In memory of Richard Wright

A sad day. A black day.

This is a tribute, a remembrance, in memory of Richard Wright.

Richard Wright (28 July 1943 - 15 September 2008), a self-taught pianist and keyboardist and long time member of Pink Floyd was a multifaceted musician who gave me many a high with his soaring keyboard compositions. I literally grew up listening to his music. Many boring classes were actually fun 'cause we (my friends & I) used to sit in the last bench humming "Us & Them" or "Shine On, You Crazy Diamond".

The early years of Pink Floyd clearly showcase the artistic genius of Rick Wright (though definitely not as much as Syd Barrett). Compositions such as "Astronomy Domine" and "Chapter 24" speak for themselves. The mid-years saw Wright transforming from a organist and back-up vocalist to full time keyboardist. A step, I'm glad, like many others, he took. The result was sheer musical ecstasy - "Interstellar Overdrive", "Shine On, You Crazy Diamond", "Echoes", "The Great Gig in the Sky" and "The Dark Side of the Moon". The final years of Pink Floyd was a sad series of events with a growing rift between Rick Wright and Roger Waters. Wright left the band before the release of the album "The Wall" much to the dispair of fans. In 1984, Wright teamed up with Dave Harris (of Fashion) to form the band Zee. Following Roger Waters' departure from Pink Floyd, Wright rejoined the band in time to release the live album "The Delicate Sound of Thunder" in 1988. Wright played an important role in the recording of "The Division Bell" (my favourite Floyd album) in 1994 and was a part of the line up for P-U-L-S-E (Woohoo!).

Wright, along with Nick Mason was lucky enough to have been on every Pink Floyd tour. Richard Wright didn't taste much success in his solo career (he released 2 albums and was working on a 3rd at the time of his death). But who cares! His enormous contribution to the distinctive Pink Floyd sound will never be forgotten (not by me, anyway).

Here's to the unassuming and camera-shy legend that was Richard Wright!

Shine On....

I salute you!