Willie Wright (musician)
A major contributor to this article appears to have a close connection with its subject. (June 2020) |
Willie Wright | |
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Background information | |
Birth name | William C. Gathright |
Born | Belen, Quitman County, Mississippi, U.S. | July 7, 1939
Died | June 29, 2020 Providence, Rhode Island, U.S. | (aged 80)
Genres | Soul |
Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter |
Instrument(s) | Guitar, flute, keyboards[1] |
Website | williewrightmusic |
William C. Gathright (July 7, 1939 – June 29, 2020), known professionally as Willie Wright, was an American soul singer and songwriter, best known for his "rediscovered" 1977 album, Telling the Truth.
Life and career
He was born in Belen, Quitman County, Mississippi, United States.[2] In his teens he sang with friends George Bragg and Harry Jensen in a Harlem, New York City doo-wop group, The Persuaders. Later, the three formed the Willie Wright Trio. Wright then began performing as a solo singer and songwriter in clubs in Greenwich Village, and also played flute with The Three Degrees.[3][4] He turned down offers to sign with a major label, and according to his current record label "deliberately chose artistic freedom over the sharecropper's existence to which many of the best artists of his generation were subjected."[3]
He moved to
In the early 1990s he moved to
Wright died on June 29, 2020, in Providence, Rhode Island, at the age of 80.[8]
References
- ^ "Willie Wright Soul Singer". Williewrightmusic.com. Retrieved 2020-06-30.
- ^ "Liner-Notes". Williewrightmusic.com. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
- ^ a b c d "Willie Wright: About Us" at Green Coil Records. Williewrightmusic.com, Retrieved 5 December 2013
- ^ a b c d Biography by Mark Deming, AllMusic. Retrieved 5 December 2013
- ^ a b Jer Fairall, "Willie Wright: Telling The Truth" PopMatters, 3 February 2011. Retrieved 10 May 2020
- ^ Ellen Carl, "Your Three Words: 'I'm So Happy Now' by Willie Wright", ABC News, May 7, 2011. Retrieved 5 December 2013
- ^ a b "Willie Wright", IrishTimes, 1 April 2011. Retrieved 10 May 2020
- ^ Bloom, Madison (30 June 2020). "Willie Wright, American Soul Singer and Songwriter, Dead at 80". Pitchfork.com. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
External links
- Willie Wright discography at Discogs
- Willie Wright at SoulTracks.com