George Wright (August 28, 1920 in
Orland, California – May 10, 1998 in
Glendale, California) was an
American musician, possibly the most famous
virtuoso of the
theatre organ of the modern era.
Wright was best known for his virtuoso performances on the huge
Wurlitzer theater pipe organs at the famed Fox Theater on Market Street in
San Francisco and the ornate Paramount Theaters in both
New York and
Oakland. He was in constant demand during the 1940s, '50s and early '60s, playing at concerts and recitals around the world.
Biography
George Wright learned to play the piano at an early age from his mother who was a private music teacher. He grew up in
Stockton and
Sacramento, where he graduated from
Grant Union High School. One of his first projects was installing a theater organ there, where it still remains and plays.
In 1938 he had his first playing job at a Chinese night club in Oakland called the Shanghai Terrace Bowl which boasted a 2-manual, 6-rank Wurlitzer; the show was broadcast nightly by an Oakland radio station. In 1941, he joined
San Francisco radio station KFRC and performed at the Fox Theater on Saturday nights. In 1944, he relocated to
New York City to work as organist and musical director at the Paramount on
Times Square. He began recording at this time, first cutting 78 RPM records for
Syd Nathan's
King Records. In New York he played on Jack Berch's
NBC show and later guested with
Paul Whiteman and
Percy Faith, as well as on the network shows of
Bing Crosby...
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