Early years: 1964–69 Wright was born in
Leeds, England, in 1947 to George Wright and Dorothy Wright (née Longden). His family migrated to
Melbourne, Australia, when he was nine. They moved to
Sydney in 1960 and lived in
Villawood near the Villawood Migrant Hostel. (No. 3, 1965), "Wedding Ring" (No. 7, 1965), "Women (Make You Feel Alright)" (No. 4, 1966), "Come and See Her" (No. 3, 1966), "I'll Make You Happy" (track on
Easyfever EP, No. 1, 1966), and "Sorry" (No. 1, 1966). He was lead vocalist on their only international hit, "
Friday on My Mind", Wright was renowned for his energetic stage performance, which included
acrobatic back-flips and
mod dance moves. released in May 1966, which peaked at No. 1. It became a hit—the first 11-minute song to chart at No. 1 anywhere in the world— and is now regarded as an Australian rock classic. In 1983, there was talk of a solo album with work involving Vanda and Young again. Wright said the album would best be described as "classy rock 'n' roll", and the songs were about "a wide
spectrum of all the experiences I've been through". He said the love songs he had were
optimistic. The interview discussed how Wright worked in the studio with Vanda and Young: The Easybeats re-formed for a brief Australian tour in 1986, and Wright re-formed variations of the Stevie Wright Band in 1986–88. Wright's substance-abuse problems continued into the 1980s and 1990s and he came close to death on several occasions but was supported by his partner, Fay Walker. His meteoric rise and fall has made him a frequent media subject. In 1999, journalist
Jack Marx published a much-anticipated biography,
Sorry – The Wretched Tale of Little Stevie Wright. It was critically applauded by some reviewers. Australian music historian
Clinton Walker called it "
gonzo journalism at its best".
The Bulletin later referred to
Sorry as "one of the most harrowing rock books ever written".
Sorry was dismissed by Wright, his fans and other critics. Internet reviewer Ken Grady (
Luna Kafé, 1999) described Marx as "a self serving hypocrite" and concluded his review by observing: "The only thing that Marx has achieved is to depict himself as a very unlikeable,
morally bankrupt leech."
Long Way to the Top was a 2001
Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) six-part documentary on the history of Australian rock and roll from 1956 to the modern era. "Episode 2: Ten Pound Rocker", broadcast on 22 August, featured interviews with
Harry Vanda and
Johnny Young. As of 2001, Wright lived near
Canberra with his partner Fay Walker, and he had a son, Nicholas, born in 1972 or 1973. Songs played included "Sorry", "I'll Make You Happy", "Evie (part 2)", "Friday on My Mind", "She's So Fine" and "Wedding Ring". He was interviewed for the
Macquarie Regional Radioworks program
Sunday Groovies, by Kym Ferguson, on 11 February. He reported that 2009 was an exciting and busy year with new material and previously unreleased tracks expected. Wright retired and lived on the
South Coast of
New South Wales. He died on 27 December 2015 at
Moruya Hospital of
pneumonia. His funeral was held at
St Andrew's Cathedral in Sydney on 8 January 2016. ==Bibliography==