Livingston “Livey” Wright, a guitarist who played with Boney M for several years, died in London on February 7 at age 75. His brother, Hyman Wright, confirmed his passing in an interview with clintonlindsay.com.
Wright, who was born in Trelawny parish in western Jamaica, returned to his homeland permanently 20 years ago. He went to the United Kingdom recently for medical treatment.
The Wright brothers moved to the UK in 1960 and settled with their family in Peckham, south London. Musically-inclined they played in bands throughout London, with Hyman on drums.
One of the older Wright’s first bands was The Healers which he joined during the late 1960s. He performed with them in Europe and the Middle East until the early 1970s when he became an in-demand musician for Jamaican acts living or touring the UK, including Desmond Dekker and Toots and The Maytals.
Wright joined Boney M’s Black Beauty Circus band in the late 1970s after being recommended by the group’s lead singer LIz Mitchell. He and Mitchell were part of Malcolm’s Locks, a band that played the club scene in West Germany.
He toured the world with Boney M at the height of the group’s success in the late 1970s and early 1980s. In that time, their hit songs included By The Rivers of Babylon, Ma Baker, Brown Girl In The Ring and Rasputin.
Hyman Wright said his brother retired from the music business in the 1990s, and returned to Jamaica shortly after.
Livingston Wright is survived by his wife Eleanor, three children, three grandchildren and two brothers.
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