Stevie Wright
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Stephen Carlton 'Stevie' Wright (born December 20, 1948, in Leeds, Yorkshire) is an Australian musician and songwriter who has been called Australia's first international pop star[1]. From 1965-1969 he was the lead singer for the Sydney-based rock and roll band The Easybeats, widely regarded as the greatest Australian pop band of the Sixties.
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[edit] Biography
During his time with The Easybeats he was popularly and affectionately known as "Little Stevie". He co-wrote many of their early hits (including "Sorry" and "I'll Make You Happy"), and was vocalist on their biggest hit "Friday on My Mind", which, in 2001, was voted the Best Australian Song of All Time[2] and made the Top 20 in both the UK and the U.S. He was also renowned for his energetic stage performance which included acrobatic back-flips and mod dance moves.
After the break-up of The Easybeats in 1969, Stevie returned to Sydney from the UK. A thorough discography of his work lists lineups of the Stevie Wright Band in 1972 [3]. However, other sources list him as playing only with the band Black Tank during that period.
In 1972-73 he won national acclaim for his performance as Simon Zealotes in Jesus Christ Superstar.[4] He then achieved solo success when his old Easybeats band-mates Harry Vanda and George Young (now turned record producers) returned from the UK in 1973. He formed his own backing band, The Stevie Wright band for live performances in this time.
In 1974 Wright released the single "Evie (Parts 1, 2 & 3)". Written and produced by Vanda & Young, it became a hit — reportedly the only 11-minute song to chart at #1 anywhere in the world — and is now regarded as an Australian rock classic. Two Vanda and Young produced LPs followed: Hard Road and Black-eyed Bruiser. Wright, however, struggled with drug and alcohol addiction, which ultimately de-stabilised his new found success.
David Bowie, Lou Reed, Meat Loaf, Peter Frampton, Gene Simmons, Cheap Trick, Blondie, Dead Kennedys, Rod Stewart and INXS have all sung Wright/Easybeats/Vanda & Young songs [5]. George Young's brothers Angus Young and Malcolm Young went on to form AC/DC, for whom a couple of Steve Wright Band drummers also played.
The Easybeats reformed for a brief Australian tour in 1986, and Wright re-formed variations on the Stevie Wright Band in 1986-88.
In later years he suffered debilitating drug and alcohol problems which were further exacerbated by his self-admission to the notorious Chelmsford Private Hospital in Sydney; director Dr Harry Bailey administered a highly controversial treatment known as "deep sleep therapy" which allegedly cured drug addiction with a combination of drug-induced coma and electroshock. Many patients, including Wright, suffered brain damage and lifelong after-effects and dozens of patients died as a result of the so-called 'treatment'. The scandal was later exposed, but Bailey avoided prosecution by committing suicide. Stevie's substance abuse problems spiralled out of control in the 1980s and '90s and he came close to death on several occasions, but was pulled back from the brink by his wife Faye and by 2002 was well enough to perform as part of the all-star "Long Way To The Top" national concert tour. His biography, Hard Road, was published in 2004.
Wright's meteoric rise and fall has made him a frequent media topic and he has been the subject of at least one book [4]. Born in Leeds, United Kingdom, Stevie Wright currently lives in Narooma (rural NSW) with his wife Faye.
On Friday, 11 August 2006, Wright performed live at the Civic Hotel in the Perth suburb of Inglewood. His set consisted of five Easybeats songs and part 2 of Evie. Witnesses say the gig wasn't the most polished of performances but one had to give Wright full marks just for attempting the long journey to Perth and performing.[citation needed]
On Saturday February 10, Stevie performed with Phil Emmanuel on Australia's Gold Coast, in a concert celebrating blues music.
He was interviewed for the Macquarie Regional Radioworks program "SUNDAY GROOVIES" by Kym Ferguson, in a radio special that aired on Sunday February 11. He reports an exciting and busy year with new material and previously unreleased tracks expected.
[edit] The Wrights
"Evie (Part 1, 2 & 3)" was covered in 2005 by Australian supergroup The Wrights (who take their name from Stevie Wright). Members are: Nic Cester (vocals, Jet); Kram (drummer/vocalist, Spiderbait); Chris Cheney (guitar/vocals, The Living End); Davey Lane (You Am I & The Pictures); Pat Bourke (bass, Dallas Crane); Bernard Fanning (vocals, Powderfinger); Phil Jamieson (vocalist, Grinspoon). The song was performed live at the Wave Aid Benefit Concert in 2005.
[edit] Solo discography
- Hard Road (1974)
- Black-eyed Bruiser (1975)
- Facing The Music (1986)
- The Best from Down Under (1989)
- Striking it Rich (1991)
- Definitive Collection (2004)
[edit] References
- ^ Reliving a wretched life on page and stage, The Age, August 5, 2004.
- ^ Setting the record straight, The Age, April 8, 2003.
- ^ Stevie Wright discography at passagen.se
- ^ a b milesago.com Biography, with bibliography and references
- ^ The Flash and the Pan Pages
