He composed the song "Spanish Flea" for Herb Alpert and was leader of the Baja Marimba Band.
Born in Chicago, Wechter played vibraphone (vibes) and percussion for the Martin Denny group in the 1950s.
In the early 1960s, he moved on to movie soundtracks and television, as well as session work for the likes of the Beach Boys, the Monkees, Sonny & Cher, and various Phil Spector productions.
When the band disbanded in the mid 1970s, Wechter turned his attention to TV and movies again, scoring the Disney film Midnight Madness.
In his later years, he devoted himself to psychology, earned a master's degree, and served as vice president of the Southern California chapter of the Tourette Syndrome Association.