Son of Timatollah

R.I.P., Rick Wright, of Pink Floyd. Obit here in the NYT (registration required).

His keyboards were never flashy in the mode of a Keith Emerson or a Rick Wakeman; instead, they were workmanlike, solid, and based in the blues. Pink Floyd's drummer, Nick Mason, did more of the synthesizer work sometimes associated with their sound, but Wright's piano and organ playing—he was a master of when to change the speed on the Leslie, like Booker T.—was foundational to what Pink Floyd was (well, before he was shut out by Roger Waters in making The Wall). He should be remembered for his many contributions to their gorgeous sound. At least Mason and David Gilmour seemed to keep him in mind as they all tried to move forward after peaking.

I admired his playing tremendously. Think of "Echoes." Think of "Sheep."

Here's "The Great Gig in the Sky," his own piece.

Labels: pink floyd, rick wright