George wright biography organist
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He redefined the standards by which performances in this genre are judged, creating a new quality scale on which he immediately assumed and (in the minds of most) retained the top position."
George Wright
George (*1920 in Orland, CA) was possibly the most famous virtuoso of the theatre organ of the modern era.He recorded more than 60 albums, some of which sold over a million copies during the 1950s and 1960s.
Born in Orland in the Sacramento Valley in 1920, Wright learned to play the piano as a child from his mother, who was a private music teacher.
Wright was raised in Sacramento and got his start playing in his teens.
"During his lifetime he made sixty-plus recordings," said another friend, Ken Petersen. Wright owned a Mighty Wurlitzer theater pipe organ which was installed in his home in the Hollywood hills and played until just a few days before he died. In 1995, he was presented with the first Lifetime Achievement Award by the American Theatre Organ Society.
The George Wright Memorial Home Page
A George Wright Discography by Tom Custer
An Assemblage of Tributes
To the Memory of George Wright
August 28, 1920-May 10, 1998
George Wright was well known across the country as evidenced by the appearance of obituaries in many major newspapers including "The New York Times".
Wright spent four years as organist at the Fox Theatre in San Francisco, then moved to New York City to work as organist and musical director at the Paramount on Times Square.
In 1938, he had his first playing job at a Chinese night club in Oakland. Imitated by many, equaled by none, he was indeed a legendary figure, whose profound and far-reaching influence on current perceptions of what constitutes good theater organ cannot be overstated.
The following appeared in the "San Francisco Chronicle " on June 1st and is reprinted courtesy of the San Francisco Chronicle.
George Wright, one of the last of the great theater organists of the Golden Age of movies, died of heart failure May 10 at Glendale Memorial Hospital near his home in the Hollywood hills. Later he graduated from Grant Union High School in 1938.
He began recording at this time, first cutting 78s for Sid Nathan's King Records. During these years, he also played countless concerts and continued an active recording career.
In 1995, he won the first lifetime achievement award from The American Theatre Organ Society. In 1951 he returned to California as ABC's musical director for the West Coast and live studio organist for the long-running TV program, General Hospital.
In 1995, he won the first lifetime achievement award from the American Theatre Organ Society.
Wright owned a Mighty Wurlitzer theater pipe organ which was installed in his home in the Hollywood hills and played until just a few days before he died.
source: Wikipedia
In 1941, he joined San Francisco radio station KFRC and performed at the Fox Theater on Saturday nights.
He is survived by his son, Tom, of Hollywood. He finished his last album -- Salon" -- just 60 days before his desth. Wright quickly became renown among theater organists for his pyrotechnic virtuosity, devising novel effects and pulling off lightning fast stop changes. He grew up in Stockton and Sacramento, where learned to play the piano at an early age.
He grew up in Stockton and Sacramento, where he graduated from Grant Union High School.
His first professional engagement was at the Shanghai Terrace Bowl, a Chinese nightclub in Oakland that boasted a two-manual, six-rank Wurlitzer. During his long career, George played a key role in reviving interest in theatre organ music.