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Wright was a [[cornet|cornetist]] at high school and led the 16-piece band Dukes of Swing in his 20s. He was largely self-taught on [[jazz bass|bass]] until his early 30s, when he studied privately with Paul Gregory and others.<ref name="auto"/>
He played with [[Lonnie Simmons (jazz musician)|Lonnie Simmons]], [[Gene Ammons]], [[Count Basie]] and [[Arnett Cobb]] in the late '40s and early '50s, then worked with [[Buddy DeFranco]] from 1952 to 1955, touring Europe with him. He played in the [[Red Norvo]] trio in 1955 and toured Australia with them. He was featured in a film short with [[Charlie Barnet]].
Wright's most notable work was with the [[Dave Brubeck|Dave Brubeck Quartet]], which he joined in 1958. He remained with Brubeck until 1968, as part the classic line-up with [[Paul Desmond]] and [[Joe Morello]], and featured in Brubeck's notable [[Jazz standard|standards]] "[[Take Five]]" and "[[Blue Rondo à la Turk]]". He recorded more than 30 albums with the group. Brubeck himself wrote that Wright "grounded the group", allowing them "to play other tempos and do polyrhythmic things and he wouldn’t budge from this grounded beat".<ref name=guardian>{{cite web |first=Ben |last=Beaumont-Thomas |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/jan/01/eugene-wright-bassist-classic-dave-brubeck-quartet-dies-aged-97 |title=Eugene Wright, bassist with classic Dave Brubeck Quartet, dies aged 97 |date=January 1, 2021 |website=The Guardian |access-date=January 1, 2021}}</ref>
He performed in Dave and Iola Brubeck's jazz musical ''[[The Real Ambassadors]]'', which featured vocals by [[Louis Armstrong]] and Carmen McRae; the work explored, through satire, the role of musicians as cultural ambassadors during the [[Cold War]], and the racism Black jazz musicians often endured. When Wright joined the group, concert promoters would not allow a Black musician alongside the rest of the white quartet, but Brubeck would refuse to perform without him.<ref name=guardian/><ref>https://www.amacad.org/publication/dave-brubecks-southern-strategy</ref>
After leaving Brubeck, Wright led his own ensemble on a tour of Black colleges in 1969 and 1970, then played with [[Monty Alexander]]'s trio from 1971 to 1974.<ref name=allabout/>
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