Eric Woolfson
The visionary lyricist and voice behind The Alan Parsons Project, who spun complex concepts into haunting, multi-million-selling rock symphonies.
1945–2009 (age 64)·Scottish musician and songwriter·Birthday: March 18·The Silent Generation
Biography
Eric Woolfson (1945–2009) co-wrote and sang on The Alan Parsons Project's 'Eye in the Sky,' a 1982 hit that reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100. Born in Glasgow, he trained as a pianist before moving to London, where he worked as a session musician and songwriter. He composed songs for Marmalade and wrote advertising jingles. In 1975, he met engineer Alan Parsons, beginning a partnership that produced a series of concept albums. Woolfson wrote the lyrics and sang lead on tracks such as 'Time' and 'Time,' embedding questions about fate and technology into layered studio recordings. The Project's first album, Tales of Mystery and Imagination (1976), adapted stories by Edgar Allan Poe. Later works drew from Isaac Asimov's science fiction and explored psychological themes. After the Project ended in 1990, Woolfson shifted to musical theatre. He adapted the album The Turn of a Friendly Card into a stage production and wrote the musical Freudiana. His storytelling reached beyond the recording studio into live theater, where he continued to develop narrative-driven works until his death in 2009.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Eric was born in 1945, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Eric Was Born
The biggest hits of 1945
#1 Movie
The Bells of St. Mary's
Best Picture
The Lost Weekend
Eric's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1945Born
WWII ends; atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $4,600Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Sentimental Journey" — Les Brown & Doris DayBest Picture: The Lost Weekend
1950Started school
Korean War begins
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,354Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Goodnight Irene" — Gordon Jenkins & The WeaversBest Picture: All About Eve
1958Became a teenager
NASA founded
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Volare" — Domenico ModugnoBest Picture: Gigi
1961Could drive
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,500Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Tossin' and Turnin'" — Bobby LewisBest Picture: West Side Story
1963Could vote
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1966Turned 21
Star Trek premieres on television
Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
1975Turned 30
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1985Turned 40
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1995Turned 50
Oklahoma City bombing; Windows 95 released
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $96,500Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Gangsta's Paradise" — CoolioBest Picture: Braveheart
2005Turned 60
Hurricane Katrina devastates New Orleans; YouTube launches
Gas: $2.30/galHome: $167,500Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"We Belong Together" — Mariah CareyBest Picture: Crash
2009Died at 64
Michael Jackson dies; Bitcoin created
Gas: $2.35/galHome: $148,500Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Boom Boom Pow" — The Black Eyed PeasBest Picture: The Hurt Locker
Key Achievements
- Co-wrote and produced all ten studio albums for The Alan Parsons Project, which have sold tens of millions of copies worldwide.
- Wrote the lyrics and sang lead vocals on the global hit 'Eye in the Sky'.
- Successfully adapted the albums 'Freudiana' and 'Gaudi' into stage musicals in Europe.
Did You Know?
He initially managed the career of pianist and singer Chris Rainbow before co-founding the Project.
He was a qualified accountant before pursuing music full-time.
The song 'Time' from the album 'The Turn of a Friendly Card' features one of his most celebrated vocal performances.
“I always thought of the Alan Parsons Project as making movies for the mind.”
