Global InformationStevie Wright information
Stevie Wright | |
|---|---|
 Wright in 1968 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Stephen Carlton Wright |
| Also known as |
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| Born | 20 December 1947 Leeds, England[1] |
| Origin | Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
| Died | 27 December 2015 (aged 68) Moruya, New South Wales, Australia |
| Genres |
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| Occupation(s) | Singer |
| Years active | 1963–c. 2009 |
| Labels |
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Stephen Carlton Wright[2] (20 December 1947[3] – 27 December 2015) was an Australian singer, songwriter, and musician. Called Australia's first international pop star, he is best known for being the lead singer of the Easybeats, who are widely regarded as the greatest Australian pop band of the 1960s.[4][5][6][7]
Born in Leeds, Wright migrated with his family to Australia at the age of nine, living in Melbourne and later Sydney at the Villawood Migrant Hostel, where he met his future bandmates and formed the Easybeats. Their early hits were co-written by Wright with bandmate George Young, including top ten hits such as "She's So Fine", "Wedding Ring", "Sorry" and "Women (Make You Feel Alright)". He was lead vocalist on their only international hit, "Friday on My Mind", which peaked at number one in Australia in 1966, the top ten in the United Kingdom, and the top twenty in the United States and Canada.
After the Easybeats disbanded in 1969, Wright fronted numerous groups including the Stevie Wright Band and Stevie Wright & the Allstars; his solo career included the 1974 single "Evie (Parts 1, 2 & 3)", which peaked at number one on the Kent Music Report Singles Chart.[8] Wright had problems with alcohol and drug addiction.[9] By 1976 he was hospitalised and undertook methadone treatment. In the late 1970s he was treated at Chelmsford Private Hospital by Harry Bailey, who administered deep sleep therapy with a combination of drug-induced coma and electroshock.[4][9]
Wright's life was detailed in two biographies, Sorry: The Wretched Tale of Little Stevie Wright by Jack Marx (1999) and Hard Road: The Life and Times of Stevie Wright by Glenn Goldsmith (2004).[10] On 14 July 2005, the Easybeats, with Wright as a member, were inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame.[11][12][13]
- ^ "Birth details at f reebmd.org.uk". freebmd.org.uk. 31 December 2015. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
- ^ ""Life Gets Better" at APRA search engine". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Retrieved 21 October 2009.
- ^ Davies, Nathan (18 November 2014). "Stevie Wright was the migrant kid who became the frontman for iconic Aussie rock outfit The Easybeats. But with the fame came a lifetime of pain". news.com.au. Retrieved 28 December 2015.
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
McFwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ McFarlane, Ian (1999). "Encyclopedia entry for 'The Easybeats'". Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop. St Leonards, NSW: Allen & Unwin. ISBN 1-86508-072-1. Archived from the original on 29 August 2004. Retrieved 18 October 2009.
- ^ Duncan Kimball (2004). "STEVIE WRIGHT". MILESAGO: Australasian Music and Popular Culture 1964–1975. ICE Productions. Retrieved 17 October 2009.
- ^ "Stevie Wright". Australian Rock Database. Magnus Holmgren. Archived from the original on 1 April 2012. Retrieved 17 October 2009.
- ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book Ltd. ISBN 0-646-11917-6. NOTE: Used for Australian Singles and Albums charting from 1974 until ARIA created their own charts in mid-1988. In 1992, Kent back-calculated chart positions for 1970–74.
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
Tobywas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Donovan, Patrick (5 August 2004). "Reliving a wretched life on page and stage". The Age. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 17 October 2009.
- ^ "ARIA 2008 Hall of Fame inductees listing". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Archived from the original on 15 June 2008. Retrieved 21 October 2009.
- ^ "Winners by Award: Hall of Fame". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Archived from the original on 2 February 2009. Retrieved 21 October 2009.
- ^ "Winners by Artist: The Easybeats". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Retrieved 21 October 2009.[permanent dead link]