Eric Wrixon (29 June 1947 – 13 July 2015) was a musician from

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

, and a founding member of

Them Them or THEM, a third-person plural accusative personal pronoun, may refer to: Books * ''Them'' (novel), 3rd volume (1969) in American Joyce Carol Oates' ''Wonderland Quartet'' * '' Them: Adventures with Extremists'', 2003 non-fiction by Welsh ...

and

Thin Lizzy Thin Lizzy are an Irish hard rock band formed in Dublin in 1969. Their music reflects a wide range of influences, including blues, soul music, psychedelic rock and traditional Irish folk music, but is generally classified as hard rock or some ...

. He came up with the band name "Them" (from the 1954 sci-fi film ''

Them! ''Them!'' is a 1954 American black-and-white science fiction film, science fiction monster film from Warner Bros. Pictures, produced by David Weisbart, directed by Gordon Douglas (director), Gordon Douglas, and starring James Whitmore, Edmund ...

''), but as he was a minor his parents declined to sign a recording contract on his behalf and he was replaced in July 1964 prior to recording with the band. By August 1965, he had completed his studies and very briefly returned to Them. Wrixon was next a member of Belfast R&B group

The People The ''Sunday People'' is a British tabloid Sunday newspaper. It was founded as ''The People'' on 16 October 1881. At one point owned by Odhams Press, The ''People'' was acquired along with Odhams by the Mirror Group in 1961, along with the ' ...

and probably played on the two tracks they contributed to the February 1966 compilation album ''Ireland's Greatest Sounds: Five Top Groups From Belfast's Maritime Club'' (both tracks feature keyboards). While based in

Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the North West England, northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the Borough of Blackpool, borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, betw ...

, Wrixon left the band in mid-1966 to join another Belfast band, the Wheels, with whom he recorded the single 'Kicks' in August 1966. In 1967, he moved to Germany with The Never Never Band and subsequently joined Irish midlands-based pop group The Trixons, who also released a number of singles in the late 1960s. He quit in 1969, when he and fellow-Belfast exile

Eric Bell Eric Robin Bell (born 3 September 1947 in Belfast, Northern Ireland) is a Northern Irish rock and blues musician, best known as a founding member and the original guitarist of the rock group Thin Lizzy from 1969 to 1973. After his time in Thin ...

began recruiting a new band from among the Dublin musical scene. The result in early 1970 was Thin Lizzy, but Wrixon left in July of that year due to lack of finances and returned to Germany although he featured on their first single " The Farmer" released that year. Wrixon briefly joined a reformed Them in Hamburg, recording the 1979 album, ''Shut Your Mouth'' but leaving before its promotional tour. In 1993, he formed 'Them – The Belfast Blues Band' – often billed by media and promoters as 'Them' – for "progressive rhythm and blues" live performances throughout Europe (including a 1996 tour), featuring his songs such as ''Crazy Woman'' and ''Marcel's Song''. Wrixon later lived in Italy and toured with a line-up including himself (vocals and keyboards), Billy McCoy (guitars), Luca Nardi (bass) and Tom Wagener (drums). The band also recorded a studio album and were planning a live concert DVD. Wrixon died on 13 July 2015 in Italy at the age of 68.Profile
noise11.com; accessed 15 July 2015.

References

External links

* – From 'Rock'n The North', 1994.
THEM – Belfast Blues Band
1947 births 2015 deaths Musicians from Belfast Rock musicians from Northern Ireland Them (band) members Place of death missing {{Northern-Ireland-musician-stub