GARY WRIGHT
b. 26 April 1945, Englewood, New Jersey, USA. Wright attracted the
attention of Island Records label owner Chris Blackwell when his rock group,
the New York Times, supported Traffic on a 1967 tour of Scandinavia. An accomplished singer, composer
and keyboard player, Wright was invited to join UK signing Art, whose
career was bereft of direction. The revitalized unit, renamed Spooky Tooth,
enjoyed considerable acclaim before Wright, who drew an increasing share of the
spotlight, left for a solo career in 1970. Having contributed to sessions by
George Harrison, Ringo Starr and Badfinger,
the artist formed Wonderwheel around Jerry Donahue
(b. 24 September 1946, Manhattan, New York, USA; guitar), Archie Legget (bass) and Bryson
Graham (drums). Mick Jones, Legget's one-time
colleague with French singer Johnny Hallyday,
replaced Donahue prior to recording, but the ensuing releases failed to
generate public interest. The group was disbanded in 1972 and while the bassist
joined Kevin Ayers, the remaining trio became the core of a re-formed Spooky
Tooth. Wright led the band for another two years before the name was finally
put to rest. He resumed solo work with The Dream Weaver, a platinum-selling
album which reached number 7 in the US chart, but this
runaway success was not sustained. Despite an in-concert popularity, Light Of Smiles failed to reach the Top 20 while Touch And Gone
and Heading Home missed the Top 100 altogether. The Right Place in 1981 was a much
more satisfying and successful record although Wright appeared to disappear for
a while. He devoted the next few years to bringing up his children as a single
parent. During this time of semi-retirement he worked on a number of film music
scores including Endangered Species but received a bigger profile when “Dream
Weaver” was used to great effect in Wayne's World. He continues
to record and has never ruled out the possibility of a Spooky Tooth reunion.
Discography: The Dream Weaver (Warners 1975)****, The Light Of Smiles (Warners
1977)**, Touch And Gone (Warners 1977)**, Headin' Home (Warners 1979)***,
The Right Place (Warners 1981)**, Who Am I (Cypress
1987)**, First Signs Of Life (1995)**.
Compilations: That Was Only
Yesterday (A&M 1976)***.