, is best known as the writer/remixer of Armand Van Helden's hit "My My My" the second most played song on BBC's Radio 1 in 2006 ....
. "Heartbeat", also from The Right Place, was re-recorded in 2007 as a dance track by Topmodelz
Pulsedriver
Slobodan Petrovic Jr. is a Yugoslavian-German electronic dance music DJ, producer and is the founder of Aqualoop Records in 2000. He is best known by his alias, Pulsedriver.-Early life & career:...
. In 1984 Chaka Khan
Chaka Khan
Chaka Khan , frequently known as the Queen of Funk, is a 10-time Grammy Award winning American singer-songwriter who gained fame in the 1970s as the frontwoman and focal point of the funk band Rufus. While still a member of the group in 1978, Khan embarked on a successful solo career...
included her cover version of "Love Is Alive" (re-titled "My Love Is Alive") on her album I Feel for You
I Feel for You (album)
I Feel for You is the Platinum certified fifth solo album by American R&B/funk singer Chaka Khan, released on the Warner Bros. Records label in 1984.-Overview:...
.
In 1986, Wright contributed the song "Hold On to Your Vision" to the soundtrack of the Sylvester Stallone
Sylvester Stallone
Michael Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone , commonly known as Sylvester Stallone, and nicknamed Sly Stallone, is an American actor, filmmaker, screenwriter, film director and occasional painter. Stallone is known for his machismo and Hollywood action roles. Two of the notable characters he has portrayed...
movie Cobra.
"Better By You, Better Than Me
Better By You, Better Than Me
"Better By You, Better Than Me" is a 1969 song by the band Spooky Tooth which was covered in 1978 by Judas Priest.The song was the subject of the much-publicized 1990 "subliminal message trial" in which Judas Priest was involved in a civil action that alleged they were responsible for the suicide...
," a song written by Wright for Spooky Tooth, was covered by Judas Priest
Judas Priest
Judas Priest are an English heavy metal band from Birmingham, England, formed in 1969. The current line-up consists of lead vocalist Rob Halford, guitarists Glenn Tipton and Richie Faulkner, bassist Ian Hill, and drummer Scott Travis. The band has gone through several drummers over the years,...
on their 1978 album Stained Class
Stained Class
Stained Class is the fourth album by British heavy metal group Judas Priest, released in February 1978. A popular album in the band's catalogue, Stained Class showcased a more streamlined songwriting style. The production is crisper, clearer, and cleaner than any of their preceding albums...
.
In 2008, Wright toured with Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band
Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band
To date, Ringo Starr has toured with eleven versions of his All-Starr Band where "everybody on stage is a star in their own right." Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band is a concept that was created by producer David Fishof...
. In November 2008, Wright released the six-track EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
, Waiting to Catch the Light, on the Larkio Music label. In late 2008, Wright also released The Light of a Million Suns, which featured a re-recorded version of "Love Is Alive" in which son Dorian gets a recording credit.
In 2010, Wright toured again with Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band, along with Rick Derringer
Rick Derringer
Rick Derringer is an American guitarist, vocalist, and entertainer.-1960s:When he was seventeen years old, his band The McCoys recorded "Hang on Sloopy" in the summer of 1965, which became the number one song in America before "Yesterday" by The Beatles knocked it out of the top spot. The song was...
, Edgar Winter
Edgar Winter
Edgar Holland Winter is an American musician. He is famous for being a multi-instrumentalist. He is a highly skilled keyboardist, saxophonist and percussionist. He often plays an instrument while singing. He was most successful in the 1970s with his band, The Edgar Winter Group, notably with their...
, Richard Page
Richard Page (musician)
Richard Page , is an American musician who is the lead singer and bassist of 1980's US band Mr. Mister and is now a songwriter and solo artist.-Early life:...
, Wally Palmer
The Romantics
The Romantics is an American New Wave band from Detroit, Michigan, formed in 1977. The band adopted the name "The Romantics" because they formed on Valentine's Day, 1977. The Romantics achieved popularity in the United Kingdom, The U.S...
, and Gregg Bissonette
Gregg Bissonette
Gregg Bissonette, is an American drummer. Gregg was born in a family of musicians. His father Bud Bissonette plays drums, his mother Phyllis plays piano and vibraphone, and brother Matt Bissonette plays bass guitar. Gregg started learning to play the drums at age 5 from his father...
.
Wright released a new album in June 2010 called Connected. Special guests on the record include Ringo Starr
Ringo Starr
Richard Starkey, MBE better known by his stage name Ringo Starr, is an English musician and actor who gained worldwide fame as the drummer for The Beatles. When the band formed in 1960, Starr was a member of another Liverpool band, Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. He became The Beatles' drummer in...
, Joe Walsh
Joe Walsh
Joseph Fidler "Joe" Walsh is an American musician, songwriter, record producer, and actor. He has been a member of three commercially successful bands, the James Gang, Barnstorm, and the Eagles, and has experienced notable success as a solo artist and prolific session musician, especially with B.B...
, and Jeff "Skunk" Baxter.
Personal life
He currently resides in Palos Verdes Estates, CaliforniaPalos Verdes Estates, California
Palos Verdes Estates is a city, incorporated in 1939, in Los Angeles County, California, USA on the Palos Verdes Peninsula. The city was masterplanned by the noted American landscape architect and planner Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr. The population was 13,438 at the 2010 census, up from 13,340 in the...
with wife Rose. He has two adult sons, Dorian and Justin. The latter son is a member of the band Intangible.
Solo albums
- Extraction (1971)
- Footprint (1972)
- The Dream WeaverThe Dream WeaverThe Dream Weaver is a hit solo album by one-time Spooky Tooth keyboard player Gary Wright released in June 1975.The album was said by Wright to be the first-ever all-synthesizer/keyboard album - it features Wright on vocals and keyboards and Jim Keltner and Andy...
(1975) - The Light of Smiles (1977)
- Touch and Gone (1978)
- Headin' Home (1979)
- The Right Place (1981)
- Who I Am (1988)
- First Signs of Life (1995)
- Best of Gary Wright: The Dream Weaver (1998)
- Human Love (1999)
- Waiting to Catch the Light (2008)
- The Light of a Million Suns (2008)
- Connected (2010)
Singles
- "Dream Weaver" (1976) #2
- "Love Is AliveLove Is Alive (Gary Wright song)"Love Is Alive" is a 1976 song by Gary Wright that was a hit single in the US, reaching #2 in the Billboard charts. Taken from the album The Dream Weaver, released the previous year, it features Wright on vocals and keyboards with Jim Keltner on drums...
" (1976) #2 - "Made To Love You" (1976) #79
- "Phantom Writer" (1977) #43
- "Touch and Gone" (1978) #73
- "Really Wanna Know You" (1981) #16
- "Heartbeat" (1981) #107
External links
- Official website
- "Essentials" on Rhapsody
- Three Remastered Albums on Rhapsody
- "Don't Try To Own Me", a music video by Gary Wright
- 90s Dance Group "Third Party" doing "My Love Is Alive"
- The most covered song "Love Is Alive" on SingingFish.com
- "Two Faced Man" Gary Wright with his former backup group The Wonder Wheel featuring George Harrison on The Dick Cavett Show