A Memory of Richard Wright

Today in 2008, we lost Richard Wright, the keyboardist for Pink Floyd, at the age of 65. To be fair, Wright was more than a keyboardist, he also played synth, organ, bass, harpsicord, harmonium, and performed backing vocals. He was also a songwriter, though not as prolific as David Gilmour or Roger Waters, and produced a significant amount of lyrics for Division Bell, Wish You Were Here, Dark Side of the Moon, and Meddle.

At 12, Wright taught himself how to play guitar. In 1962, he enrolled in the Regent Street Polytechnic where he met future bandmates Waters and Gilmour. The three formed The Pink Floyd Sound in 1965. In 1967-68, Wright wrote and sang many of his own songs. He is not credited with lead vocals on several Syd Barrett penned tunes from The Piper at the Gates of Dawn.

Wright performing in Munich in 2006.

Typically, Wright contributed to the long, epic songs such as "Shine On You Crazy Diamond," "Atom Heart Mother," and "Echoes." He also extensively contributed to "Time" and "Breathe," and sang alternating lead vocals with Gilmour on "Breathe." But as the sound and goals of Pink Floyd changed, Wright focused more on his keyboard style for the extended instrumental breaks in songs like "Dogs," "One of These Days," and "Interstellar Overdrive."

Wright was forced to resign from Pink Floyd by Waters during the The Wall sessions. Waters threatened to axe the tapes if Wright didn't leave. However, he was kept on as a salaried session musician. He was the only member to not attend the film premiere of Pink Floyd-The Wall (1982) and Pink Floyd's Final Cut (1983) is the only album Wright does not appear on. He continued to appear alongside Pink Floyd as a salaried musician following Waters's departure.

One of the last times Pink Floyd played together (L to R): Gilmour, Waters, Mason, Wright

In November 2005, Pink Floyd was inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame. Wright was unable attend due to cataracts surgery. In 2006, Wright joined Gilmour and Nick Mason for the recording of the PULSE DVD. In 2008, Wright died of cancer while he had been working on a new solo album. His contributions to the music world have been and will continue to be missed.