RIP Gary Wright

[Koolau]

Gary Wright, formerly of Spooky Tooth and later solo, passed at 80. He had several songs on the charts but was best known for "Dream Weaver."


What a great musician. RIP

 

[JoeWras]

It comes in threes, he is the third.
1) Jimmy Buffet
2) Steve Harwell (Smash Mouth)
3) Gary Wright

I remember "Dream Weaver" so well, because it was very different. The song was obviously primarily synthetic, and featured that synth bass. Seems like keyboard bass before then was pushed into the background (think of The Doors).

I personally liked "Love Is Alive" much better. And his later work, "Really Want to Know You" has the best "dream" vibe to me. Love that song. Overall, good stuff.

...

Smash Mouth may not be as beloved on this board since they are more a Gen X and Millennial band. I changed jobs when their song "Rock Star" came out and it helped pump me up to learn all the stuff I needed to in my new position.

I'm listening to the radio right now, and the hosts were DJs in the 90s. They said Harwell was genuinely the nicest rock star they ever dealt with. Unfortunately, he struggled with a lot of issue.

 

[Redbugdave]

Yes, Gary Wright has been forever embedded in my musical remembrance. A generational thing for sure. One of my favorites listening while driving. Jimmy Buffet, too. It shows our age...

 

[Dtail]

Dream Weaver is one of my favorites.
RIP

 

[Helen]

My college roommate killed the Dream Weaver album by playing it constantly.

 

[DrRoy]

I played the Dream Weaver album a lot back in the day.

 

[ERD50]

...
I remember "Dream Weaver" so well, because it was very different. The song was obviously primarily synthetic, and featured that synth bass....

I am, and was at the time, a very amateur keyboard player, so I recall hearing that the song was all synth - no guitar (standard drums though). Very different for a song like that in that time.

from wiki:

The track features Wright on vocals and keyboards and Jim Keltner on drums. ...

All instrumentation was created using keyboards except for Keltner's percussion.

Jim Keltner was a session player, the list of albums he's played on goes on for several pages!

And at 81, he's still active!

With Lana Del Rey Did You Know That There's a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd (Polydor Records, 2023)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Keltner

-ERD50

 

[Music Lover]

It comes in threes, he is the third.

Only because people stop counting at 3 and then start over

 

[Koolau]

Only because people stop counting at 3 and then start over

I'm sure you're right, but it sure FEELS like things come in threes - especially deaths. YMMV

 

[skyking1]

It's a handy little prime number, 3 is.
Sure I remember him, and thanks for reminding me upthread about "love is alive".

 

[JoeWras]

I am, and was at the time, a very amateur keyboard player, so I recall hearing that the song was all synth - no guitar (standard drums though). Very different for a song like that in that time.

Yeah, I didn't say "all" because of the drums.

There were some fake drums at the time but they were in infancy. I think Wright actually used elements of them on this song, in addition to the real analog drums.

Wright had to be the primary influence for Gary Numan and "Cars" a few years later. This song is less dreamy, and more weird. But just like "Dream Weaver" it is mostly keyboards with a real analog drum.

 

[Music Lover]

I am, and was at the time, a very amateur keyboard player, so I recall hearing that the song was all synth - no guitar (standard drums though). Very different for a song like that in that time.

-ERD50

One of my bands used to play Dream Weaver. Yes, it's a keyboard song, no guitar and keyboard bass instead of regular bass. I played the keyboard bass on my electric bass and our keyboard player handled the rest of the song while out guitarist singer just sang. It always got a great response from the crowd.

 

[easysurfer]

RIP - Gary Wright.

Really liked that song.

Can't remember another song by him. Do think of that like a one hit wonder.

 

[Northforker]

RIP - Gary Wright.

Really liked that song.

Can't remember another song by him. Do think of that like a one hit wonder.

Love is Alive

 

[Ronstar]

I saw Gary Wright as the first band in a Gary Wright/Lynyrd Skynyrd/Peter Frampton/Yes outdoor concert in the mid 70's. He didn't play too many songs, but I remember liking his music. RIP

 

[jollystomper]

I personally liked "Love Is Alive" much better.

I agree, it is in my personal music library and came up on rotation yesterday. Not that "Dream Weaver" is not a good song, I just like the former more. RIP.

 

[jollystomper]

Smash Mouth may not be as beloved on this board since they are more a Gen X and Millennial band. I changed jobs when their song "Rock Star" came out and it helped pump me up to learn all the stuff I needed to in my new position.

Having teenage kids when Smash Mouth hit with "Walking on the Sun" and "All Star" (a popular tune at sports events), I remember those days of Smash Mouth well. I did not listen to a lot of their music, but I liked their hits, the ones mentioned as well as their remakes of "Why Can't We Be Friends?" and (for Shrek) "I'm a Believer". RIP to Mr. Harwell.

 

[ncbill]

I dunno if I'd count the Smash Mouth guy as being good enough to qualify as part of the three.

Maybe we're waiting on another 70s guy or gal?

 

[harley]

I disagree about Harwell. They definitely qualify compared to Gary Wright. He was sort of a one hit wonder, although I enjoyed a lot of his music. But Smash Mouth had at least 3 hits, with Walking on the Sun, Rock Star, and their cover of I'm a Believer (The Monkees song). Plus he did a really good job in the Rat Race movie.

But Jimmy Buffett was a big step up from either of the other two. Mostly I'm getting tired of people not that much older than me dying. It's a bad example to set.

 

[Koolau]

RIP - Gary Wright.

Really liked that song.

Can't remember another song by him. Do think of that like a one hit wonder.

Love is Alive

Here it is:

 

[jimbohoward69]

Great live version of "Love Is Alive". RIP Gary Wright.

 

[GhostofTomJoad]

OMG. What a resume!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Wright