Gary Wright from Spooky Tooth has passed away. He had a big hit as a solo artist. I always liked that song, "Dream Weaver." It always takes me back. R.I.P.
Gary Wright was the first artist in the first concert I ever went to. It was 1975 at Hawthorne Park racetrack, the lineup was Gary Wright/Lynard Skynard/Peter Frampton/Yes. Frampton was promoting "Frampton Comes Alive", and Yes had "Relayer" with Patrick Moraz on keyboards. Gary was well-known for using the Moog bass, although both Stevie Wonder and Billy Preston had done it earlier. The connection to Indian religious themes ran deep; Gary's uncle Richard Wright was Paramahansa Yogananda's driver and right hand man when he returned to India from Encinatas, CA in 1952. Yogananda had just completed his book "Autobiography of a Yogi", living in a houseboat on the lake shrine in Encinatas. A life-changing book for me. Gary's music lives on.
And probably one of the earliest appearance of Mr. Moog's Marvelous Modular Musical Machine on a pop/rock recording. Delivered from Upstate N.Y. to the session at Columbia in NYC by Bob in his station wagon.
Apparently, the session musicians saw the writing on the wall and got scared.
Love that song and its promo. He was exceptional even if only for that dreamy hit song. I was recently reading about him in regards to his work with George Harrison.
“All Things Must Pass”. Here’s a bit from the Gary Wright Wikipedia page …
While in England, he played keyboards on former Beatle George Harrison's triple album All Things Must Pass (1970), so beginning a friendship that inspired the Indian religious themes and spirituality inherent in Wright's subsequent songwriting.
Gary Wright was the first artist in the first concert I ever went to. It was 1975 at Hawthorne Park racetrack, the lineup was Gary Wright/Lynard Skynard/Peter Frampton/Yes. Frampton was promoting "Frampton Comes Alive", and Yes had "Relayer" with Patrick Moraz on keyboards. Gary was well-known for using the Moog bass, although both Stevie Wonder and Billy Preston had done it earlier. The connection to Indian religious themes ran deep; Gary's uncle Richard Wright was Paramahansa Yogananda's driver and right hand man when he returned to India from Encinatas, CA in 1952. Yogananda had just completed his book "Autobiography of a Yogi", living in a houseboat on the lake shrine in Encinatas. A life-changing book for me. Gary's music lives on.
Love that song and its promo. He was exceptional even if only for that dreamy hit song. I was recently reading about him in regards to his work with George Harrison.