Laurie Wright 1929-2010
Laurie's son Chris rang us to tell us that Laurie had succumbed to Cancer and had died l Sunday night (28th March) in Hospital. He was 81 years old.
Laurie was a true giant in the world of Jazz research and a great friend of Frog Records, as Richard Crediton-Hughes recently reminded me...
"A not so well known fact is that it was Laurie Wright who was responsible for Dave French's (the founder of Frog Records)
introduction to jazz.
'Rock Around the Clock' was in the charts and a young David went into
Laurie's record shop in Orford Road, Walthamstow to buy a copy. Laurie
asked him why he wanted that particular recording. Dave's answer was
that it was a good tune and different from anything he'd heard until
then. Laurie gave David a copy of a Johnny Dodds single (I believe it
was 'Blue Clarinet Stomp') and told him he could have his original
selection free of charge if after listening to Dodds he still wanted
it. From this time until Dave's untimely death, he and Laurie Wright
were firm friends, and worked together on many jazz projects over the
years."
Laurie will be greatly missed by all who knew him and our thoughts go out to Peggy & the family.
PAUL SWINTON