Dwight Twilley was a singer and songwriter who had power pop hits in the 1970s and ‘80s with the Dwight Twilley Band and as a solo artist.
- Died: October 18, 2023 (Who else died on October 18?)
- Details of death: Died at the age of 72.
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Dwight Twilley’s legacy
Twilley formed the Dwight Twilley Band in his hometown of Tulsa, Oklahoma, alongside singer, drummer, and bassist Phil Seymour (1952–1993). Their first hit came in 1975 with “I’m on Fire,” written by Twilley and reaching No. 16 on the Billboard chart. They had intended to follow its success with their song “Shark (in the Dark),” but the plan was scrapped by studio executives as it coincided with the blockbuster movie “Jaws,” and they feared it would be seen as a novelty song.
That was just the beginning of a string of events that contributed to the band’s lack of further hits. Distribution problems and the collapse of their record label delayed the release of their albums, and the band faltered in the wake of these issues. Seymour ultimately left for a solo career in 1978, and Twilley embarked on his own solo career.
Twilley’s greatest solo success was with the 1984 single “Girls,” which featured backing vocals from Tom Petty (1950–2017) and reached the same chart position as “I’m on Fire” – No. 16. He followed it with the less successful single “Little Bit of Love.” Among the songs Twilley wrote was “Why You Wanna Break My Heart,” later covered by Tia Carrere in the 1992 movie “Wayne’s World.” Twilley continued recording solo albums into the 2010s, and he wrote the book “Questions from Dad.”
Notable quote
“I was just a damn genius when I was young, and I just got stupider and stupider each year afterwards. It was an adventure, you know, a kind of amazing adventure. You are a kid, and all the other musicians in the world are trying to make a record, a little disc with their name on it and their picture on the sleeve and things like that, and trying to get on the radio, and we were able to accomplish that.” —from an August 2023 interview for Americana UK
Tributes to Dwight Twilley
Full obituary: Variety
