Richard Wright

Who was Richard Wright?

Richard William Wright (28 July 1943 – 15 September 2008) was an English keyboardist, singer, and songwriter who co-founded the rock band Pink Floyd. Wright grew up in Hatch End, Middlesex, and met his future Pink Floyd bandmates Roger Waters and Nick Mason while studying architecture at the Regent Street Polytechnic, London. He appeared on almost every Pink Floyd album and performed on all of their tours. After being joined by frontman and songwriter Syd Barrett, Pink Floyd achieved commercial success in 1967. Barrett was replaced by David Gilmour in 1968, who, along with Waters and Wright, took over songwriting. Wright initially contributed significantly to the band as a singer-songwriter, writing and providing lead vocals on songs including "Remember a Day" and the single "It Would Be So Nice" (both 1968). Later, Wright acted mainly as an arranger on compositions by Waters and Gilmour.

He began to contribute less towards the end of the 1970s and left the band after touring The Wall in 1981.

Historical significance

He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996 as a member of Pink Floyd.