On Wednesday, we lost Dwight Twilley, a legend in power pop. He was 72.
Born in Tulsa on June 6, 1951, Dwight Twilley was already interested in the arts before seeing the Beatles play “The Ed Sullivan Show” in 1964. That show, in particular, inspired him to start a middle school band called the Intruders. Dwight and friend Phil Seymour saw “A Hard Day’s Night” in 1967, and as soon as the movie was over, they went to Twilley’s place and started writing and recording songs together right away.
Twilley focused his career on creating songs with catchy melodies, lush harmonies, and jangly guitars—the prototypical elements of a successful power pop single. The debut single by the Dwight Twilley Band, which Twilley co-led with Phil Seymour, “I’m on Fire,” reached the Top 20 in 1975. Along the way, he developed a long friendship with Tom Petty, and they both played on each others records.
Despite having a second chart hit with 1984’s incessant “Girls,” Twilley ultimately spent the second half of his life in Tulsa, where he established a recording studio and a record company, releasing albums full of upbeat, catchy songs that were consistent with the creative standards he had established with Sincerely. I was honored to interview him when he was promoting the Green Blimp album in 2010. Dwight has been honored in the Power Pop Hall of Fame, and we wish him peace forevermore. You were always looking for the magic, but really, you gave the magic to us.