Richard Wright

English keyboardist, co-founder of Pink Floyd (1943–2008)

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Lived 1943–2008, aged 65United Kingdom

United Kingdom MusiciansSinger / Musician

Wikipedia
54 languages
Cross-language footprint
Era
1943–2008
Aged 65
Known for
Rocky V
1990

Summary

Updated 2026-06-09

The keyboards that defined Pink Floyd's sound — the spectral swells, the jazz-tinged organs, the textures that made "Dark Side" shimmer — came from Richard Wright, the co-founder who stayed quietest in the mix and left the loudest hole when he died.

Biography

About

Wright met Roger Waters and Nick Mason studying architecture at Regent Street Polytechnic in London, and the three formed Pink Floyd with Syd Barrett, hitting commercial success in 1967. After Barrett's departure and David Gilmour's arrival in 1968, Wright wrote and sang early tracks like "Remember a Day" and "It Would Be So Nice", then shifted mainly to arranging as Waters and Gilmour took over songwriting. His jazz-rooted playing on Farfisa and Hammond organs became essential to the band's atmosphere, threading through classics like "Time" (1973), where he sang lead. He contributed less by t…

Voice

In their own words

Sourced, dated quotes from Richard Wright

Richard Wright

said1966

He was sitting in a white home; dim lights burned round him; strange objects challenged him; and he was feeling angry and uncomfortable.

— "Fear", p. 47, Harper Row 1966

Richard Wright

said1966

There were rare moments when a feeling and longing for solidarity with other black people would take hold of him.

— "Flight", p. 109, Harper Row 1966

Richard Wright

said1940

But the moment he makes the attempt his words falter, for he is confronted and defied by the inexplicable array of his own emotions.

— p. viii

Richard Wright

said1940

I sensed, too, that the Southern scheme of oppression was but an appendage of a far vaster and in many respects more ruthless and impersonal commodity-profit machine.

— p. xv

Richard Wright

said1940