DER US-AMERIKANISCHE KEYBOARDER, SÄNGER UND KOMPONIST GARY WRIGHT IST GESTORBEN

Der am 26. April 1943 in Cresskill (New Jersey) geborene US-amerikanische Komponist, Sänger und Keyboarder Gary Wright (Bild) ist am 4. September 2023 in Palos Verdes Estates (Los Angeles) gestorben. Er war Gründungsmitglied der britischen Blues-Rock-Gruppe Spooky Tooth und absolvierte eine Solokarriere mit seinen grössten Hits «Dream Weaver» und «Love is Alive». Seine Titel wurden unter anderem von Judas Priest, Joe Cocker, Peter Frampton, Foreigner, George Harrison, Kenny Loggins und Manfred Mann’s Earth Band interpretiert. Zudem arbeitete Wright auch als Tonmixer an zahlreichen Produktionen von Eric Clapton mit.(*)

Bild: Gary Wright, 2011 – Foto: Dr Jean Fortunet, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Jdontfight – Lizenz: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en – Datei: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gary_Wright.jpg

Gary Wright, ‘Dream Weaver’ Singer and George Harrison Collaborator, Dead at 80

The singer-songwriter was one of the first musicians to create pop and rock albums using only synths.

Charisma Madarang, Jason Newman

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/gary-wright-dream-weaver-dead-obituary-1234818058/

The «Dream Weaver», released in the summer of 1975, peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard 200 album charts in April 1976, with the yacht rock classic title track peaking at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart

The ethereal «Dream Weaver» became one of Wright’s most beloved songs and a frequent go-to Hollywood soundtrack cut in films including Wayne’s World (for which Wright re-recorded the song), Toy Story 3, Ice Age: Collision Course and The People vs. Larry Flynt, as well as the TV series Glee and Superstore. Wright also dipped his toe into film soundtrack composition for the movies Endangered Species (1982) and Fire and Ice (1986).

Gil Kaufman

https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/gary-wright-dead-dream-weaver-singer-dies-1235406056/

A powerfully soulful singer and a versatile keyboardist, Wright was a founding member of the U.K.-based band Spooky Tooth and was an in-demand session player from the late ’60s on, playing on all of George Harrison’s solo albums — including his epochal 1970 debut, «All Things Must Pass» — and Ringo Starr’s early singles (and, much later, with Starr’s All-Starr Band) as well as songs by Nilsson, Tim Rose, B.B. King and many others.

Jem Aswad

https://variety.com/2023/music/news/gary-wright-dead-dream-weaver-1235713097/

Frequent collaborator of George Harrison and synthesiser pioneer was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and Lewy body dementia

Known best for hits Dream Weaver and Love is Alive, which both peaked at No 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, Wright was also a composer and producer, and frequently collaborated with the Beatles musician George Harrison.

Sian Cain

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/sep/05/gary-wright-death-singer-dream-weaver-love-is-alive-dies-aged-80

Der «Dream Weaver»

Seine Berühmtheit erlangte Gary Wright in den Siebzigerjahren durch seine eigentümliche Mischung aus Softrock und Soul. Den Durchbruch brachte 1976 das Album «Dream Weaver», das den gleichnamigen Hit sowie «Love is Alive» enthielt. Beide Songs schafften es bis auf Platz zwei der US-Hitparade.

cbu / dpa

https://www.spiegel.de/kultur/musik/dream-weaver-saenger-gary-wright-gestorben-a-d096a607-0afe-48bf-934e-a3a87222916e

Eine feine Schmachtmusik

Gary Wright ist tot, dessen Biografie von der oft so erbarmungslos ungerechten Popgeschichte auf einen einzigen Song zusammengestaucht wurde. Wobei man sagen muss, dass das nicht nur irgendein Song war, sondern «Dream Weaver», eine der drei Erkennungsmelodien für diesen Mittsiebzigerjahre-Schmelz, der mit so wunderbar viel Pathos daherkam, dass unzählige Filmkomödien diese Songs bemühen, wenn sie das Schmachten und Sehnen mal so richtig dick auftragen wollen, ohne an Substanz zu verlieren (…).

Andrian Kreye

https://www.sueddeutsche.de/kultur/gary-wright-nachruf-1.6197431?reduced=true

Audios / Videos:

Gary Wright – Love Is Alive

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82DSEkHatpw

Gary Wright – DreamWeaver Official Video, 1972

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZKuzwPOefs

YouTube – ‚Dream Weaver‘ Live w- Gary Wright & Ringo Starr and His All starr Band.flv

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HND5IrFbgq4

Spooky Tooth – That Was Only Yesterday (1969)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7lTzEVVItA

Sunshine Help Me [single version] (1968) – Spooky Tooth