Name Philip Wright | Years active 1978–1986 Role Musician Labels Virgin, EMI Genres Synthpop | |
 | ||
Born 30 June 1956 (age 67) ( 1956-06-30 ) Occupation(s) Composer, keyboard player Albums Hysteria, Dare, Reproduction, Travelogue, Crash Similar Jo Callis, Joanne Catherall, Susan Ann Sulley | ||
Song Dissections (134-24) Don’t You Want Me by The Human League
Philip Adrian Wright (born 30 June 1956) is an English musician, also known as Adrian Wright.
Contents
Wright had studied film making at Sheffield Art College and was a friend of Philip Oakey. In 1978 he was invited to join the new avant-garde electronic band The Human League which composed of Oakey, Martyn Ware and Ian Craig Marsh. Then a non-musician, Wright was appointed as 'Director of Visuals' whose job was to provide lighting and slideshows to accompany the Human League’s live concerts.
When the Human League split in October 1980, Wright sided with Oakey. Ware and Marsh left to form pop group Heaven 17. Necessity forced him to become a musician and he quickly learned keyboards. He and Oakey wrote the new Human League's early 1981 releases.
He remained a key member of the Human League during the early 1980s both as a composer and keyboard player. He left the band in 1986 after becoming disillusioned with the musical direction Oakey was taking and feeling marginalized by their new producers during the recording of the album Crash in Minneapolis.
After The Human League he worked in film before moving into design.
He participated in the BBC documentary on The Human League, part of the Young Guns Go For It series.
Present day
Wright works with his partner of 20 years, Tracey Boyd on her fashion label. The couple live in Chelsea, London.