Australian music royalty Stevie Wright has tragically passed away. He was sixty-eight years old, and best known as frontman of groundbreaking group The Easybeats.
Wright fell ill on Boxing Day, before being taken to Moruya Hospital on south coast of New South Wales. There, he passed away on Sunday night, as first reported by Noise11.
Born in Leeds in 1947, Wright and his family came to Australia when he was nine years old. It was in Sydney that he met band members Harry Vanda, Dick Diamonde, George Young and Gordon Fleet, with whom he formed The Easybeats at just 16 years old.
The Easybeats were one of the first Australian bands to ever receive global attention, paving the way for the massive, internationally recognised music industry we’re so proud of today. Their 1966 hit single Friday On My Mind hit number one in Australia, hit the top 20 in the USA, and peaked at number 6 in the UK. It later saw a resurgence in attention when it covered by none other than David Bowie, on his 1973 covers album Pin-Ups.
The Easybeats broke up in 1969, but not before they had achieved international recognition, on top of Australia support slots for bands like The Rolling Stones. While his musical success continued, Wright soon began to abuse heroin and alcohol in a manner that would scar him for the rest of his life; although in 2013 it was stated that Wright had not drunk alcohol for 20 years, and had not taken heroin in 12 years, these caused diabetes and lifelong liver and kidney problems.
Wright also enjoyed widespread success as a solo artist later in his career, including 1974’s Evie, an epic three part single now synonymous with Australian rock ‘n roll (no less because some of the track’s iconic guitar riffs are courtesy of AC/DC’s Malcolm Young.) Known as the first 11-minute track to ever reach the number 1 spot anywhere in the world, it’s been covered and celebrated by countless Australian artists. In 2004, the song was performed at a benefit concert, WaveAid, led by members of You Am I, Powderfinger, Grinspoon, Spiderbait, Jet, The Living End and of course, The Easybeats, who came together for a legendary one-off performance (this this editor was lucky enough to have witnessed), the proceeds of which went to a variety of charities. More recently, the track was covered by The Preatures’ Isabella Manfredi and The Basics.
The Easybeats were inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 2005. His final live performance was in 2009 at the Legends of Rock Festival in Byron Bay.
Wright will be remembered for his immense contributions to the history of Australian rock ‘n roll, and for the music that touched so many generations.