Gary Wright

American Musician
Gary Wright was an American musician and composer best known for his hit songs "Dream Weaver" and "Love Is Alive". He had a diverse career, playing keyboards for George Harrison, being part of the British blues rock band Spooky Tooth, and later embracing world music and the new age genre.

About Gary Wright

Gary Malcolm Wright (April 26, 1943 – September 4, 2023) was an American musician and composer best known for his 1976 hit songs “Dream Weaver” and “Love Is Alive”. Wright’s breakthrough album, The Dream Weaver (1975), came after he had spent seven years in London as, alternately, a member of the British blues rock band Spooky Tooth and a solo artist on A&M Records. 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. His work from the late 1980s onwards embraced world music and the new age genre, although none of his post-1976 releases matched the same level of popularity as The Dream Weaver.

A former child actor, Wright performed on Broadway in the hit musical Fanny before studying medicine and then psychology in New York and Berlin. After meeting Chris Blackwell of Island Records in Europe, Wright moved to London, where he helped establish Spooky Tooth as a popular live act. He also served as the band’s principal songwriter on their recordings – among them, the well-regarded albums Spooky Two (1969) and You Broke My Heart So I Busted Your Jaw (1973). His solo album Footprint (1971), recorded with contributions from Harrison, coincided with the formation of Wright’s short-lived band Wonderwheel, which included guitarist Mick Jones, later known for his work with Foreigner. Also, during the early 1970s, Wright played on notable recordings by B.B. King, Jerry Lee Lewis, Ringo Starr, Harry Nilsson, and Ronnie Spector, while his musical association with Harrison endured until shortly before the latter’s death in 2001.

Wright turned to film soundtrack work in the early 1980s, including re-recording his most popular song, “Dream Weaver”, for the 1992 comedy Wayne’s World. Following Spooky Tooth’s reunion tour in 2004, Wright performed live frequently, either as a member of Starr’s All-Starr Band, with his own live band, or on subsequent Spooky Tooth reunions. Wright’s most recent solo albums, including Waiting to Catch the Light (2008) and Connected (2010), have all been issued on his Larklio record label. In 2014, Jeremy P. Tarcher published Wright’s autobiography, Dream Weaver: Music, Meditation, and My Friendship with George Harrison.

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Frequently asked questions about Gary Wright

Gary Wright was an American musician and composer best known for his 1976 hit songs ,Dream Weaver, and ,Love Is Alive,.

Gary Wright’s breakthrough album was The Dream Weaver, released in 1975, which came after he had spent seven years in London as a member of the British blues rock band Spooky Tooth and a solo artist on A&M Records.

While in England, Gary Wright played keyboards on former Beatle George Harrison’s album All Things Must Pass (1970), which inspired the Indian religious themes and spirituality inherent in Wright’s subsequent songwriting.

During the early 1970s, Gary Wright played on notable recordings by B.B. King, Jerry Lee Lewis, Ringo Starr, Harry Nilsson, and Ronnie Spector.

In the early 1980s, Gary Wright turned to film soundtrack work, including re-recording his most popular song, ,Dream Weaver,, for the 1992 comedy Wayne’s World. He also performed live frequently, either as a member of Ringo Starr’s All-Starr Band, with his own live band, or on subsequent Spooky Tooth reunions.

Gary Wright’s most recent solo albums, including Waiting to Catch the Light (2008) and Connected (2010), have all been issued on his Larklio record label.

Yes, in 2014, Jeremy P. Tarcher published Gary Wright’s autobiography, Dream Weaver: Music, Meditation, and My Friendship with George Harrison.

Quotes by Gary Wright

Artists were nurtured back in the ’70s. Their music was developed by the record companies.

Gary Wright

George Harrison is perhaps one of the most creative people I ever met, not only in his music and songwriting, but just the way he lived his life, decorated his gardens and homes. He was a dear friend of mine. His entire approach to music was very unique.

Gary Wright

I always wanted to do something completely different.

Gary Wright

I didn’t develop or build synths. I had my technicians modify them for my live stage performances.

Gary Wright

I like Anastacia’s version of Love is Alive best.

Gary Wright

I will be developing artists for my new label. The rest is in God’s Hands.

Gary Wright

I’m developing artists for my new record label, my son’s band, Intangible, being one of them.

Gary Wright

In 1972, George Harrison invited me to accompany him on a trip to India.

Gary Wright

India profoundly changed my outlook on life because you see how people can be content and very happy with little or even no possessions. It’s the reverse of the West.

Gary Wright

Music’s staying power is a function of how timeless the lyrics, song and production are.

Gary Wright

My music and lyrics became an extension of this Indian philosophy.

Gary Wright

No one likes to work for free. To copy an artist’s work and download it free is stealing. It’s hard work writing and recording music, and it’s morally wrong to steal it.

Gary Wright

The idea to do the album only on keyboards kind of happened by accident. I was quite happy with the sound and felt it really didn’t need more instruments, so I didn’t use them.

Gary Wright

The Internet is both great and terrible. As a source of information, a tool for delivering music and art, it’s great. But spamming ads and piracy of music is terrible. It’s stealing.

Gary Wright

The more far-out artists, the better.

Gary Wright

We lived on a farm in the English countryside, where we wrote a lot of our music. You really were treated like an artist during those days-not like product, which is now the mode.

Gary Wright

We visited Ravi. We didn’t study with him, as such.

Gary Wright